Brothers and sisters,

Really need help on recommending which I should choose from these 3:
a) Kia FORTE (1.6L DOHC CVVT SX (A/T) - RM85,800
b) Ford FIESTA Sedan LX 1.6L Ti-VCT - RM81,388
c) Toyota VIOS 1.5E - RM81,500
(Price are all based on OTR rates)

Basically 2nd hand value is not an issue, but would also like to heard it from you guys..
I would like have one of these 3 cars to be my long-term car. Wanna to know the price worthy of each car in terms of:
i) Fuel-consumption
ii) After sales service
iii) Maintenance
iv) Performance
v) Life of it
vi) Any problem?

And anymore to add-on? I am sorry for this long post because this is my 1st time buying a car and do not know what should I know for the car.
I have actually looked at Honda City, but i think it is too expensive for me but I know it's Fuel consuming is really saving but in spec-wise these 3 cars win it.
By the way, I am living in KL and a person who travel much to Melaka with my little 30 years old Nissan Sunny.

Your recommendation and advise will much appreciated. Thank you brothers and sisters.

Here is what i think, and i will comment on stuff i am sure.
A) Kia Forte is a C-Segment car, biggest car among the 3. CKD quality. The highest FC among the 3. Resale value is about the same as a Fiesta.
B) Ford Fiesta is a B-Segment car, same as a VIOS. CBU quality. FC consumption, i am not too sure. DSG gearbox, i think FC should be very good. Resale value pretty much meh.
C) Toyota Vios is a B-Segment car, average of the two. CKD quality. Proven very good FC. My bro is driving one. So i can vouch for it. Good resale value.

Now the question is do you need a car with boot space? Would a larger car be better for you? Or you looking for resale value? Reliability for 3 cars, they are all good. Hardly read any bad comment among them.
If you need a bigger car with boot space, then it is forte.
If you need resale value and proven car, then it is Vios.
If you want a car with plenty of safety and latest tech, then it is Fiesta.

Personally, i would take Fiesta given the 3, but that is just me.

This post has been edited by Madgeiser: Jan 8 2012, 12:07 AM

Yes, I totally agree. But doesn't the Forte also have 6 airbags? I'd chose between the two, but I'm a bit skeptical of Korean cars (especially since that Spectre thread with the cracked dashboard).

The Fiesta shouldn't be too unreliable, there are many of them in Europe. Different weather though...

Bro, sorry for noob question. But what is C-segment car? What is the meaning of CKD and CBU? And DSG gearbox what is that?

And how about their maintenance price and after sales service quality?
I know they will be more expensive than those common car like Toyota and Honda, but is it really really expensive?

since u not realli good in automotive,better take city or vios,but i must say vios is a veli boring and overpriced crap...city is must better wif the same price

don't really und what do u mean by i am not realli good in automotive?
I just want to have a decent car with less hassle to be incurred.
And actually Kia FORTE and Ford FIESTA capture my view 1st before vios.
And i really like their design, just worry about the after sales service and the price for maintenance and spare parts.

Well, if you go for Kia or Ford you might go hunting for spare parts, which might be a bit difficult.

To give you an example from Renault (no clue how it is with Ford or Kia): I can easily get the spare part (with some waiting) from my SC. For example RM 490. In Singapore I was quoted S$135 at one spare parts dealer who has one, another quoted me S$100, but I'd have to wait around 2 months. Chop shop in Singapore (after some searching... such a cheap part they may not be bothered to even search, so they simply say they don't have) had the part for S$50. In Europe it costs like 30 Euro new including shipping, but customs might mean trouble (dunno). Waiting is another thing that might happen. If they don't have stocks here...

You also might only get original parts here, so it is quite expensive.

With a Toyota or Honda the hunt will probably be less troublesome.

However you get the nicer, better, more refined car. Toyota uses ancient technology, but being ancient means they have perfected it. It _should_ last, but the gearbox was already used by the Romans etc.

DSG is the latest tech in gearboxes... basically it is a manual gearbox with 2 sets of gears and 2 clutches. Driving it is a bit different from driving a normal auto (at least the VW I drove will roll back when you are in D and not on the gas pedal), but the fuel consumption will be lower and the performance is better (6 gears vs. 4 so the engine can be kept in the optimal rpm range for what you want to do), the gear changes are faster and smoother. Go to YouTube and have a look how such a gearbox works.

CBU is completely imported from a foreign country. CKD means they deliver the parts for assembly in Malaysia, some parts might be made locally. Means lower taxes but the fear that someone in Malaysia screws up and the quality is lower.

AFAIK A segment means submini... very small cars. Viva, VW Fox (mh... bad example as it's not known here) etc. A small hatchback or the saloon based on it is in the B segment. Think Polo, Fiesta, Vios (based on Yaris (Europe)/Vitz (Japan)), Swift, ... C segment is something like a Golf, Forte, ... then D segment would be Passat, Camry, Citroen C5, BMW 3 series, those sort of car.

Looking at the sales figures of the Fiesta though it actually doesn't do that bad. Means SC will be experienced (my SC knows the Kangoo since there are quite a few of them on the road, and they all come to the same SC), parts might not be that big of a problem and perhaps non original parts might be imported one day. Resale value might change if the car becomes popular, and... well, it could.

Brother! Really thank you so much for your long post and i learnt a lot!
Is the Fiesta Sedan in the B-segment too?
I thought it's quite big and same size with other sedan car.
What if Fiesta became popular, will the price increase in this situation?
Don't know why but i think Fiesta Sedan have the potential to be popular in the market after the flood happened in Thailand that influence the Japan's car production.

In Malaysia... Fiesta need to sell more n most important is their service center need to be better prepare... A lot of complain on their service so far.

hmmm... bad services in terms of slow on getting spare parts? or bad bad service from them?

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Added on January 8, 2012, 1:45 amwhat about kia forte?

This post has been edited by bushyboy105: Jan 8 2012, 01:45 AM

I would say it is B segment, but who cares, really. What counts is if the car suits you in terms of space, quality, ride etc.

The price for a new car... could happen. I believe they have raised the price already. Resale price too. It all depends on how much people want the car... what price they are willing to pay. If it becomes popular, then yea, they want the thing, and thus are willing to pay more for it. Not popular, price will be low. But how it will be in 5, 10 years, who knows. It's like buying and selling stock...

You might want to read the respective threads of the cars that you consider. You'll be finding complaining Vios owners, complaining Fiesta owners, complaining Forte owners. Vios owners will probably have more options though, there are more SC and workshops that can deal with the car.

My main advice is to drive them all as much as you can and under realistic circumstances and to listen to the owners (not that they'd say their car is crap compared to the competition, that would mean they'd have to admit they have made a mistake. Not everyone would want to do that. And not everyone has had the opportunity to drive the competition). Also, every car will have it's strong and weak points. You'll have to know yourself what is more important to you.

easy choice, if u are ok with the fiesta's (sedan) backside, then of course go for fiesta. if u hated the arse, then go for forte. conti cars will be the next best thing in Malaysia because most of the new generation ppl will buy conti, a revolution is gong on at the moment. conti's status will eventually replace the japs. just DON'T take the vios, it's the most pathetic car u can get on the market now.

Owned a forte 1.6 ex for nearly 2 years already. Previously drove vios for 7 years. For 85k budget, new car in 2012:

Forte 1.6 SX - best bet for its price for space, comfort for 5 adults, specs and fc. biggest of the 3, the most comfort i guess. bumpy rear on uneven cornering because of the torsion beam. you get c-segment car in b-segment price! best for highway cruising and long trip: can get 550-650km per fulltank. not bad in urban drive: can get 450-550km per full tank.

Vios 1.5 E - very basic but sufficient spec, comfort for 4 only, floating and bumpy in high speed, best fc for urban/highway trip. for me overpriced. for 2-3 persons family use or office use.

Fiesta sedan - dun have experience. i guess the smallest of the 3. specs higher than vios tho, comparable to forte. but it s small, so comfort, space and long trip should effect. fc might be the best of 3. Also for 2-3 persons family use or office use.

my 2 cents

your is 4 speed or 6? whats ur comfortable speed on hway? tq.

Thank you so much Kadajawi!
May i know what car u are driving now?
And do you met any experiences about these Kia Forte & Ford Fiesta?

I drive a Citroen Xsara II 1.4(M) from 2002 and a Renault Kangoo I Ph 2 1.4(A) from 2005.

Been in a Toyota Aygo (pretty stiff and unrefined, loud, cheap materials, but reliable) and Yaris/Vitz (Vios hatchback). The Yaris felt cheap and a bit loud (IIRC definitely inferior to the Xsara, and I believe also to the Kangoo, though materials are better than in the Kangoo). The ride felt unrefined IIRC (been a while).

I have only traveled a few hundred km in some older Fiestas (I think one of them was the previous gen one). They felt like proper cars, in small. Other Fords as passenger... S-Max, old Mondeo (early 00s I believe), mid 00s Focus wagon and the older Fiesta. They were all decent cars IMHO.

I did drive a first gen Ford Ka (not really relevant but fun to drive except for the Myvi'ish manual gearbox. Imagine a small 4 seater go kart, but it felt decently made with not too bad materials... must have driven 130-140 and didn't felt scared) and the latest Ford Galaxy (7 seater van, something like an Exora). The Galaxy was very well made, looked really good and felt pretty good. I really liked the ride, not as stiff as a VW (Touran!), but also not wobbly at 180 km/h (the Touran is more planted at those speeds, but I only didn't go faster cause I didn't want to torture the engine). The engine was the smallest diesel, which was actually powerful enough. Manual gearbox was pretty good, totally unlike Myvi or Rusa. The Fiesta is much lighter and has more hp

I liked the DSG in the VW Cross Touran, totally unlike that rubbish 4 speed auto gearbox that Renault used in the Kangoo. Miles apart. While I expect the Toyota unit to be better I doubt that it can compete with a DSG, even though in the Fiesta it lacks the paddles.

I also spent some time in the latest Opel Corsa, which is probably the closest competitor to the Fiesta. It's a good car. My Kelisa driving cousin from Singapore drove it several hundred km one day, and she liked it (more than the Xsara ). I did a short test drive, it felt well made (interior is good, much better than Myvi and Saga), a bit stiff suspension but nothing too bad. However I really hated the driver seat, perhaps I should have spent more time adjusting it but the seating position was bad. Not sure how Corsa and Fiesta compare, but I guess both are a decent example for a small mid budget Euro hatch. In comparison a Polo is a bit more expensive over there, and perhaps a bit better. Here however... oh well.

My only experience with a Kia was with the cee'd Sporty Wagon and tyres with spikes, on snowy roads chasing after moose. (so different car in very different conditions). It felt quite a bit cheaper than a Golf, but well, it is a quite a bit cheaper car. It was in all aspects inferior, but still not too bad. You get what you pay for. I'd say better than the Xsara (however I enjoy the not too stiff ride of that one on uneven surfaces, sometimes contis feel just too uncomfortable... I'm looking to you, VW), but it's also a newer car.

As I, like many, haven't had real experience with the cars in question and your taste and preferences may be totally different from ours, please do drive them. In some threads though some report who have driven both Vios and Fiesta, and I believe they preferred the Fiesta.

This post has been edited by kadajawi: Jan 8 2012, 03:21 PM

mine 4 speed 'cbu'

i ve tried between 100-140 comfortably on highways.. Didnt dare to try higher yet lol

whats the rpm@110km/h? just helping my gf to look for a car..used or new in near future.

Why didn't dare to try higher? The way the car feels? Scared of summon? Only poor roads in your area? In a modern car of that size 140 shouldn't feel dangerous or unstable. Xsara does 160-170 with ease... it's a bit loud, and the engine really struggles, but other than that... no worries. Touran 190 easily, Ford Galaxy too. Golf+ as well. Even a Skoda Fabia felt quite safe at 200+ on the Autobahn... ok, I wasn't driving, and the road conditions didn't make it feel that safe (snow, slippery, ...), but the car itself was fine.