Head to Head

Groovy, funky yet surprisingly practical, the subcompact hatchback market is full of excellent choices for the budget-minded motorist. Thanks to their combination of style and efficiency, these cars are no longer the basic runabouts of the 90's. For this week's head to head, we pit two handsome hatchbacks in the form of the Suzuki Swift and the Toyota Yaris. How do these strong sellers stack up? Let's take a closer look

So how sets these two cars apart? We start with the engine.

Under the hood of the Suzuki Swift is a 1.2-liter, inline-4 with DOHC and VVT. The result of that is 88 PS and 114 Nm of torque. This is the only engine option available in the Swift. Moving on the the Toyota Yaris, there are two engine options to choose from. First is a 1.3-liter, inline-4, also with DOHC. Thanks to a new engine block with Dual VVT-i, output is rated at 99 PS and 123 Nm of torque. Second is a 1.5-liter engine, also with Dual VVT-i tech, which produces 108 PS and 140 Nm of torque.

Both these cars can be equipped with a five-speed manual but the two differ when it comes to their automatic transmissions. The Swift sticks to a traditional 4-speed automatic whereas the Yaris uses a 7-speed continuously variable transmission or CVT. Both these hatchbacks are front wheel drive.

Back to their similarities and the two ride on identical suspension setups. Both utilize MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the back.

Let's now take a look at their interiors. In the Swift, drivers are greeted a rounded off dashboard. It employs a wraparound with its sweeping lines merging to the center console. In all variants, the seats are trimmed in fabric. It also comes with tilt steering wheel adjust. Speaking of its steering wheel, it has a polyurathane finish with faux leather on shift knob. Soft touch padding is present on the passenger side dashboard face and door armrests. Also present is a multi-information display which shows fuel economy status, among other things.

In the Yaris, its design sees a more upright look which is then complemented by sweeping lines. These sweeps can be seen in the dash, as well as its door panels. Like the Swift, all models come with fabric seats, as well as tilt steering adjust. Also, it features faux stitching to boost the ambiance of the interior. Like the Swift, the Yaris comes with a Multi-information display as standard.

The Yaris comes with a touchscreen infotainment system which features CD, MP3, Aux-in and Bluetooth capability. On to the Swift, it comes with a touchscreen with MP3, Bluetooth and Auxiliary function.

Back to their exteriors and while both share their chassis with sedans, neither look like their four-door counterparts. The Swift adapts a more rounded design, much like its exterior. At the front we see upswept headlights and a honeycomb grill. On to its side is a pinched window line, showing off its sporty side. At the rear meanwhile is a rounded off tailgate and, much like the front, it also has a pair of upswept tail lights.

The Yaris meanwhile adapts a more aggressive exterior design. At the front, sharp-looking headlights merge with the slim grill. A trim piece then brings the eyes to the lower part of the bumper which sees more curves and character lines. Bigger windows can be seen on the Yaris, as well as defined character by the window and the lower part of the door. At the rear we see a blacked out panel to give the Yaris a 'floating roof' look. C-Shaped tail lights are also present.

On to their variants, the Swift is available in two models with the 1.2 M/T and 1.2 A/T. The Yaris on the other hand has three variants, namely the 1.3 E M/T, 1.3 E CVT and 1.5 G CVT. The Swift starts at Php 630,000 to Php 678,000 while the Yaris ranges from Php 745,000 to Php 885,000.