Head to Head: Honda Brio vs Toyota Wigo

It’s rather poetic how two rivals in the industry launched each of these cars at nearly the same time. Honda, on the one hand, launched the Brio alongside the new City. A remarkable facelift with new tech new features and a new face among other things, yet it’s still on the same tried-and-tested platform that we’ve come to love with the Brio. 

Then it was Toyota’s turn. With the Wigo being what it is and having gone through three facelifts prior to this update, we finally got a full generational leap this year, and it’s bound to be one of the best-sellers of Toyota and even the segment moving forward. Though, faced up against the Brio—stiff competition by the way—let’s answer the question of which is better through a spec sheet brawl. Let’s pit these two small hatchbacks in a head-to-head. 

Both cars are small, both are about the same size, but one is familiar but nicer and the other is totally new. Even down to the fonts that both manufacturers once used, things are different for both models. Small hatchbacks they may be, but they’re both big on function and style. 

Exterior-wise the Brio didn’t go back to the drawing board for its new face. Things aren’t too changed up, but you can expect the design to be spruced up. The RS model is especially handsome, and the biggest update here is the all-LED headlamps and foglamps that give it a more upmarket and aggressive look. Aside from that, the RS elements on the outside change ever so slightly from the previous model such as the grille, the skirts, and the front and rear bumpers. Better than before, this is a remarkable upgrade to the Brio lineup and one that you may be keen on getting. 

However, the Toyota Wigo has just come in with a monumental upgrade to the previous generation. The Wigo had it a long time coming, and the hatchback is in the best shape it has ever been. It now has a front end that matches up well to the Brio, however, a rear that is a little less sporty than the Honda. The eye-catching front is a huge departure from the design of the old model, but the rear does leave something to be desired. Still, however, the Wigo is now striking in its design, and something that we will expect to be discussed and debated about among car enthusiasts and fans for years to come. 

Both cars look exceptionally good, and not even going into the specifications and dimensions of each, crowning a winner here is hard. Both are aggressive, both are compact, and both get fresh new faces to sell to customers and clients. On the exterior front, it’s a tie. The Brio has always looked good, but the Wigo is all-new and there’s value in that too. 

TIE 

Again, we’re faced with another case of judging these cars with reference to their previous generations. One is slightly updated and the other is almost totally new. 

The Honda Brio wasn’t in dire need of an update, at least in our opinion, and as such recoloring a few trim pieces here, changing a few logo placements there, and just changing things up a little keeps things fresh. Again, the Brio already had a competitive interior for its class and quality has been kept constant moving from pre-facelift to the current facelift. You could say that Honda neatened things up by ditching some of the accent color trim pieces in the interior and that’s totally valid. 

On the other hand, it’s almost totally new in the Toyota Wigo. The model used to have a rather flat interior and dashboard, leaving a lot to be desired. However, the new model completely changes that notion. There is more dimension, there are more panels, and even the infotainment system floats on top of the dashboard similar to how the other Toyota models do it. Everything looks quite cohesive that it’s kind of hard to believe that this is a Wigo. 

We have to tip our hat to the Wigo here. Not only is it super fresh and new, it also gives you a more premium feeling inside the cabin. The Brio’s interior isn’t bad, the Wigo’s is just better, and with almost the same legroom, and about the same cargo space at around 200 or so liters, design is the strongest case for the Wigo’s win here. 

Winner: Wigo 

Affordable cars they may be but modern tech features they now have. We complained before about the lack of modern tech and safety features in affordable small cars in the past, but these two cars are now at par with even some compact cars from year models past. 

The Brio now has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. While it is not a super integrated system, where the USB plug is in the glove box, it’s still something that we do appreciate with the update. Honda also remains strong with the quality of its sound system, and the model continues to impress us with the level of clarity it can achieve with six speakers while listening to music. On the safety front, we get the standard ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution, two airbags a security alarm, and an engine immobilizer. Pretty typical for the class though stability control would have been nice. 

In the Toyota, however, things are a bit different. The infotainment system is eight inches, one inch bigger than the Honda’s and it also gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Though the sound quality is not totally there, the Wigo is more than well-equipped for its class, coming in with two airbags, ABs with electronic brakeforce distribution, vehicle stability control, hill-start assist, keyless entry, and even a push-start button. On top of all of that, you also get a reverse camera in the Wigo, which trumps the Honda Brio’s parking sensors. 

Bigger, better, and more. The Wigo takes this round thanks to its bigger infotainment, better safety systems, and more features all throughout. 

Winner: Wigo 

While the exterior, interior, and features of these two cars got major updates and improvements, the powertrains remain the same. 

Honda fields its 1.2-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with 89 hp and 110 Nm of torque mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Now those figures don’t seem like a lot, but wait until you see the Wigo’s. 

While Honda has a four-cylinder engine, Toyota still opted to go with a three-cylinder, the 1.0-liter gasoline motor from the Wigo prior. This engine punches out just 67 hp and 89 Nm of torque and is mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. 

While these cars are small, we believe that every ounce of power counts towards getting up to speed or maintaining said speed on the highway. That being said, the Brio takes this easily over the Wigo. 

Winner: Brio 

Both cars announced their price increases when the update came and when Honda came out with theirs, we thought it was still a relatively good deal. Toyota, on the other hand, really came out swinging with an ultra-competitive price tag. 

The Brio in its RS trim will cost you P853,000, and an additional P10,000 if you want the white color and the black-top roof. A bit pricey. Meanwhile, Toyota charges only P729,000 for the Wigo in its G CVT variant. 

In truth, you do get a better engine in the Brio RS, and the trim might definitely be worth it to some people out there. However, there is no arguing with the features and safety tech inside the Wigo, and for just thirty big ones over the P700,000 mark, that’s another win for the Wigo. 

Winner: Wigo 

Perhaps if there was a driving section, the Brio might have pulled ahead, but being a spec brawl, the Wigo appears to be the better car of the two. Even if the Wigo is down on power and torque, it does make up for it with an updated interior, additional tech and safety features, and a price that is really great value for money in the top-of-the-line package. 

Toyota has a winner on its hands, but we also expect some drivers to prefer the Brio’s style, drive, and engine over the Wigo. Spec-for-spec, the Wigo will take it this time, but we believe that really putting these cars to the test in a drive should be the determining factor. 

Not to take anything away from the Wigo, however, it handily deserves the win and Toyota did a great job of updating this model. 

Overall Winner: Toyota Wigo