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Head to Head: Kia Picanto vs Suzuki S-Presso

The most affordable car in the Philippines versus the most affordable car in the Philippines at the time of writing. Which is better?

Earl Lee on Jun 22, 2022

Head to head kia picanto vs suzuki s-presso

Suzuki has held the title of the most affordable car in the Philippines on multiple occasions. Remember the Suzuki Alto? Back in the day, that little hatchback could be had for a little over P300,000, but now it appears that inflation is taking its toll on car prices, and excise taxes aren’t making things any easier.

So for a while, the Suzuki S-Presso was the most affordable model in the Philippines until the Kia Picanto’s 1.0 LX MT came along with a promotion that brought its price down to just P499,000. Yep, we’ll be comparing the Kia Picanto and the Suzuki S-Presso, two of the most affordable cars in the market at the moment with the Picanto leading the race thanks to a hefty cash promo. For comparison’s sake, the trim that we will be covering for the Picanto will be the 1.0 LX MT trim, which is the closest in price and in features to the Suzuki S-Presso.

Exterior

Since its launch, the Kia Picanto’s been the value option in the Kia lineup, offering buyers everything they need in a package that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. The exterior of the base variant of the Picanto is still stylish as ever, and it’s indeed quirky on its own. It comes with steel 14-inch wheels and it also gets a set of halogen headlamps which is indicative of its price point. While it’s not totally impressive, the exterior design that Kia has going for this model is quite handsome, and far from boring.

As far as looks go, it’s a bit of a split. Both models are plenty quirky and fun on the outside but the S-Presso is slightly better in a few regards. The Picanto’s quirky design was matched by the S-Presso, and the added ground clearance and alloy wheels just cemented the Suzuki’s position in this compare.

Winner: Suzuki S-Presso

Inteiror

For the price point, it’s right to expect that either car will come with hard plastics inside. The Kia Picanto’s no exception, and it gets hard plastic panel after hard plastic panel but with textures that resemble leather or other materials. You’re not going to be floored by the materials, but the design of the dashboard is more upscale than the Suzuki’s. We’re fans of Kia’s execution here because of its approachability and its more natural contours and shapes. If you get a feel for the plastic as well, all the surfaces are mounted solidly and the controls actuate with nice feedback and tactility. The rear seats are a little more cramped compared to the S-Presso, but are still serviceable for the most part. The Picanto shines brighter than the Suzuki thanks to its 255-liter rear cargo space and its expandable up to 1,010 liters.

It’s not exactly the same story for the S-Presso, and there are some gripes still even at this price point. While we can forgive Suzuki for the use of black plastics, the lack of motorized windows for the rear passengers is a bit of a headscratcher. Why wouldn’t Suzuki be able to put motorized windows for all in this day and age? Seems like a bit of a miss, but the S-Presso’s charm doesn’t lie with the finer things in life anyway. However, comparing its interior to the Picanto is a little harsh since the finishing isn’t up to snuff and the gauges are quite a sore spot for us since Suzuki could have done a bit better. As a result, the S-Presso looks a little bare in comparison to the Picanto, with its exterior doing most of the work to make it stand out.

However, the S-Presso isn’t as spacious in the rear, having only 239 liters of space to work with. We reckon that the S-Presso will inc closer to the 1,000 liters worth of space with the rear seats folded, but the Picanto has more space even with five passengers on board.

If only the S-Presso came with more interior chops, then it would absolutely take the prize for this round, however, the Picanto answers back after losing in the first round.

Winner: Kia Picanto

Technology

As far as tech goes, neither car will wow you with much of anything. Both have radios that feature speakers, but the Picanto gets the job done with an LCD infotainment system with a lot of buttons. Basically, it’s an old-school radio, but at least you have AUX-in for your tunes as well as USB. It’s very dated, but it works, and that’s what matters. The gauge cluster, however, is a lot nicer to look at and it features a separate LCD screen for your trip computer, and it’s easily read and legible. Placed in the driver’s line of sight, the cluster’s conventionality is a point in the Picanto’s favor.

The S-Presso, meanwhile, one-ups the Picanto thanks to its 7-inch touchscreen infotainment screen. It doesn’t come with Android Auto or Apple Carplay, but it only has two speakers instead of the four found in the Picanto. However, using this system is much easier and Bluetooth audio is much better than plugging in a headphone jack (that is if your phone still even has one). On top of that, the S-Presso comes with a digital LCD without a tachometer, and it’s less than adequate given that it is also a manual transmission. While some veterans may argue that you don’t need a tachometer to drive, the placement of the speedometer is quite weird and it’s hard to ascertain other trip information since the display is rather small.

A tough call for the winner here as both models leave something to be desired with the infotainment systems and the driver information system. Where one lacks, one gains an advantage, but both models come with their own pros and cons. If you want the touchscreen, then the S-Presso is the right choice for you, but if you want a more conventional gauge cluster with a tachometer and some extra speakers, then the Picanto is it.

TIE

Safety

Now here is where things get interesting. The Kia Picanto’s internationally recognized as a rather safe car, coming in with an NCAP score of three stars from the Euro NCAP. It’s not a five-star rating, but it looks like it compared to the S-Presso with a zero in the global NCAP tests.

Let’s not take away too much from the S-Presso, however. It still comes with ABS, two airbags, and also electronic brakeforce distribution along with ISOFIX tethers. The Picanto in its LX MT trim, however, only gets a driver airbag and no ABS. As such, this category ends in a tie because the Picanto can at least lean on a three-star NCAP score.

TIE

Price

The Kia Picanto in its 1.0 LX MT trim comes in at just P590,000, which is slightly more expensive than the S-Presso’s P563,000 retail price, and it would appear that the S-Presso will win this round.

However, do note that at the time of this article’s writing, the Picanto got a significant price cut in the form of a promo. For the rest of June, the little Kia hatchback in its base trim will go for P499,000, which undercuts the S-Presso’s current launch price by quite a bit. Considering this, however, we’ll have to award the category as yet another tie for the time being.

TIE

Verdict

So it looks like both cars are evenly matched, and tallying up the scores, the story points to both being equals. However, we have to say that the Picanto should be the model to get if you prefer an interior that has some refinement to it even at a low price point. The S-Presso is still a great bargain at P563,000, however, even if there are no promotions to speak of at the time of this article’s writing.

However, once Kia Philippines ends its promotion with the Kia Picanto, the S-Presso might as well take the win from the South Korean hatchback. Though, that’s only based on the scoring system we’ve put together for the Head-to-Head. Otherwise, we’d find that the Picanto is a great pick regardless and even if it was priced normally at P590,000. With only P17,000 separating the two priced regularly, it seems well worth it considering the amenities plus the fit and finish of the cabin. After all, you’ll only be spending hours of your time in the cabin of a car while stuck in city traffic, so why not choose a nice place to be?

Final Verdict: Tie