The 2023 Toyota Wigo or the Toyota Agya, Daihatsu Ayla, and Perodua Axia in other countries has debuted, with many interested in what the small hatchback offers.

As this is the newest hatchback on the block, we will now compare it to other popular vehicles in its class, such as the Suzuki Celerio.

In the Philippines, the Celerio recently launched with a new exterior design, a host of features, and a new transmission option.

For this comparison, we will use the Toyota Agya as a basis as it shares the Toyota badge with the Wigo and may likely carry similar specifications once it enters the Philippine market. 

Exterior

Right off the bat, the 2023 Toyota Wigo is the bigger of the two hatchbacks, as Toyota has increased its dimensions to give it better cabin space inside the vehicle. 

Regarding its exterior kit, the Toyota hatchback gets LED lighting elements for its higher variants, while lower models get halogen headlights instead. 

As for the Suzuki Celerio, it is only available with halogen headlights. While these get the job done, its older technology disadvantages it over its Wigo rival. 

Regarding the size of the two vehicles, the 2023 Wigo is longer by 65 mm and wider by 10 mm. Notably, it is shorter than its Suzuki rival by 55 mm in height.  

As a side note, the new Wigo gets a choice between 14 or 15-inch wheels, depending on the variant chosen, while the Celerio gets 15-inch wheels as standard for its solitary model. 

Interior and technology

The 2023 Toyota Wigo gets a new cabin with styling similar to the 2023 Perodua Axia, which shares the same platform. It has a more modern interior with an animated instrument cluster and a dashboard that houses a 9-inch infotainment system. 

As the Suzuki Celerio is a reasonably new model, it also gets a modern layered dashboard divided into modules.

One of these “modules” houses the large speedometer and small tachometer, while the other houses a 6.2-inch infotainment system with Bluetooth and WebLink connectivity. 

Notably, to save space, the Suzuki Celerio has its door locks and window controls mounted on the dashboard instead of the door cards.

Saving space is a big theme with the Celerio, indicating a smaller cabin. As space is an important consideration, the 2023 Wigo has an advantage as space saving isn’t an issue for the hatchback. 

Power

Under the hood, both hatchbacks are powered by 3-cylinder engines. 

The Suzuki Celerio has a 1.0-liter naturally aspirated gasoline engine that produces 68 PS and 89 Nm of torque. It is mated to either a five-speed manual or a five-speed automatic gear shift transmission.

The 2023 Toyota Wigo, on the other hand, is powered by a 1.2-liter naturally aspirated gasoline engine that produces 88 PS and 138 Nm of torque. Its transmission options are just a CVT; however, a five-speed manual is available for other markets. 

The numbers alone show that the Toyota hatchback has a clear advantage with more power available. However, as fuel efficiency figures still need to be available for the 2023 Wigo, we will have to wait a while to see how it compares to Celerio. 

Safety

The 2023 Toyota Wigo has a similar safety feature list to locally available. The Toyota hatchback has standard dual front airbags, ABS, and ISOFIX.

The Indonesian launch revealed, however, that Toyota Safety Sense would not be included in the 2023 Agya to keep its cost down; as the Perodua Axia in the Malaysian market, however, it does come with Advanced Driver Aids, which is similar to what is available with the Toyota Safety Sense suite.

Notably, the new Wigo also has a 4 out of 5 star ASEAN NCAP safety rating, making it one of the safest affordable hatchbacks in the country. 

The Suzuki Celerio, on the other hand, has dual front airbags, rear parking sensors, ISOFIX child seat anchors, hill hold control, and an electronic stability program. 

However, unlike its Toyota rival, it still needs an updated ASEAN NCAP score.

Overall the 2023 Toyota Wigo is still the safer of the two vehicles, but this might change after the Celerio gets its updated testing done by the ASEAN NCAP. 

Verdict

While the 2023 Toyota Wigo has grown in size and gained some power with its 1.2-liter engine, it's still a tough call between it and the Suzuki Celerio as fuel efficiency figures still need to be added to the Toyota hatchback. 

The Suzuki Celerio is still great for what it offers, a reliable commuter car with just enough power to keep things exciting and get you to highway speeds. However, we can’t deny that it's a smaller car with a tighter cabin. Space saving is a big thing with this small hatchback, as some of its controls have even been migrated to the dashboard.

Based on the available specification, we give the 2023 Toyota Wigo the advantage thanks to its excellent feature set. If fuel efficiency figures were public, the Celerio could just turn the tide against its Toyota Rival.