Which car should I buy?

Hi Paul, thank you so much for your educative articles. I am considering buying a small car and my focus is on Pajero Mini, Passo, Vitz or Duet. Please advise on what is better in terms of fuel economy, availability of spare parts and loading, among others. Joseph Aru

Hello Joseph, your proposed line up of Toyota sub compact super mini hatches is impressive.
They all have 1.0 litre and 1.3 litre engines which are more fuel efficient than the Pajero Mini’s smallest 660cc engine.
The Duet has the best fuel economy (1.0L highway: 21.8km/L / 1.3L : 21km/L) followed by Vitz (18.5km/L and 15km/L).
The Pajero mini with the smallest engine provides the lowest fuel economy result of 15km/ litre.
Your choice should also be driven by practical reasons. You may find the Pajero mini 4WD very useful on some of our suburban roads.
However it has got drivability issues on the highway because of it steeper roof profile and narrow wheel base.
The Passo looks good and has an impressive passenger and loading space as well as modern safety and driver aids.
Duet is more spacious and looks more practical than the Vitz while Pajero’s 15km /litre fuel statistic is hampered from improving by its lofty roof profile and narrow wheel base.