Top 5 Small SUVs in 2022 under 1.5 million Pesos

By: Selina Tan, for Automart.PH
 

The SUV craze has taken the country by storm with the introduction of affordable seven seater pickup platform based (PPV) SUVs such as the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Everest, Mitsubishi Montero Sport, and Isuzu MU-X. Filipinos were quick to take their share in the pie of large SUVs which up until recently, were largely out of reach, budget wise. Now that fuel prices have increased, and family sizes have gotten smaller, small crossover SUVs are gaining popularity as the more practical and wise option.

Today, let us take a look at some of the best options for you when looking for your next small, but practical crossover SUV, with a budget of under 1,500,000 Pesos.

5. Ford Territory

The Ford Territory is one of Ford Philippines’ best selling SUV models. It is feature packed, comfortable, and spacious on the inside.

The Territory’s interior gives off a premium feel with its soft touch materials, wood panels, digital instrument cluster, and the addition of a 10” touchscreen with wireless Apple Carplay, and wired Android Auto.

Its suite of safety features and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) also helps make even long journeys safe and comfortable. Six airbags, adaptive cruise control (ACC), lane keep assist, electronic parking brake with an auto-hold function, among others, all come as standard.

With a 1.5L turbocharged four cylinder EcoBoost engine producing 143 PS, and 225 Nm of torque, mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT), the Ford Territory provides enough power for anyone’s daily needs, sans spirited drives. Despite its reasonable engine power, the Ford Territory still manages to return 9 Km/L in heavy city traffic, and 12.8 Km/L on the highway, making it an economical option for most buyers.

While priced similarly to other sub-compact SUVs on the market at P1,310,000, the Ford Territory benefits from its added size, which is more similar to the class above: compact SUVs. It, however, is due for a replacement soon, as talks of the Ford Equator being rebranded as the all new Ford Territory is already circulating in the industry. For that reason, it deserves the rank of number five on this list.

4. Toyota Raize

Who can say no to a Toyota? Sure, maybe some people, but did you know that the Toyota Raize is a rebadged Daihatsu Rocky? No matter, as the Toyota Raize is still backed by Toyota’s guarantee of quality, and is still one of the best selling small SUVs in the country.

The Toyota Raize is a miniature SUV that caters towards the needs of those looking for the ease of driving of a sedan, but needs the added ground clearance for unexpected circumstances. Its small footprint ensures navigation around tight city streets to be a walk in the park, while its ground clearance of 200mm gives it an edge over sedans in battling the rough roads and floods of the country.

Two engine options are available for the Toyota Raize. A 1.2L naturally aspirated three cylinder gasoline engine producing 88 PS, and 113 Nm of torque, mated to a five speed manual, or CVT (1.2E M/T, 1.2E CVT, 1.2 G CVT), and a 1.0L turbocharged three cylinder gasoline engine producing 98 PS, and 140 Nm of torque, mated to a CVT (1.0 Turbo CVT). Whichever engine option or variant you choose, you are guaranteed to have adequate power for city roads. Take the Toyota Raize up on the expressway, however, and you might be left wanting for a little more power.

Nonetheless, the Toyota Raize proves to be more than enough for most Filipinos’ driving habits, ie: city driving. It also comes with various creature comforts such as Apple Carplay and Android Auto no matter the variant. Blind spot monitoring (BLM), rear cross traffic alert (RCTA), anti-lock brakes (ABS), and six airbags are also available on the top 1.0 Turbo CVT variant. This top variant was even awarded five stars by the ASEAN New Car Assessment Program (ASEAN NCAP) for safety.

The Toyota Raize, no matter the variant, slots below 1,500,000 Pesos, with prices starting at 751,000 Pesos for the base 1.2 E M/T, all the way to just 1,051,000 Pesos for the top 1.0 Turbo CVT, making it a great choice on your bank account.

3. Geely Coolray SE

The Geely Coolray SE is an excellent choice for those looking for a practical, but also sporty and fast small SUV. It is powered by a 1.5L three cylinder engine making 177PS, and 255 Nm of torque paired to an equally sport-oriented seven speed wet clutch dual-clutch transmission. It can accelerate from 0 - 100 Km/h in only 7.9 seconds. This powertrain makes the Geely Coolray class leading in terms of power, beating even the already powerful Honda HR-V Turbo.

Despite being sporty, the Geely Coolray does not ditch passenger comfort and space. It still has enough seating for four adults, and maybe the addition of a smaller-built fifth, plus a cargo capacity of 330 liters without folding any of the seats.

Features are not short either, with a remote start function, panoramic sunroof (Premium and Sport), 360 degree camera (Sport), ventilated front row seats (Sport), fully automatic parallel and perpendicular parking (Sport), and digital instrument cluster being available in some variants. A 10.25” touchscreen is available for all variants, but lacks the availability of Apple Carplay, and Android Auto. Owners will have to make do with the provided feature of QDLink phone mirroring instead.

Up to six airbags are available, together with blind spot detection (Sport), tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS), ABS, traction control, hill start assist, hill descent control, and a built in dashcam.

Prices of the Geely Coolray start at 1,073,000 Pesos for the Comfort trim, 1,198,000 Pesos for the Premium trim, and 1,269,000 Pesos for the Sport trim.
 

2. Changan CS35 Plus

When it comes to bang for your buck small SUVs, it is hard to beat the Changan CS35 Plus. It delivers great styling, a comfortable and tech-filled interior, as well as performance to match.

The Changan CS35 Plus utilizes a futuristic design language to adorn its exterior. The use of light bars, and black chrome give it a sleek and stunning look. Its interior is not left out either with a sporty two-tone red and black color scheme throughout the range, and an abundance of tech such as a digital instrument cluster (Hype and Luxe), 360 degree camera (Hype and Luxe), wireless charging pad, 10 inch touchscreen, unfortunately without Apple Carplay, nor Android Auto, and a remote start function.

Safety wise, the Changan CS35 Plus in the Hype and Luxe trims receives up to six airbags, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, and blind spot monitoring. The entire ranger gets TPMS, traction control, hill hold assist, hill descent control, and a built in dashcam.

It is powered by a 1.4L turbocharged four cylinder gasoline engine making 160PS, and 260 Nm of torque, mated to a seven speed wet clutch dual-clutch transmission.

All these features make the Changan CS35 Plus appear to be priced high, however, you will be surprised to note that it only starts at 999,999 Pesos for the Lite trim, and goes up to 1,149,000 and 1,169,000 for the Hype and Luxe trims respectively.

1. Nissan Kicks

The Nissan Kicks is a series hybrid vehicle that is a first for the Philippine market. Compared to conventional hybrid vehicles, the Nissan Kicks, as with all other series hybrids, is propelled by an electric motor alone. This means that although a 1.2L three cylinder gasoline engine, making 136 PS, and 280 Nm of torque still exists within the vehicle, it is no longer connected to the wheels.

The gasoline engine’s sole purpose is to charge up the batteries, which in turn powers the electric motor. The engine is also able to run in the most efficient RPM range, which significantly increases fuel economy, delivering 15.4 Km/L in heavy city traffic, and over 20.8 Km/L on the highway.

Reading those fuel economy figures, you might think that the Nissan Kicks is a boring car. It is not. Since the Nissan Kicks is powered by electric power alone, you also get instant torque the moment you step on the accelerator pedal, giving you a sense of speed that cannot be felt with any other car in its class, despite having a relatively low output.

There are other big advantages to this type of setup too. The Nissan Kicks is able to be driven like a fully electric vehicle. It has an EV mode which avoids the use of the gasoline engine as much as possible, reducing any sort of engine noise entering the cabin.

One pedal driving called e-Pedal Step is also available. With e-Pedal Step, the brakes no longer need to be applied when slowing down the vehicle, unless when coming to a full stop. This, in theory, reduces brake pad wear, and also the need to constantly shift between the accelerator and brake pedal. It might be a subtle change compared to driving a conventional vehicle, but this small difference over a long day of driving greatly decreases driver fatigue.

The presence of a gasoline engine, and lack of a charging port means that range limitation is not an issue. You simply refuel the Nissan Kicks in the same way you would refuel a conventional vehicle.

The best part of it all is that the Nissan kicks can be had for as low as 1,209,000 Pesos for the base EL trim. The VE and VL trims come in at 1,309,000 and 1,509,000 respectively. While the Nissan Kicks is definitely not the cheapest vehicle out of all our picks today, it is a very exciting vehicle that showcases all the benefits and future possibilities of electric vehicles here in the Philippines, without sacrificing range, and giving a sense of range anxiety. It therefore deserves the number one spot in this list, and is a car that you must surely add to your shortlist.

Looking for a small SUV to be your next daily? Automart.PH is here to cater to your needs. We have multiple small and large used SUVs in various brands and models which are made affordable for everyone. We offer installments that will make every purchase enjoyable, and light on the bank account.

Content Editor Kyle Liong contributed to this story.