Chevrolet onix
Chevrolet’s new subcompact sedan positioned itself very quickly in its segment, so that with just weeks on sale it is already one of the best-sellers in our country. It is a car that has very valuable arguments and starts below 250,000 pesos, so with a budget of 300 thousand it is already enough for the top-of-the-range Onix Premier, with a novel 3-cylinder 1.2-liter turbo engine with 130 hp and 142 lb-ft of torque, coupled to an automatic transmission that allows it to accelerate to 100 km / h in 8.9 seconds, making it not only the fastest in the segment, but also outperforming more expensive compact cars such as the Mazda3 or the Honda Civic in this area.
Although for this price you have access to a complete equipment, with aluminum wheels, leather seats, touch screen with Android Auto and AppleCarPlay, controls at the wheel, trip computer and two-zone climate, what shines about the Onix is the work in the chassis and how well polished its dynamic faculties are, with very precise steering, good brakes and a very well balanced suspension. For those reasons, it more than wins a place on the list of the best cars for 300 thousand pesos.
Kia Soul
The Kia Soul is the only SUV that we recommend for less than 300 thousand pesos, one of the best purchases for this price range, even if it is only in the entry LX version and with a manual box, since the automatic jumps up to 310,000 pesos. It’s so good that we asked the brand for a thorough analysis of the Soul LX, and we must say that it managed to exceed our expectations even though they were already very high. For the budget considered, it has a 1.6-liter engine with 121 hp and a six-speed manual gearbox, which seems ideal because it does not sacrifice too much in acceleration compared to the more expensive ones, but it is more efficient.
Despite being the cheapest of all, at 290,900 pesos, it does not feel like a cheap car and has all the things that seem essential in a modern car for everyday use, such as the touch screen with interfaces for mobile devices, remote controls steering wheel, aluminum wheels, climate control and trip computer. For those looking for space, it is ideal, because with the square silhouette comes a huge space for passengers, especially in the rear seat, and a very generous trunk. For all that, the Soul is one of the best cars for 300 thousand pesos.
Mazda2
The Mazda2 was aesthetically renewed for 2020, but it also sought to continue improving the feeling of sophistication with work on the chassis and suspension, although the most notable is the new face, closer to that of its older brothers. It has the advantage that it can be chosen with sedan or hatchback bodies and again, all versions have six airbags and stability control. It’s powered by a high-compression ratio 1.5-liter direct injection engine with 109 hp and 104 lb-ft. Although it does not use such a low-cylinder or turbocharged engine, the performance is more than adequate and it is not difficult to obtain fuel consumption of 15 or 16 km / l in the city.
The Mazda2 shines with the quality of the interior finishes, the best in its segment. The chassis is one of the most communicative along with the Suzuki Swift and can be obtained with either of the two bodies for 282,900 pesos with a manual gearbox or 292,900 with the automatic, both with six gears. In this variant i Touring, it has a 7-inch screen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, trip computer, steering wheel controls, aluminum wheels, reverse sensors, button start and very effective LED headlights.
Nissan versa
Compared to the previous generation, the Nissan Versa has made a huge leap, completely changing its focus to become a more expensive car, but also safer, more stable, efficient and with a much higher perceived quality. In this way, the best seller in our country goes from being a car that was cheap for all its deficiencies to one that is cheap simply because it is small. All versions feature a new 118-hp, 110-lb-ft 1.6-liter impeller, which also mates to a 5-speed manual gearbox or CVT, leaving the old 4-speed torque converter behind.
The Platinum versions have driving assistance and a lot of technology, but prices skyrocket above 320 thousand pesos. However, the Advance version is the most balanced and we find it for 273,200 pesos with manual gearbox or for 289,800 with the CVT. Here you already have a 7-inch touchscreen in the dash and a monitor of the same size in the instrument cluster, smart key with remote start and access, aluminum wheels, a backup camera or fog lights. In these versions, the Versa is one of the cars for 300 thousand pesos to take into account.
Suzuki swift
The Suzuki Swift seems like a great purchase to us, but we must specify that we recommend only the top Boosterjet version range, as the access GLS has only two airbags and the GLX already has six, but does not include electronic stability control. The Boosterjet’s 110-hp 1st turbo 3-cylinder engine is as economical as the 1.2 naturally aspirated on the entry versions but performs much better without resorting to a CVT in the case of the automatic gearbox. The set weighs less than 1,000 kg, so with those 110 hp and 125 lb.-ft. of torque it packs much more forceful reactions than we might expect.
The Boosterjet starts from 287,990 pesos with the manual box and the automatic six is within the budget, already with automatic climate, touch screen with connectivity, steering wheel controls, fog lights and LED, aluminum wheels and trip computer. On the contrary,