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Toyota Vios 1.5G
Christmas don’t be late
If there's one Top Gear staffer who knows the country's best-selling passenger car inside and out, it's definitely Carmela Ortiz
Photography by Chino Acosta
Every year, I never fail to make a Christmas wish list. Right now, it includes a couple of items from the home TV shopping program, a few gadgets that I read about in the Techie Diva website, a new paint job for my car, a scuba diving vacation, and world peace (ha!).
While I was daydreaming about more things to put on my wish list, I was surprised to see a note on the top of my desk that read, “Parked at Basement 1, Section I.” Oh, my. I think I need to give Santa Claus a new PDA.
The all-new 2007 Toyota Vios (Yaris sedan in other markets) is not that different from the 2003 and 2005 models. The first time I saw the latest Vios was in Autobachs in Thailand. The sight sent shivers up my spine. It was all set up for the Vios One Make Race, and it was beautiful.
The new Vios still has the same 1NZ-FE engine though, and sadly, Toyota didn’t add anything special to the engine. But I’m happy they changed all the brakes to discs. There are now 15-inch rotors up front—because you need to be reminded to stop when you drive around in this car. If you don’t have any plans of stopping, fear not because the Vios is now equipped with dual airbags.
In terms of fuel efficiency, Toyota added another feature that will result in 0.4 km/L more mileage—the electric power steering system. The car is able to save more fuel by replacing the power-steering hydraulic pump that runs all the time, whether we need it or not.
Inside, it doesn’t look very different from the Yaris. It almost has the same center console, except some dials are positioned differently. The Optitron analog gauges with multi-information display (MID) are a welcome sight. The MID includes current driving conditions like the trip meter and the kilometers-per-liter fuel consumption gauge. I am not a huge fan of measuring my fuel consumption every week, but I spend P500 to P700 on gasoline if my route is the same every day. I was quite surprised to note that my average fuel consumption with this car was 9.5km/L for city driving. I am just wondering why there’s no temperature gauge included. For me, the instrument cluster is a big improvement from the digital gauges of the 2003 Vios, which didn’t make me feel too agitated when driving as I saw LCD numbers instead of needles.
For audiophiles, the 2-DIN radio and six speakers are good to go, but I know that some would think of a way to get the stock radio out and replace it with a better one. You can also control the audio system through the three-spoke leather steering wheel.
The cabin is roomier and more comfortable, and the floor at the back is flat. Three adults can sit comfortably while you take them for a spin. I also don’t have to push my seat all the way back when I’m driving, but if I do, there’s still enough room at the rear for another person who is as tall as I am. The height-adjustable driver’s seat also adds to the comfort. A plus is the armrest in the back seat that includes a cup holder for your buddy’s frap. But the ‘armrest’ beside the driver is placed awk-wardly and negates its purpose—it’s actually just a cup holder and a multipurpose storage pocket.
It is pretty obvious that there are a lot of major changes for the exterior. The body is now bigger and more solid-looking. It has electronically retractable rear-view mirrors with signal lights. Toyota got rid of the antenna and made it ‘printed-type’ instead. The old one did look like the heel of a shoe. The leading carmaker also added a classy-looking rear reflector.
| Vios 1.5G Leather A/T |
| We say: Exterior styling and essential amenities significantly improved. Too bad the engine wasn’t. |
Price: P811,000
Engine: 1.5L 16V VVT-i
Power: 107hp
Torque: 142Nm
Transmission: 4-speed A/T
Layout/Seating: FWD/5
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The drive and feel of the 2007 Vios is very different from the older models. I bet most 2003 and 2005 Vios owners will agree that their cars feel like they are going to topple over beyond 120kph. I personally experienced several scary moments in my own car, and this is the reason I installed lowering springs—to make the ride feel more stable. The new Vios has a longer wheelbase and this contri-butes a lot to its stability. You can also feel that the steering wheel gets heavy when you go faster than usual. You’ll definitely stay on the ground when you make a quick maneuver to avoid a pothole.
After the experience of driving the new Toyota Vios, I revised my Christmas wish list and wrote, ‘2007 TOYOTA VIOS’. Nothing else follows. I am now undecided as to whether I am going to sell my old Vios and purchase a new one. I’ve poured my own blood, sweat and tears into my car. But just like the Toyota tag line, I need to move forward.
Anyone interested in buying my 2003 Toyota Vios?
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Top Gear Philippines - November 2007
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