Veni, vidi, vici. The goal to make a car so well-rounded that it effectively erases the competition is one every carmaker has, and that same causus vivendi – reason to live – is what pulses through the fuel lines of the 2023 Toyota Vios (AC100) in Malaysia.

The nameplate is no stranger to success. Plenty will remember nameplate's genesis, 2003's NCP42, that made short work of the triangular GD-series City of that era, and while the generations after that built upon such strong foundations, the times...they are a-changin'.

And as so Bob Dylan sings, today's automotive landscape isn't as simple as back then. Customers are asking for a lot more, rivals have sharpened, and national carmakers have muscled in with enticing alternatives, which all means the Vios has got to vacate the laurels and gear up for battle.

The reality is that it’s a small, five-seat sedan with a decent interior, generous kit, and good fuel economy, so it should still have its place among Malaysians. Or so the recipe seems, so how does the Vios hold up?

Exterior: More than just a 'baby Camry'

On the outside, the Vios goes pretty liberal with the ‘one-size-fits-all’ take. Shades of Camry up front and in the surfacing, matched with the right colours, make for a pretty attractive car. The fastback bodystyle – although trading off a bit of space inside – liven the segment up, and it's nice Toyota's taken that bold step.

Also read: Priced from RM 89.6k, all-new 2023 Toyota Vios (AC100) launched in Malaysia

That side profile is certainly a tad more interesting than the City's, lending a characterful imprint when you see it on the roads. It's got a free bodykit thrown in too, and while it looks good, take care not to scrape the chin getting out of a mall parking lot.

Interior: Dual-tone shade good, features impressive

The Vios seems to compress all the family genealogy into the cabin, and the end result is an interior that you may have seen here or there. Beyond that it's fairly serious, crowned by an 8-inch headunit (wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, wonderful), the digital instrument cluster, and largely clean lines.

Both E & G variants get a black and dark brown cabin, lending for a bit more poshness and at least to me, lifts the ambiance a lot more than I initially expected it to. From a design and quality standpoint most of the touchpoints are nice enough, although the door handles don't feel super robust.

Also read: Dealers are selling spare tyres for 2023 Toyota Vios (AC100), priced from RM 1.2k

Like most other Japanese models, the Vios doesn't require you to pore over the manual first before setting off. Jump in, set off, learn as you go – though this won't take too long – with all the features you need to use everyday within easy reach and control.

Clearly, it's got plenty right. But there's some trade-offs within too.

While generally space is reasonably good, moms and dads looking for a 'one-for-all' family sedan might have some extra thinking to do, and much of it is down to the sloping roof at the back. Tall people are going to find it a bit of a squeeze; hats are absolutely a no-no, though legroom is par for the course.

The same (oddly) goes to the driver’s side as well. Much of it is down to the very high centre console and while that gives one of the best arm rests around…it makes the driver feel ‘boxed in’. Making things worse is the lack of a proper foot rest, so the end result is a driver’s section that feels tighter than it ought to be.

You guessed it, this isn't a problem that's in the airier City.

Driving impression: Fluidic and comfortable

Thankfully there's great things to report in terms of hardware. Toyota (and Daihatsu too, in this case) has reams of experience developing and honing small cars like this, so the Vios in its current iteration is demonstrably better on the road than its predecessor.

Now we were full of praise for the NCP151-generation Vios due to its superior comfort over the City, even if it was a little one-dimensional as it blunted handling somewhat with its soft suspension and relatively slow steering. Glad the same comments are invalid here – the AC100 aces with better body control, and while the suspension is still very cossetting, the steering wheel has notable improvements in response and organicity.

Also read: Most reliable CVT ever? All-new AC100 2023 Toyota Vios held up to 25 hours of endurance racing

At least compared to past generations, it's lighter to handle at lower speeds, making short work of tight city situations. We've long thumped the merits of how a healthy posture results in a better drive, so having a tilt and telescopic column that makes finding the ideal driving position easier is superb.

Those on-road graces are also kudos to the Daihatsu New Global Architecture (DNGA) chassis, which we've already experienced its merits before in models elsewhere. Its the cohesion that really sells it.

Under the hood is a 1.5-litre 2NR-VE engine (naturally-aspirated four cylinder, 106 PS and 138 Nm); a familiar code but bettered somewhat with a new transmission tacked on to it – the D-CVT. It's a nifty transmission that combines a steel chain with a planetary gear set, with the latter used to complement the belt to reduce the typical CVT 'rubber band' feel.

At start-stop and low-speed driving, the belt does the work. Go a little bit faster and the clutch engages, routing the power to the planetary gearset, creating a feel that's less 'rubber-band' and more torque converter automatic.

Science of it aside, what's important is the feel and in there it impresses enough. Smooth in operation, and while the 'rubber band' feeling isn't 100% gone, gentle driving is seamless. The engine itself is mostly uneventful, if a little groany when pushed hard, but generally it's calm and prefers smooth inputs.

Also read: Toyota to launch 4 new hybrid models in Thailand this year; reiterates multi-pathway strategy for ASEAN

A 0-100 km/h time of 12.3 seconds is testament that it's no speed demon, and generally, the Vios is much more at home being a comfortable cruiser, pampering you and yours as you make the long-distance drives. Sound insulation is better than most of its similarly-priced rivals (68 dB at 110 km/h), and nice-to-haves like supportive seats and rear air-cond vents work in the Vios' favour.

Fuel consumption: Average for its class

Driven equally between highways and cities, the Vios did 6.1 litres/100 km – better than the City (6.3L/100 km) but behind the Almera (5.8L/100 km).

Safety: TSS is sharp enough

Despite the Vios and the City having almost the same array of ADAS, the Vios' Toyota Safety Sense gains one point over Honda Sensing due to the inclusion of adaptive cruise control with stop and go function. It's pretty convenient to have, although the execution may not be pinpoint sharp.

Now that's not to say that the TSS doesn't work as it should – detection and ease of use is stellar, but the adaptive cruise control feels a bit jerky, particularly when stopping or accelerating. An annoyingly beepy blind spot monitor (by default, but can be silenced) also doesn't help its case.

In essence then, you won't be wrong in linking it more towards the Ativa than a Corolla Altis.

Verdict: You won't go wrong with it

So....the 2023 Toyota Vios is quite the curious case. It's on-road manners are sublime, striking a sharper balance between overall plushness and not being a downright slop to drive.

Yet, despite all these advancements, it fails to pick up on supposedly-easy small wins here and there. The relatively tight rear end and inflexible boot (down on volume and no folding seats too) weighs it down somewhat. They seem to be obvious must-haves, but for one reason or the other owners have to live without it.

With those, it would've easily been the segment's de facto pick.

Despite these, the Vios offers a lot to the customer. It's the only one that nets you stop-and-go ACC with an EPB, full-digital cluster, and wireless phone connectivity in its price range. May seem inconsequential, but they're things you'll miss when you don't have it around.

Tack on also Toyota's veritable aftersales package and network (5 years/100,000 km warranty), and the Vios proves to be that one choice you won't go wrong picking – just as like it did since the very start in 2003.

Also read: Answering your questions about the 2023 Toyota Vios - Why omit spare tyre, folding seats?