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Basic information of my car:

2017 Toyota Vios E 1.5 XP150

Reasons why I bought this car

Replacing my 1st car as it was a quite ageing 1st gen Vios. Since I didn't have much commitment at the time, I decided to just replace it with a newer model. I think getting a bigger car might incur more costly maintenance to run and I usually just use the car to get to work and move around town with occasionally long travel. A new Vios would fit the bill. Plus I didn't actually have much bad experience with the previous one, so it makes sense to still go with the same maker.

Car selection process  

• I had a budget of: Under RM90K for the car.
• Models that I have considered include: Perodua Myvi, Proton Persona, Honda City, Nissan Almera.
• Reasons why I chose this car:

While going through the selection process, here are the few reasons that I have found out and how I got to my conclusion for selecting this Vios. When considering Proton Persona, I have a few bad impressions and experience with Proton before, so it is the easiest to rule out. I was considering Myvi, but there is already a lot of Myvi around my apartment, so it's more of a personal choice in this matter.

For Honda, their engine spec performance is very enticing but I can't wrap my head around their seating ergonomic setup. Even with telescopic steering, their material for seat bolster & support kinda is a miss for me and the low seating position makes it a hassle going in and out which is a deal breaker. For Almera, it's probably the looks. As of 2017, the new model has not come out yet and also current model the boot space is small.

User experience

• I have already done 44,017KM.
• My average fuel consumption is Unknown. (For a 2017 car model, UMW Toyota decided to omit the average fuel consumption info from the Multi Information Display for Vios E model) and I didnt know how to calculate my average fuel consumption without it.

For starters, I would like to clarify that I am not much of a “car guy”. My aim for purchasing this car is mainly for getting from point A to point B, as safely and as comfortably as possible. While in the process, the car must have good build quality and the maintenance cost is able to be kept at a minimum or in a predictable manner. The 2017 Toyota Vios seems to tick all the boxes in that matter.

Next, we move on to the looks. Being an entry level Toyota, I can say that in the looks department, this car is kinda moderately mundane at best, with a touch of aggressiveness. It has a slightly edgier looking design than the 2nd gen “dugong” styling, with sharper lines and more work is done on the car surfacing. For aerodynamic purposes, I think. The car design is something you can look back in the future at this car, and relate which decade it was around. It truly is an everyday product of its time and that I think, appeals to its target market easily.

The exterior features of this E model Vios are a bit bare bones too. It still retains the halogen reflectors headlights like the 1st and 2nd gen models. But I do give it a pass because one of the concurrent problems of the previous generation is that the headlight gets foggy over time. A problem in which I experienced myself using the previous model. For this model, I have yet to encounter it so I will reserve my judgement on the matter. Maybe it will happen after the warranty expires. Another exterior feature worth mentioning is the daytime running light that is also introduced to all Vios models in this version, which is a good move in my books.

Since the 3rd gen was launched back in 2014, what I got for this 1st facelift model is more of a sizable “under the skin” upgrade for the Vios. A new engine (2NR- FE) and transmission (7-Speed CVT box) was introduced with this facelift. A slew of other features is thrown in too. Like a 360 view camera, push-to-start & keyless entry (on all models), touchscreen display audio with bluetooth connectivity, reverse camera, daytime running light, front dash cam, etc. All the more reason that this car ticks the comfort and convenient boxes.

Ride quality in this model is improved over the 1st and 2 gen. The road imperfection is easily sorted out and you can take corners with more confidence in this version. Just don't be overly enthusiastic with it, and you should be fine. In terms of acceleration, I will add that the best acceleration sensation I got was from the previous 2 gen car. One thing to note is that, on an oversize speed bump, the torsion beam does scrape a bit if you are carrying at full load. You need to go over it very slowly if it's an oversize speed bump.

Most might dread the CVT option, but with this Vios iteration, no more manual option is offered. So it's the only option available and you gotta learn to adapt to it. From experience, some people do need to get used to the CVT gearbox as they are inclined to switch to manual and drop gear to accelerate and then find out that the car didn't pick up speed at all. In my experience, if you wish to accelerate faster, you can do it by switching to manual, dropping one gear and then flooring the accelerator pedal for the car to pick up speed. The engine and transmission will start roaring uncomfortably and the acceleration feeling is by no means breathtaking. But it gets the job done to pass over the car in front if you are in the left lane going under 100km/h.

Moving to interiors, it is basic and functional, which is ok with me. Hard plastic material is used throughout the cabin and the seating material in the E model is fabric. Both didn't bother me much as for me, Vios is a budget car and what is important to me is that the material will last a long time and the dashboard won't creak. Fabric seats are a welcome for me, as the material won't get hot as fast as leather in our Malaysian weather.

Speaking of weather, this E model did not include Toyota premium security & solar tint which was an optional add-on at the time. I opted to include it during purchase and I am glad I did so as it helped keep the cabin cool and it got installed with good workmanship straight from day one.

Getting more into the details of the cabin interiors, it covers all the basic features you would expect in a car of this price range. It's just a normal aircon with good quality knob, the car instrument panel showcases all the basic information you need to know and the steering wheel feels good to grip as much as any plastic steering wheel can deliver. One notable feature in this version is the illuminated front foot blue light which Toyota started to introduce to the Vios.

The light didn't shine brightly during driving but when you turn off the engine and exit the car, it helps to illuminate the floor and you can see at a glance if you drop anything. Oh almost forgot, the front dash cam. This car comes with a pre-installed dash cam that records video in 1080p resolution. I have upgraded the Micro SD card to 16GB from the 2GB provided. Helps to have more space to record videos before it is recycled. All are nifty kit to have

Then we move on to one of the best features for me included in the car. The infotainment screen with a 360 view camera. Coming from the previous car, this feature is a deal breaker for me during purchase. For the infotainment screen, there is only a 6.5 inch colour backlit LCD that doesn't support multi-touch. But that doesn't matter for me as long as it has a bluetooth function. You can link your phone audio and answer calls without going for your phone.

My previous car audio didn't have bluetooth function and I didn't change the audio system while I had it as I wanted to keep the interior as per original. Now all you need is to get a phone stand and the system auto connects when you start the car over bluetooth. As the E model didn't have any audio/call controls on the steering wheel, you had to control the audio and answer the call by pressing the on screen button. If I am upgrading to another car in the future, I would want to have an Apple Car Play function.

For the 360 view camera features on the car, I really think that it's a really helpful feature for tight parking situations or when you are trying to squeeze through on an over-parked road. We all had some experience with a few Malaysian parking etiquette on our road and to me, this is a real hassle to go through with. All of us have faced these types of scenarios, double or triple parking beside a busy road, the front car just stops to park by the road side in an instant and you have to sort out how to drive by it, manoeuvring around tight parking areas in Kuala Lumpur or SS15 and many other places. I think in those situations the 360 camera shines. It's like having a precise instrument to assist you during those tough situations as they really do help you in parking your car or to manoeuvre through those road conditions.

The camera shows the current video image of your surroundings with very good image stitching between its 4 cameras. Unfortunately, the resolution of the 360 camera is less desirable, as it does look like your eyes have been smeared with vaseline. Everything looks blotchy. But you still can make out all the elements around your car. So it's still better than not having any at all. In bumper to bumper parking situations like in PPR areas, this system is a must have. I do suggest that if you are interested in the system, to try it out during your test drive. Even to test it in the dealership car lot parking space to see how the system works for you. The infotainment screen will show you 2 types of video images.

One is the 360 view around the car and the other one is the current view for which gear you have selected. Example, if you are in the reverse gear. The 2nd screen will show you the back of the car view. If you are in the drive gear, it will show you what is in front but with a translucent black overlay. I have asked the salesman, they say it is a safety measure, as they didn't want you to rely solely on the video feed and to keep your eye on the road. You can still rely on the front camera feed to help you during nose in parking situations. You can also toggle between the other camera views offered, but I just keep it on default setting as that is what I have used most of the time. I do think the CVT is very helpful too in these parking situations as low end power is available easily without stepping on the gas pedal for you to manoeuvre.One situation where you usually only have to apply minimum force is when parking on incline areas.

Pros of my car:

• Fuel efficient enough for my daily usage.
• Built material is good. Although it is hard plastic, it really feels like quality and it would last a long time.
• Easy to schedule maintenance intervals as the service app Toyota Drive makes service booking a lot easier.
• Comfortable ride with good support in the seating position.
• Cabin is spacious for seating of 5 adults and the large boot space to store all items.
• The 360 view camera feature is a great feature to have.

Cons of my car:

• Not much con for me actually. It ticks all the boxes.

• Less cup holders and pockets are available when compared to the last generation.

• The Toyota Drive app might need to be revised. Navigating through other services offered in the app is really bad.

• Multi Information Display needs to include average fuel consumption for a

Ratings: 

Total Score: 4

Performance: 2.5

Quality & Features: 4

Space: 4

Ride Comfort: 4

Fuel Economy: 4

Price & Cost: 3

Summary :

I do feel that I made a good choice in choosing Toyota Vios as my daily vehicle. For me, it ticks all the boxes and I don't really have much to complain about over the 2 Toyota Vios models that I have owned. Toyota really put their 3 main points of comfort, quality & reliability on their sleeve for their car. I would go for the safe choice in choosing a car for a daily driver. Although, I might take some chances if I am looking for a second car and want a bit more fun out of it. If there are any modifications that I would do for it, maybe I might change the rims and shocks in the future.

Interesting event:

Not in a particular order, I have placed some of my findings in the remarks list below. Remarks.

• This is the last model in which you can find the cup holder, cleverly hidden underneath the air condition vents. Newer models omitted this feature and it bugs me a lot as the cup holder is useful to have around and the centre console near the gear lever is not a good place to put drinks in. Comparing this model to the 2nd gen Vios, the centre console cubby that is located on the side near the driver's left leg is also gone. It does seem to me that Toyota is reducing the cup holder with every iteration of the Vios.
• The instrument panel is not an Optitron instrument on the E model. So it's just printed cardboard with some colour effect on it, to make it look like an Optitron metre. Coming from an Optitron high spec in the previous car, it bugs me a lot during high contrast situations on a sunny day, as the legibility of the instrument is struggling to be read.
• Also after a while, I noticed that the fuel gauge design of this car is huge. Toyota must really want users to see how much fuel saving you get from this car but didn't want to give users an average fuel consumption information.
• I didn't do much long distance travel with this car, so it is still under the low mileage category. -
• For this car, all the maintenance service is done at the Toyota service centre. Booking is easy with the Toyota Drive app included. Even if you are outstation, they can still route you to the nearest service centre and then make an appointment for service. Price wise, Toyota service centre might cost slightly more, but you do get a peace of mind when doing your service there. Maxcheck makes sure all the service is done properly before passing it to customers. In my experience, local shops sometimes make mistakes like not tightening the engine oil drain plug properly, and I had to go back to get it fixed.

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