This racing Toyota Vios is proof that driving a slow car fast is fun-nest
Shaun · Oct 22, 2022 11:00 AM
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The third-generation Toyota Vios is no stranger to this writer. My family owns one since 2014 and it was my daily-driver for a period of time, which has given me a level of familiarity with its driving dynamics.
This is the car that has been serving faithfully for the past 8 years.
In its stock form, the Vios is a rather dull steer. Steering is completely devoid of feedback, giving very little idea of where the front wheels are pointing at, and its ratio is painfully slow at times.
Throttle response has been blunted compared to its predecessor, which further gives a sense of detachment. And its handling balance favours typical understeer.
However, that didn't stop me from wringing its neck over the years I drove it. It’s not fast, but its low grip limits meant that it’s easy and more forgiving when learning about vehicle dynamics.
There were a handful of occasions where the inner talents of the Vios revealed itself. All of those were during low-traction conditions – wet roads, basically. With the right amount steering input and speed through corners, the rear actually rotates around corners in a progressive and predictive manner.
I’ve never given those moments much of a thought as I’ve attributed the behaviour to the damped road conditions. That is, until UMW Toyota has kindly given the media an opportunity to experience the Vios Challenge racecar that you’ve probably seen in the one-make race at Gazoo Racing festivals.
A quick driver’s briefing later, I hopped into one of the cars and it was a special one, as it competed in the Sepang 1000KM Endurance Race (S1K), which allows for more modifications compared to the Vios Challenge.
The S1K racecar is the unassuming white one behind the pink unit.
Compared to the "regular" Vios Challenge racecars, the S1K car has an even louder exhaust, stickier rubbers (Yokohama AD08R), and bigger brakes (AP Racing) with discs at the rear (others use drums) just to name a few.
Once inside, the OMP bucket seat cradles the entire body and the four-point seatbelts secures it in snug environment. The OMP steering wheel is concaved and the adapter brings it closer to the driver, which means for the first time in a Vios, I’m not complaining about the lack of reach adjustment.
Fire up the engine and the lack of sound deadening, plus the exhaust system become immediately apparent as the interior reverberates. “Ready whenever you are,” my instructor said.
I depressed the clutch, put it into first and rolled off. While the clutch is said to be uprated, it’s far from the overly grabby racing clutches and still easy to set off smoothly. Past the pit lane, I accelerated while the instructor said, “Don’t cross the white line.”
Or at least, that’s what I assumed he said, because the noise from the exhaust was simply too loud to have any sort of conversation. Not that it bothered me, because I was in a racecar, on a track.
Power is up incrementally from the standard car and though specifics weren’t divulged, word is that it makes about 10 percent more. But the exhaust makes it feel more than just 10 percent quicker.
Hitting the brakes just before Turn 1 felt like an anchor had just been set on the road, even from just a gentle dab on the brakes. This makes heel-and-toe more challenging as it requires more precise braking modulation.
Vios Challenge series.
As I turned into the corner, I realised this isn’t the Vios I know and have become familiar with, this is something else entirely. The initial turn-in and grip are simply beyond what I thought the Vios was capable of. With LSD equipped, I was able to get on the throttle earlier through tighter corners (like Turn 2 and 9) without the nose pushing wide.
Steering is razor sharp and gone is the vague on-centre feel on standard cars, while throttle response is also sharpened. Both allow the driver to be more precise and contribute to a greater sense of urgency and connection.
Local celebrity Shukri Yahaya's car for the Vios Challenge
Through Turn 5, 6, and 12 are where it truly shines. I was told that it is able to take those corners flat-out, foot on the floor. Unfortunately, I had neither the sufficient courage nor talent to exploit the car, so I lifted off through those.
But I did notice that through the high-speed corners, the rear is able to rotate at will without needing wet tarmac. The progressive yaw feeling is quite a pleasant one as it’s predictable and controllable, all I had to do was point the steering wheel towards where I wanted to go.
A number of ways could’ve achieved this - stiffening the rear suspension and/or tweaking the alignment (camber and toe) - but whoever’s involved in setting up the car has done a phenomenal job at harnessing this trait that was hidden in the standard car.
That’s perhaps the most interesting takeaway here, you don’t have to spend a million bucks on sports cars and whatnot to have fun on the track. And it's like what they say, driving a slow car fast is more fun than to drive a fast car slow.
Just buy a used Vios (you can't get a new one with manual transmission anymore), slap on some racing bits (proper stuff, not just stickers), spend some time tweaking the car to your liking, and voila – a reasonably-priced, fun yet reliable ride.
Here’s the video of yours truly driving the Vios racecar. Enjoy.
The quest for automotive knowledge began as soon as the earliest memories. Various sources information, even questionable ones, have been explored including video games, television, magazines, or even internet forums. Still stuck in that rabbit hole.
