Toyota Vios: Pros & cons, should you buy the sedan?

Wouldn’t it be great if you could find a car that not only looks great but also keeps you safe? Of course, there are many such cars available in the country right now. But when we bring money into the equation, a lot of the names drop out. This is where the Toyota Vios enters - a good-looking and attractive sedan that is reasonably priced and is one of the safest products in its segment. Wouldn’t you want to know more about it?

Toyota Vios Pros

Attractive styling

Who doesn’t like attention? And when you’re driving a Toyota Vios, you are going to get a lot of it. The Vios is designed to be the centre of attention in the room. It features a pair of huge headlamps at the front that really covers up so much real estate that you don’t really notice anything else there These headlamps are halogen projector type and apart from looking good, they also provide good visibility at night. The headlamps are complemented by the large blacked-out radiator or secondary grille that takes care of the sportiness of the car.

There are a couple of sleek and horizontal LED daytime running lights present on either side of the bumper located under the headlamps. We also like the fog lamp housings and the overall shape of the bumper. The side profile of the Toyota Vios has been kept simple with only a subtle character line on the doors. The alloy wheels also do a good job in keeping your eyes engaged. The rear of the Vios features large tail lights to complement the headlamps. They come with LED line guide and look pretty good. There is a small boot-lid integrated rear spoiler and a shark fin type antenna. Toyota has also provided body skirts at the front, side, and back of the car.

Spacious interior

The Vios can easily accommodate 4 to 5 people. There is an ample amount of cabin space to move around and the seats are well-bolstered and provide good support. The boot space is also pretty nice and can easily carry the luggage of the total number of people it can accommodate.

Seven-inch touchscreen display

Toyota has included a large 7-inch touch screen display in the Vios for fulfilling your infotainment needs. It supports CD/MP3, Bluetooth, AUX, and USB connectivity. There is also the Weblink feature for iOS and Android for smartphone integration.

Engine and transmission options

The Toyota Vios specs have got two engine options - a 1.3-litre four-cylinder engine which produces 98 hp at 6,000 rpm and 123 Nm at 4,400 rpm and a slightly more powerful 1.5-litre engine that churns out 106 hp of maximum power at 6,000 rpm and a peak torque of 140 Nm that kicks in at 4,200 rpm. You can pair both the engines with either a 5-speed manual transmission or a CVT unit.

Number of variants

There are a total of 9 Toyota Vios variants available in the Philippines. This is a good thing as the customer now have the liberty to pick the variant that suits his/her needs and requirements. Also, Toyota has carefully decided what to provide on which variant so that the customers don’t get confused. The Toyota Vios price for the base model is Php 659,000 whereas the range-topping model will set you back by Php 1.1 million.

Safety equipment

When it comes to the safety equipment on the Vios, Toyota has really nailed it. The Vios is one of the safest cars in its segment. It comes with seven SRS airbags (dual front, side, curtain, and knee), vehicle stability control, hill-start assist, and ABS with EBD & brake assist. All these features remain standard across all the variants of the car. So, the customer has got one less thing to worry about while deciding between the variants.

Toyota Vios Cons

No armrest for rear passengers

While the comfort level for the rear passengers in the Vios is acceptable, we can’t help but criticise the fact that Toyota has not provided a centre armrest at the back. It is a small thing but it does matter especially when you are on a long journey. Also, usually a rear centre armrest comes with a couple of cup holders. So, that is also missing here.

Missing LED headlamps

The headlamps on the Vios do look super attractive thanks to their size, however, they don’t come with LEDs inside. Even the top-end model doesn’t come with LED headlights and gets halogen projectors instead. While they do function well, LEDs would have been even better.

Should you buy it?

Yes! If you are in the market looking for a sedan that is going to be there with you in the long run, the Toyota Vios is the answer. It is not going to disappoint you at all. All you would need to do is drive it the way it is meant to be driven and take good care of it.

Also Read:- Toyota Vios - What makes it desirable over its competitors?