Toyota in Malaysia looks towards creating some additional showroom traffic with the launch of this face lifted Vios. Most cars need a facelift during their mid life term, but Toyota has given the market two mid life changes to the Vios since this 2nd generation was launched three years ago.First came the TRD tuned version which was more of a TRD exterior exercise where no improvement with the engine and gearbox was executed by the TRD engineers and instead just some plastic and chrome treatment was given to the car to entice buyers to walk away from the competition. It was a successful exercise as the only excitement to be had was with the improvedsuspension tuning. All else remained from behind the wheel.
Now comes another facial exercise and this time new moulds were used to create some excitement. Will we need a test drive to get a ‘feel’ of this car. Well seriously not. Everything under the skin remains and so the drive dynamics remain. Still some 2400 units have been already pre-sold which proves Toyota’s strong brand presence in Malaysia.
The new Vios continues to be available in five variants – Vios 1.5J Manual, Vios 1.5J Automatic, Vios 1.5E, Vios 1.5G, and the flagship Vios 1.5 TRD Sportivo. The five exterior colours available for the new Vios are White, Silver Metallic, Grey Mica Metallic, Medium Silver Metallic, and Coal Black.
Inside the new Vios, the spacious cabin has received some changes which enhance the feeling of high quality while improving functionality. For the Vios TRD, there’s a new design for the fabric upholstery of the sporty front seats and red stitching on the steering wheel and gear knob, as well as more distinctive red stitching on the floormats. The door switch base and centre fascia bezel also gets a new sports paneling.
On the centre section of the dashboard, a higher quality look and feel is also evident with the new finish on the fascia. For Vios TRD and 1.5G, a glossy piano black finish is now used, with the bezel in sports finish for Vios TRD and silver finish for Vios 1.5G. The light-coloured fascia of the Vios 1.5E is now replaced by one with a matte black finish and a silver bezel.
Also new is the steering wheel which has a shape like that found in sportscars with the bottom part of the rim flattened. The rim also has a nicer feel which will enhance driving pleasure and for the Vios TRD and 1.5G, audio control switches are incorporated on the left spoke for easier operation. The Vios 1.5E also gets silver bezels now as a highlight.
The new Toyota Vios comes with a 36-month/100,000 kms (whichever occurs earlier after first registration) warranty, subject to conditions stated in the Owner’s Handbook and willl be available in all Toyota showrooms throughout Malaysia from 16th April 2010 with the following Peninsula Malaysia prices:
>Toyota Vios 1.5 TRD Sportivo : RM92,000.00*
>Toyota Vios 1.5G : RM87,300.00*
>Toyota Vios 1.5E : RM81,500.00*
>Toyota Vios 1.5J Automatic : RM76,090.00*
>Toyota Vios 1.5J Manual : RM71,990.00*
*OTR price with insurance in Pen. Malaysia
