The Vios is a handsome car, but, unlike the Hyundai Verna, which will be its prime competitor in India, it fails to set your pulse racing. Contemporary? It surely is – just look at the perfectly executed design which combines elegance and sportiness, making it look better than the Nissan Sunny and on a par with the Volkswagen Vento. At the same time, it also looks very generic. It has that typical Toyota DNA, which is understandable since it comes from the same blood-line, but I could not help wishing that the Toyota designers had made it a bit livelier.
Lively or not, the design of a car is always subjective and from what little I understand of the Indian psyche, I am sure many Indians will appreciate the Vios’ design. However, it would have been better if Toyota had incorporated a bit of the Toyota FT-1 or the GT-86 in the design of the Vios.
Seen from the outside, the new Vios looks quite decent and a similar story unfolds inside as well where your eyes are treated to a well-laid-out cabin. For 2015 Toyota introduced a few changes in the Vios, including an all-black interior and this decision works pretty well. Despite everything being dipped in black the cabin still manages to look roomy and airy thanks to the huge windows. The dashboard looks much more sophisticated than it actually is. A simple yet elegant centre console features audio controls on the top edge with the a-c dials located at the bottom edge. The aircon vents are cleverly finished and they follow the lines of the dashboard quite seamlessly.
So far as features are concerned, the Vios covers all the basics such as air-conditioning, two airbags, ABS with EBD, audio system with USB and AUX connectivity, parking sensors and power windows/steering which come standard in the E variant, and the higher spec car comes with a lot more equipment which we hope will be available in the top-of-the-line Vios in India.
