I was behind the wheel of the Vios for more than 10 hours with just a few breaks in between but I never felt tired or stressed and that is because of its comfortable seats. They provide excellent all-round support and the cushioning is very good. Another impressive feature of the Vios is the boot capacity. A voluminous 506 litres are at your disposal, making this car an attractive option for those extended weekend trips. Overall, the exterior and the interior of the new Vios are contemporary and very practical, something that will help Toyota market it better.
Talking of the powerplant, you get a refined 1.5-litre petrol motor. It produces a healthy 109 PS and 140 Nm of torque, which is on a par with the competition. But what makes this engine a bit better than the rest is its character. It is smooth and linear and you are never left looking for the force to be with you. I drove the 1.5E AT, which comes with a four-speed automatic transmission and I could see that despite being an old ‘box, this transmission is pretty smooth and sufficiently quick. The power and torque delivery is also linear and smooth, making it an effortless car to drive around in traffic.
Performance-wise, do not expect the Vios to be a kinsman of the cars from ‘The Fast and the Furious’, because this car is made for relaxed driving, family style. It may have 100+ PS, but it puts it down to the tarmac in a very civilised manner. One strong point of this engine is its low- and mid-range power delivery. In the city I was driving the Vios at about 30-40 km/h and the RPM needle stayed below 2,000, pointing at the car’s effective low-end delivery. On the highway as well, overtaking a bus at 80 km/h was quite easy as the transmission was quick to shift down and deliver enough power to pass a lorry without any trouble. Overall, the refinement and smoothness of the 1.5-litre VVT-I engine was brilliant. I didn’t really get to test the fuel efficiency, but I could feel that this is not a thirsty engine as I only needed just over a full tank (42-litre capacity) to cover more than 600 kilometres. But I am sure that the five-speed manual transmission car would be slightly more efficient when it comes to India.
