Toyota Vios FL

Introduction
Toyota has always been topping the sales chart in terms of volume sold in Singapore. The brand serves as a perfect example in business textbooks teaching students on "how to successfully create a brand phenominon".

Heck, it's so successful that the brand sells for itself. In short, if people are able to purchase cars from a mail catalogue, chances are, most people will select Toyotas without even batting an eyelid. That is how much trust we Singaporeans place in the Toyota badge. As how Borneo's Sales excutives puts it, "Trust is key"

So, what kind of criteria exists in toyota cars that make us Singaporeans trust the brand so much? I'm sure there are many factors involved but for the sake of this review, allow me to list down just 3 prominent factors:

1. Reliability
2. Quality
3. value for money

But wait a minute...no one review cars based on these 3 points(engine, handling, power, ride comfort are the norm), so why am I reviewing the Vios based on this? Allow me to explain:

Toyota Vios has been around in Singapore since the late 2002. And in that period of time from 2002 to 2006, I am sure every single car magazine out there would have reviewed everything about this car in topics ranging from "how many wheels does the Vios has" to "how many screws does it take to assemble the Vios". In short, the Vios is a tried, proven and tested product. It is as reliable as a screwdriver, as wonderful to look at as a bowl of fragrant white rice and sprints as fast as a bat from hell (heh, especially a manual vios...). To write another report on all these is about as exciting as eating a slice of plain bread (You know how plain bread taste like even before eating it)













So, bearing all these in mind, I've decided to write a car review based on what makes Toyota's car so popular. After all, a car review is to ascertain whether the product is up to standard or not, isn't it?

Reliability & Quality

Sadly, the moment I depress the clutch petal, the word quality was already out of the window. The Vios has exactly the same clutch feel as a G8 corolla...and that product was launched 8 years ago. The clutch is stiff and perpeptually springy. I suspect that if you were to drive in the city every day under start stop conditions, you could well be on your way to having well defined calf muscles. And my nightmare was just about to begin.

If you think a zero feel springy clutch is bad enough, try having a zero feel springy clutch & a gearbox that resists slotting into gear. Not only do you get well defined calf muscles, now u can have well defined left arm muscles, thrown in free. I had to desperately move off at 3rd gear because the gear box can't seem to engage first or second (but if you think about it, the engine's pretty good to be able to start off at 3rd gear).

Where is the quality? And if the quality isn't up to standard, where is the reliabilty? And what else unknown might be lacking?

Value for money

Luckily, I did not uncover any other flaws with the car during the remainder of the test drive. Every other components was exactly how a Toyota car should be. Good but boring(not that is bad). The engine is smooth and powerful (must be powered by Chilli padis from the Tom yam soup), the drive train smooth and vibration free, even the cabin is quiet, though not as quiet as it's elder sibling, the Altis.


Verdict
The manual vios is a let down. I really wanted to love it. Yet, the gearbox and clutch is such utter trash that I am prepared not to have it, even if it somehow manages to look like my dream car, the Ferrari F430. This is not what I would expect from a Toyota product. Not at all. At 45K, I would suggest getting the 4AT version instead. At least, the auto gearbox should be alot better and completely eradicates this clutch-gearbox problem, unless of course, you like to have well toned left limbs.