How Toyota Vios Became the Hottest Car in the Philippines

This might already be clear to our readers and car enthusiasts in the country that the Filipinos love the sedan styled body. While the love for the executive saloon cars is slowly dwindling in the global market, the Philippines is quite an exception as the country’s automotive market has been described to be driven by the demand for such cars. Hence it is quite certain that the South-East asian country has become a major stronghold for this dying breed of cars. While things surely look grim for the iconic vehicular segment in the global market, their demand is nowhere close to saturation in the Philippines. While models from other segments also enjoy a good deal of demand in the country, the B-Segment sedan remains the most competitive segment with a major chunk of the total industrial revenue coming from this particular class of cars. Although all the big names such as Honda, Chevrolet, Mitsubishi and Hyundai etc. have all presented their entries in the B-segment sedan for the Philippines, none can come even close to beat the Toyota Vios. But what makes this vehicle so special in the country, let’s take a closer look.

1. Value for Money You Spend

With a total of 5 variants in the Philippines, the Toyota Vios can be bought at prices as low as PhP 592,000 (1.3 J Base). Although with each variant the manufacturer has provided something new to the car, the highest sales for this vehicle are for the base model. There surely isn’t a dearth of low priced cars in the market, but none of them provide a high value for money as the Vios. The vehicle not only looks stunning, but thanks to the engineering team at Toyota Motors, it also drives really great. The interiors, audio system and standard features are much more than satisfactory on the base models, allowing buyers to feel more satisfied with their purchase.

2. Interesting Choice of Engines

The Vios comes with either a 1.3-litre VVT-i or a 1.5-litre VVT-i both of which are offered with a choice between a 5-speed automatic or a 4-speed ECT transmission. As already mentioned most people like to buy the affordable no-frills 1.3 J base model with manual transmission, but that doesn’t mean there’s no demand for other models. If you want a smoother and hassle free driving experience than the base model, you can simply opt for the auto transmission variant. But if you want more power, you can also go for the 1.5-litre variant that is much more agile and fun to drive.

3. Smoother Driving Experience than Competitors

With the exception of the Honda Civic, there’s clearly no other B-segment model in the country that drives as smoothly as the Vios. Good road, bad road, no road, the Vios’ incredible suspension does a remarkable job of numbing down any unusual vibrations. Adding to this, its carefully calculated body weight works marvellously with either of the two engines and never feels hard to maneuver. The steering feels extremely light at low speeds while automatically adding weight as you push the pedal to the metal.

4. Fuel Efficiency

The increasing fuel prices have had a devastating effect in the demand for automobiles across the globe and has led to the industrial shift to develop more fuel efficient drivetrains. The best part about the 1.3-litre variant is its astonishing fuel economy that doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket. The manufacturer claims a mileage of 19 kmpl in variable traffic, which is a pretty decent figure as compared to other vehicles in its class. The addition of an automatic transmission certainly helps you save more fuel in city traffic, while putting minimal load on the engine.

5. Brand Makes all The Difference

You certainly cannot ignore the fact that Toyota enjoys its position as the number one automobile manufacturers based on the sales figures for their cars across the globe. While this has nothing to do with how the Vios actually drives, the brand image does secure some customer brownie points for the vehicle. Being a Toyota vehicle, there’s no doubt that there has been no compromise in the quality and the owners will get to own a vehicle they can feel safe while driving.

The above mentioned reasons not only explain why the Toyota Vios is selling like hotcakes in the country, but also highlights its distinctive features that makes it a winner among its rivals. With the 2016 Vios is already making its debut in China, it is certain that the sedan craze is far from over in the Philippines as the updated model might make an appearance by the end of this year.