Volkswagen Santana vs Toyota Vios: Quick Comparison

The battle for the subcompact category has just heated up in the Philippines. Volkswagen has just launched its subcompact sedan, the Santana in the country. The Santana for the uninitiated, has been on sale in China for over three decades. It was one of the top 10 bestselling cars in the country last year.

While successful in China, VW did not have the same amount of success in the Philippines. They reentered the market in 2013 and have been struggling ever since. Not the least of their problems is the competition from established marques like Hyundai and Toyota. But there is a lot that can be said about the European sensibilities and driving dynamics that the German behemoth brings to the table. So, how does this new challenger fair against the likes of the Toyota Vios?

For starters, the Santana is as cheap as a VW gets. The 1.4 MPI MT Trendline – the only variant at present - sells for just PHP 686000. This is cheaper than the Polo hatchback by over Php 200000. For around the same expense (Php 668,000), you can get the slightly above base Toyota Vios 1.3 J with a manual transmission. This puts the Santana right in the firing range for the Toyota. So, without further ado, lets’ find out how well these two square up.

The two cars are fairly same in shape and size. The Santana is slightly longer between the wheels and otherwise. Both ride on tiny 14” wheels. The Santana’s design is pure Volkswagen. Its fascia is very similar to the Polo Notch. The styling is restrained with not a notch or crease longer than intended. The grille is covered in chrome while the door handles are color-keyed. It’s boring but in a good way. Same goes for the 4 different shades of grey that serve as its color options. A new Vios is just waiting in the wings and it has received a significant makeover. It draws on the gaping grille aesthetic of the current model which was last refreshed in 2013. Toyota has made it more aggressive with a new front fascia and new design alloys. The difference between the two is in the body lines that reflect their cultural aesthetics. Both should appeal to different people.

While the interior of the Santana justifies its price, it is still unmistakable Volkswagen. It’s functional with its fabric seats and hard plastic dash. Like the exterior, there is nothing excessive here. The steering is adjustable for height as is the driver side seat. The infotainment is basic 2 speaker unit and does not even have Bluetooth. Driver side windows can be lowered with one touch. The air conditioner is fast and comes with a pollen filter. The Vios’ interior tries to be little sportier with faux metal trim on the dash, but is otherwise very evenly matched. The steering is tilt adjustable. The driver and passenger seats are slide and height adjustable. There are plenty of storage options and warnings for everything from seat belts, park brake to the key reminder.  

At present, the Santana uses a Euro 5-compliant 1.4-litre 16-valve, MPI four-cylinder engine that churns out 89 hp at 5500 rpm and 132 Nm of torque at 3800 rpm. The Vios is much more powerful with its 1.3-litre Dual VVT-i 4 cylinder unit that puts out 98 hp at 6000 rpm and 123 Nm of torque at 4400 rpm. This means that the Volkswagen ends up being the torquier of the two. Both the cars use a 5-speed manual transmission with front wheel drive.

Coming to safety, the Volkswagen has dual airbags for the driver and the passenger and 3-point seatbelts for everyone. ISOFIX is also standard, as is ABS. It also has central locking and remote locking. The Vios in this variant, however, seems to be lacking ABS and wireless door lock. These are serious faults that put the Vios a notch below the Volkswagen. Hopefully, Toyota will improve on these faults with the new model.

That being said, Volkswagen lacks the market presence and service availability that the Toyota enjoys. The Toyota should also be cheaper to run and hold its value better than the VW. In the end, we can conclude that Volkswagen now have a very competitive product on their hands, one that may very well give the established marques a run for their money.