What kind of Vios do you get for P671,000?

The Vios has consistently been Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) best-selling vehicle for several years in a row and it is showing no signs of letting up after it tallied a whopping 33,181 units sold in 2019, which is 25% more than in 2018.

It is doing so well, in fact, that its closest competitor last year was the Hilux, yet it outsold TMP’s well-loved pickup truck by 46%.

TMP currently offers the Vios in six trims but today we’ll focus on two entry-level units, the 1.3 Base and the 1.3 J. Price starts at just P671,000.

If you’re strapped for cash but want to own a car for personal mobility issues or for various other reasons, we’ll give you a rundown of the features and amenities of both these Vios models to show you what it offers the market. 

First off, all Vios models measure the same. It is 4,425mm long, 1,730mm wide, and 1,475mm tall. Wheelbase is 2,550mm.

Both the 1.3 Base and 1.3 J share the same 1NR-FE inline-four engine with a few features including Stop & Start technology, EFI (electronic fuel injection), and Dual VVT-i (variable valve timing with intelligence).

Stop & Start technology functions by automatically shutting down and restarting the internal combustion engine to reduce the amount of time it spends idling for reduced fuel consumption and emissions

EFI is a system that allows for very precise control over how much fuel is sprayed into the cylinders by taking cues from the mass airflow sensor (MAF) that determines how much air is entering the engine at any given time. This improves cold and hot starting performance, provides optimum air/fuel mixture for starting, and allows for superior atomization that results from injection of the fuel as compared to fuel delivery from a carburetor.

Dual VVT-i works by adjusting timing on both intake and exhaust camshafts to allow engine start and stop to occur almost unnoticeably at minimum compression. It also rapidly heats up the catalytic converter, sending it to its light-off temperature to be able to significantly reduce hydrocarbon emissions.

The engine uses an aluminum block with streamlined intake channels for less turbulence and smaller and lighter pistons with carbon ceramide (an advanced material commonly used in Formula One engineering) to reduce friction.

Power output is 98hp and 123Nm of torque sent to a five-speed manual transmission (MT).

Body features include four-beam halogen headlamps, black outer mirrors, side turn signal lamp on the fenders, black door outside handles, pole-type antenna, bulb-type rear combination lamps, and 14-inch steel wheels on the 1.3 Base and 14-inch steel wheels with full cap on the 1.3 J.

The meter gauge on both trims use an analog system while the climate controls are all manual.

Entertainment system is also the same for both, a 2DIN device with CD + MP3 + Bluetooth + USB + Aux-in. Audio is sent to two speakers.

Steering wheel is a plain three-spoke urethane without audio controls but steering column is tilt-adjustable and comes with EPS (electric power steering), which is more fuel efficient compared to hydraulic systems as it doesn’t use power from the engine to turn the vehicle.

As these are entry-level units, the shift lever and knob are of urethane material and it uses a rotary or mechanical ignition system.

Don’t fret though as it comes with modern “power” features including power windows with jam protection on the driver’s side window and power door locks on the driver’s side as well.

Safety features include driver and passenger airbags, knee airbags (driver’s side only), side and curtain shield airbags are available on indent order, vehicle Stability Control, Hill-Start Assist Control, Anti-lock Braking System with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and Brake Assist, two three-point ELR (Emergency Locking Retractor) seatbelts with Pretensioner and Force Limiter in front and three three-point ELR seatbelts in the second row, child lock protection on second row doors, and a high-mount stop lamp.

The Vios 1.3 Base is available in White and Thermalyte colors while the Vios 1.3 J can be had in White, Thermalyte, Red Mica Metallic, and Alumina Jade Metallic.

The Toyota Vios 1.3 Base is price at P671,000 while the Toyota Vios 1.3 J goes for P697,000.

Photos from Toyota Motor Philippines