Toyota Vios 1.5 HEV review: Bread and butter never tasted so good

The new Toyota Vios 1.5 HEV is more shio-pan than bread-and-butter, with a strong equipment list and equally capable driving experience.

What’s great

• Has all the essentials included as standard, like wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Toyota's Active Safety Systems, and keyless entry. 
• The powertrain is highly efficient, averaging 25km/L in our testing, while still providing a more-than-decent driving experience.
• The interior might be basic, but it's functional and thoughtfully laid out, with physical buttons and a conventional gear lever. 

What’s good

• If anything, the air-conditioning works too well. Even at 25 deg C, it's like there's a blizzard aimed right at your face.
• The steering is light, direct, and even fairly communicative, but the column cannot be adjusted for reach, which is an unfortunate omission.

What’s not great

• The engine and eCVT combo make one heck of a racket when you get hard on the gas, a similar issue in all of Toyota's eCVT cars.
• The collision warning and adaptive cruise control systems can be quite panicky, which can be a little intrusive and jarring from time to time.
• A rather hefty price tag.

With just 110hp, the hybrid Vios is no bahn-stormer, but 262Nm of electrically-assisted torque gives the car a good amount of oomph.

It's a welcome return to the basics here in the Vios, with no visual overload and large, physical buttons all round. Perfect.

The Vios HEV gets redesigned LED headlights and taillights as standard, helping to appreciably elevate the visual appeal of the car.

Despite being a compact sedan, the Vios actually has decent legroom in the rear, enough for two adults to sit comfortably. The small hump in the floor means a third passenger will have to do a little straddling, though.

The boot on the Vios is properly large, 460 litres of cargo space in a car this size is laudable and much appreciated, opening up the options for carrying things like baby strollers and groceries.

Toyota claims 27km/L of fuel consumption, though in our testing, we found this number closer to the 25km/L mark. Granted, we weren't exactly driving with peak efficiency in mind, so the full 27km/L figure shouldn't be hard to achieve at all.

The 7-inch digital gauge cluster is configurable and has all the relevant vehicle information on tap. The speedometer is also displayed in hilariously large font, perfect for potential geriatric owners of the Vios.

Though it can be quite noisy, the hybrid powertrain in the Vios HEV is a foolproof way to drive. The car switches seamlessly between petrol and electric power, allowing you to go about your day with a (mostly) quiet ease.

[[nid:735328]]

This article was first published in Motorist.