The Toyota Vios Full Hybrid remains proudly analogue in a digital world
In some ways, driving the Toyota Vios Full Hybrid could almost be considered a flex.
With its ~$190k price-tag, driving one around demonstrates you consciously elected not to buy into the electric dream by settling for one of the many homogeneous electric vehicles (EVs) trawling our streets.
I reckon a more accurate picture of EV uptake would emerge if the early-adoption subsidies are completely removed. This will make buying a Chinese EV more of a deliberate choice, as opposed to merely a loophole to car ownership in Singapore. This is exacerbated by the recent changes to the ARF rebates bringing the scrap values of more expensive EVs even closer to that of cheap ones, some of which already operate in a state of negative equity at the end of the COE cycle.
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Toyota’s decades-long expertise in hybrid petrol-electric vehicles shines through even on the entry-level Vios Full Hybrid.
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The transitions between the 1.5-litre ICE, electric motor and a combination of the two are seamless, so you enjoy smooth and reasonably swift progress. One can simply get in and drive without fussing around to figure out how things work.
What’s interesting is the same people normally apathetical about the latest electric crossovers asked about the Vios when they saw us in the test-car. Needless to say, they’re of a certain age and hanker after a traditional mode of transport that is ICE-powered, not a crossover and blessed with a household name that is a bastion of reliability and longevity.
Equipment-wise, the Vios Hybrid sits a hair’s breath above basic – simple, not basic.
All the essentials are present for this writer (including wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay) and you don’t need an instruction manual or online guide to figure out how the 10.1-inch touchscreen module works.
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More importantly, the climate control delivers a cold enough blast to counter Singapore’s searing heat, never mind that the boot-release, steering wheel and front seats are manually operated.
Tipping the scales at just over 1.1-tonnes, the Vios is light, progressive and organic. It isn’t the kind of lightness that is overcome by an EV’s instantaneous go-pedal response either, but is properly light in the manner that only a truly lightweight car can be.
The combined effort of ICE working with the electric motor sees the Vios Full Hybrid mustering a perky 262Nm to complement its 111hp, all of which is matched to a slickly-slurred E-CVT transmission. The torque-filler effect of the electric motor supplements the 1.5-litre’s efforts, which sees the car scamper around the streets of Singapore at a brisk pace.
True to Toyota form, the cabin is nicely insulated from the powertrain even when one is pressing hard.
The 2620mm wheelbase translates to decent accommodation for five in a pinch (four is comfortable), with the 460-litre boot capable of gobbling up one’s assortment of barang-barang.
On the move, there’s decent feel from the steering wheel, but we would have preferred a slightly quicker rack for sharper responses.
Even with a lead-footed driver like the writer behind the wheel, the car averaged 20km/l (or 5l/100km – Toyota quotes 3.6l/100km). More interestingly, the fuel indicator did not drop since I collected the car four days prior, no mean feat considering the pint-sized 36-litre fuel tank.
There’s a welcome honesty to the Vios Full Hybrid that EV proponents might dismiss.
On the other hand, it seems to strike the right chord with folks who don’t appreciate the complicated excess (power, equipment and/or specifications) that comes with the new crop of EVs, and are looking to “right-size” with a compact sedan.
In the face of the white noise from the electric revolution, one has to appreciate how the Vios Full Hybrid remains satisfyingly warm and richly textured.
Toyota Vios Full Hybrid 1.5 E-CVT
Engine 1496cc, inline4, 16v, hybrid
System Power 111hp
System Torque 262Nm
Transmission E-CVT auto
0–100km/h est. 11.5secs
Top speed 155km/h
Kerbweight 1155kg
