The Toyota Vios
A totally different car after each generation
For those people old enough to remember, the Philippines used to be a sedan country. But if you actually see through the apparent popularity of the SUVs and crossovers, you’d realize that the Filipinos still buy a ton of sedans.
When the Corolla gained weight, moved up to be a compact car, and became significantly more expensive, Toyota knew that they have to offer a new cheaper and smaller sedan for the discerning and frugal Filipino buyers.
The Philippines got the Vios in 2003, and it became an instant hit as fleet vehicles, as well as family cars. It stayed that way for 19 years now. The Vios has gone through three evolutions, but did you know, that all three generations are completely different cars?
First generation
The first Vios sold in the Philippines came from Toyota’s NBC (New Basic Car) platform along with cars such as the Echo and Yaris. The Philippines initially got the E and the G variants, and then two years after in 2005, it got the J variant mostly for fleet use. It was equipped with either a 1.3 or a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine mated to a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic.
The 2NZ-FE engine
Displacement: 1.3 liters
Cylinder configuration: Inline-4
Power: 84 HP
Torque: 121 Nm
Valvetrain: DOHC with 4-valves per cylinder and VVT-i
The 1NZ-FE engine
Displacement: 1.5 liters
Cylinder configuration: Inline-4
Power: 109 HP
Torque: 141 Nm
Valvetrain: DOHC with 4-valves per cylinder and VVT-i
Second generation
The next Toyota Vios the Philippines got was launched in 2007, and it was a product of total badge engineering. It is based on the Japanese-market Toyota Belta, and yes, it carries the same powertrain as the first generation, but as I pointed out, it came out of a completely different car. This time it is from the Toyota B platform, which is a successor to the NBC platform.
Third generation
The latest generation of the Vios, launched in 2013 is still from the B platform, but it’s no longer based on the Belta, because it was discontinued in 2012. It has a brand new NR engine which carries the same displacements, the 1.3 and the 1.5 and in 2016 it got a new CVT, too. Toyota intended this Vios to be a global model, which would be sold beyond the southeast Asian market.
The 1NR-FE engine
Displacement: 1.3 liters
Cylinder configuration: Inline-4
Power: 99 HP
Torque: 132 Nm
Valvetrain: DOHC with 4-valves per cylinder and dual VVT-i
The 2NR-FE engine
Displacement: 1.5 liters
Cylinder configuration: Inline-4
Power: 107 HP
Torque: 140 Nm
Valvetrain: DOHC with 4-valves per cylinder and dual VVT-i
Conclusion
It doesn’t matter which generation of the Vios you have, it is no less than a great car. And even though each generation came from different roots, it still managed to carry its image. Another thing I realized when I was researching this topic, is how little the Vios has evolved throughout its 19 year lifespan, it only went through a couple of powertrain updates. But, as the popular saying goes, it is hard to improve on perfection, and why the hell fix it if it’s not broken?
