Upcoming Toyota Vios Makes Its Debut In Thailand, Cabin Is A Big Step Up From Outgoing Car

Toyota has pulled the wraps off the latest Yaris Ativ iteration in Thailand. Sold as under the Vios nameplate in export markets, this fourth-generation car is all-new.

And it’s good that the car is all-new too - stiff competition from its East Asian neighbours means that Toyota has had to jazz up their entry level saloon offering, with the new model sporting design cues that were lifted from more upmarket Toyota group products.Up front a large grille dominates, flanked by fairly intricate (considering the car’s price) headlights which are connected by a faux light bar that runs the nose of the vehicle. Elsewhere on the bodyshell, the drab and almost featureless body of the cars that preceded it has been replaced with more aggressive and muscular lines.

The icing on this new Vios cake has to be the inclusion of larger wheel openings and the accompanying 16-inch alloy wheels. And if you’d want even more aggression with your entry-level Japanese saloon, Toyota has you covered.You can option your new Yaris Ativ with an optional Presto package, which equips the car with bumper and side skirt extension pieces, and what we can only describe as an ‘interesting’ rear wing.

On the inside, the cabin has also been thoroughly overhauled, with a dashboard design that rivals that of cars a class up. The 9-inch infotainment screen is compatible with modern smartphone mirroring, and the gauge cluster is now semi-digital too. Thankfully, Toyota has opted to keep the climate control functions off the screen - there’s still a dedicated control panel for HVAC settings.This all-new car is built on the Daihatsu New Global Architecture (DNGA) platform, which is why it is slightly larger than the outgoing car. You’d find a naturally-aspirated 1.2-liter Dual VVT-iE four-cylinder engine under the bonnet.

Toyota claims the powertrain is good for 93 hp and 110 Nm of torque, and all of this power is sent to the front wheels through a Super CVT-i automatic gearbox. If you are in Thailand, you can now order your Yaris Ativ, with prices varying from 539,000 baht (SGD$21,000) to 689,000 baht (SGD$27,000). No word yet on official local launch dates, but do expect the car to be on sale in Singapore later this year.

Read More: mReview: 2013 Toyota Corolla Altis - Behold, A Car!

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