Teased earlier this month, the Toyota Vios Hybrid has been launched in Malaysia, some five months after it made its debut in Thailand. As previously reported, the petrol-electric B-segment sedan arrives in two variants, including a look-faster GR Sport variant.
Prices are exactly as estimated – RM103,900 for the regular 1.5 HEV and RM109,900 for the 1.5 HEV GR Sport, both on-the-road without insurance. That makes the car RM7,300 more expensive than the petrol-powered 1.5G, with the GR Sport costing RM13,300 more.
Against the RM111,900 Honda City e:HEV RS, the equivalent GR Sport is RM2,000 cheaper, and its main rival does not have a “base” variant to bridge the gap to the RM99,900 City RS petrol. All models come with a five-year warranty and an eight-year battery warranty, both with unlimited mileage. Customers can extend the battery warranty by another two years for an extra RM2,500, resulting in a total coverage of ten years.
Just like the petrol Vios, the Hybrid is CKD locally assembled in Bukit Raja, Klang, and so is the battery. Distributor UMW Toyota Motor is proud of the localisation work done as part of its investment into the plant, with 97% of the battery’s components being assembled here. The factory is capable of producing up to 30,000 batteries annually.
Of course, the big news is the hybrid powertrain, which the Vios shares with the ASEAN-market Yaris Cross (and was expected for the Perodua Traz). Unlike its other Daihatsu New Global Architecture (DNGA) siblings, the Daihatsu Rocky e-Smart Hybrid/Toyota Raize Hybrid/Perodua Ativa Hybrid, this utilises the in-house-developed, fourth-generation Toyota Hybrid System setup, incorporating the E-CVT planetary gearset to enable a mechanical connection between the combustion engine and the driven wheels.
That engine is the 1.5 litre 2NR-VEX naturally-aspirated Dual VVT-i four-cylinder, which differs from the standard 2NR-VE by operating on an Atkinson cycle. Outputs are rated at 91 PS at 5,500 rpm and 121 Nm of torque from 4,000 to 4,800 rpm.
With the 80 PS/141 Nm electric motor coupled up, the Vios Hybrid makes a sum total of 111 PS – 5 PS more than the petrol Vios. A 0.76 kWh lithium-ion battery – more modern than the nickel metal hydride (NiMH) packs on previous Toyota hybrids – enables the car to run on pure electricity alone for brief periods. Fuel consumption is rated at 3.6 litres per 100 km (27.8 km per litre).
The rest of the car is standard Vios stuff, with MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension, electric power steering and disc brakes all around. However, the structure has been strengthened to improve quality and safety, and there has been additional sound insulation applied. The GR Sport, the second such model in the nameplate’s history, receives uprated springs and dampers (ride height remains unchanged), and for the first time, the EPS has also been retuned.
On the standard HEV model, the wheels are an inch smaller than the 1.5G’s and measure 16 inches in diameter, with a different turbine-style design compared to the 1.5E. The GR Sport steps back up to 17-inch aero wheels with slender machined silver “spokes”, with all rollers upgraded from four to five lugs – presumably to adapt to the hybrid’s 120 kg increase in weight.
Beyond the new wheels, the HEV looks very similar to the petrol Vios, retaining the aggressive, almost catfish-like front end. There are a few minor trim changes – for instance, the strip joining the headlights and the window trim are both finished in dark chrome.
The rest of the exterior pieces such as the massive slatted grille, the extended “vortex generator” bumper corners and even the rear number plate garnish have been lightened from the usual gloss black to metallic grey. As with other Vios models in Malaysia, the HEV comes as standard with a bodykit, boot lid spoiler and door visors, with the front splitter, two-tone side skirts and rear diffuser-like insert also finished in grey.
The GR Sport reverts all the aforementioned trim to black (including the rubberised window trim) and adds a unique bodykit – as before, it’s tacked onto the standard front and rear bumpers. The massive grille gains a honeycomb insert which, when combined with the angular corner air inlets, provides some resemblance to the pre-facelifted GR Yaris. You also get black door mirrors, single-tone side skirts and a different boot lid spoiler. The rear end is particularly aggressive, with a sizeable diffuser and L-shaped bumper corners.
Available colours for the GR Sport are Scarlet SE, Platinum White Pearl and Attitude Black Mica, with the base HEV adding Silver Metallic and an exclusive Celestite Grey Metallic – the latter from the Corolla sedan and Corolla Cross. White is a RM400 option, and you can also spec the GR Sport in scarlet or white with a black roof, costing RM1,500 and RM1,800 respectively.
The Vios’ well-appointed interior is also mostly unchanged, still with a black and maroon colour scheme, a stitched soft-touch dashboard and black leather upholstery. It has been brightened up by a blue push-button starter and extended ambient lighting, with a new dashboard strip and door card illumination to join the footwells and centre console; users can still cycle through the 64 colours via buttons aft of the gearlever.
The Hybrid also introduces a much taller 10.1-inch touchscreen head unit, more than an inch larger than on the petrol models and with the capacitive shortcut keys moved from the right to the bottom. As before, you get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six speakers and a Qi wireless charger under the centre armrest. The seven-inch instrument display and digital speedometer are retained but feature hybrid-specific screens.
As per the exterior, the GR Sport is slightly different on the inside, with an all-black colour scheme, darker silver trim and a GR-branded steering wheel with gloss black spokes. The seats are also exclusively trimmed in leather and suede, again with the GR logo embroidered into the headrests.
Moving rearwards, the hybrid battery is mounted under the rear seats without compromising the Vios’ already modest headroom; the usual cooling vent can be found on the passenger side. To make space for it, the fuel tank is slightly smaller at 36 litres, versus 40 litres for the petrol models. Also, the rear USB ports are now both USB-C, although the head unit still uses a USB-A port for data.
The addition of electric gubbins in the engine bay does mean that the 12-volt battery has been shunted to the boot (also on the passenger side), reducing boot space by 15 litres to 460 litres. You still can’t fold the rear seats, but you do at least now get spare tyre, and it’s a full-size alloy unit too – something UMW Toyota finally added last year in response to customer complaints. The more rearward weight distribution should also improve handling.
Standard kit continues to includes keyless entry, single-zone auto air-con with rear vents, manual front seat adjustment, auto lights and wipers, an acoustic glass windscreen, illuminated side sill scuff plates, an electronic parking brake, a rubber boot tray, solar and security window tint and a 360-degree camera system with a 3D view. The UMW-sourced dash cam has been upgraded to a 4K unit without a built-in screen, and you can still add a rear dash cam for an extra RM380.
Like the standard Vios, the Hybrid comes with the full Toyota Safety Sense suite of driver assists, including autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane centring assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, front departure alert, pedal misapplication control and auto high beam. Six airbags and stability control are also fitted.
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