Toyota Vios 1.5 E Review: Vaya con Vios*

What we like:

Leather seats

engine doesn't mind being revved hard

Frugal petrol consumption.

What we dislike:

Cabin could use more insulation

tall gearing means a lot of shifting. And drum brakes at the rear?!

While the Vios isn't the last word in driving excitement, this manual variant manages to add a dose of driving pleasure to a car that's stereotypically chosen as the frugal tool to get you from point A to point B.

Its 1.5-liter engine doesn't claim to have the output of its direct competitor, the City - but the 109 Toyota horses here can actually be felt. As for the other manufacturer, we've actually wondered if a few of their horses somehow wandered off into another meadow.

So if you're one of those drivers who loves the satisfaction of a manual gearbox as much as you love practicality and frugality, why not vaya con Vios?

Credits: Story and pictures by Jeremy R. Chua