There have been hints of the hybrid version of the Toyota Vios being in Malaysia. But now, the company has made it official, launching the base model Vios HEV as well as a GR Sport variant. With the launch of the local model, we know that very little has changed from when it showed up in Thailand as the Yaris Ativ. That being said, the base model Toyota Vios HEV did not get the Premium tag for the local market as it did up north.
As the company itself confirms, the hybrid “shares the same body styling as the Vios 1.5G with a fastback silhouette and ‘Power Design’ theme”. It’s much the same story inside, though the infotainment screen has been upsized slightly, going fro 9 inches to 10.1. The company confirms that this supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Then there’s the 7-inch digital instrument panel, though it does without the tachometer.
The Toyota Vios HEV comes only in black leather upholstery. As with the petrol model, it also gets 64-colour ambient lighting, though it gets more lightning on the door trims and instrument panel. The company says that it shares the same standard features and equipment as the 1.5G. This including the 4K Front Digital Video Recorder, Smart Entry & Pushstart System, and three USB ports, two of them being USB-C.
On performance, the Toyota Vios HEV is powered by a 1.5l engine with Dual VVT-i, plus an electric motor. Together they output 111 PS, which the company says is a 5% increase over the petrol model. The motor is itself powered by a 4.3 Ahr lithium-ion battery.
GR Sport Body Kit And Handling
Moving on to the Toyota Vios HEV GR Sport, it is actually mostly similar to the base model, with very minor differences. In terms of performance, the company says that only the suspension and electric power steering has been tuned differently. Things are a bit different on the outside, as it gets the GR-S body kit. The wheels also get an upsize to 17-inch rims.
The Toyota Vios HEV is priced from RM103,900 in Peninsular Malaysia, with the GR Sport variant starting from RM109,900 instead. Colour options for the former include Celestite Grey Metallic, Silver Metallic, Platinum White Pearl, Spicy Scarlet and Attitude Black. The latter is only limited to Platinum White Pearl, Spicy Scartlet and Attitude Black, but you can have the first two in two-tone, with the other tone being the remaining black.
