Owner Review: Trusted and reliable daily travelling partner – 2008 Toyota Vios 1.5 G (NCP93)

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Basic information about my car:

2008 Toyota Vios NCP 93 G spec

Reasons why I bought this car(purpose)

Actually, the car is owned by my wife, it was purchased second hand in February 2015. The main reason she chose the car is because she did not have her own car and she was driving a Toyota Corolla KE20 owned by her family. Although the old KE20 is still driving quite well (as per expected for a pure mechanical machine from that era), in view of the fact that she needs frequent travelling around Penang state, thus we decided to choose a newer car for this purpose. In addition, the availability of the spare parts for KE20 is also another reason for us to take into consideration getting another car, and will retire the KE20, keeping her at home. 

Car selection process

● We had a budget of: RM40-55k
● Models that we have considered include: 
Second handed: Toyota Vios, Toyota Prius, Honda City
New: Perodua Myvi

Reasons why I chose this car:

While we were considering which cars to get, my wife’s auntie wanted to upgrade her car, and thus wanted to sell the Vios. It has a good service track record as her auntie still sends the car back to Toyota service centre despite the car being around 7 years old by the time. Therefore, we decided to buy the car from her auntie due to the good track record and history.
As my wife’s family members have a couple of Toyota cars, like the Toyota KE20 mentioned above, and also a Toyota Corolla AE101, we have faith in the durability of Toyota vehicles.

Furthermore, I have done some information gathering on the maintenance cost of Vios, as we are buying the car second hand and have already clocked 158k km at that time. At such mileage, the car is expected to have some wear and tear part replacement, besides general maintenance. The maintenance cost is reasonable, and not costly for a Japanese brand B segment sedan. There are also quite some alternative OEM spare parts available in the market, if you feel that the price of original Toyota spare parts are on the higher side, 
considering the age and the price of the car.

In addition, the good fuel consumption of Vios is also another point that we decided to take. As my wife travels quite a lot within Penang state, fuel consumption plays a role as part of cost of ownership. Despite soldiering on 1NZ-FE 1.5L 4 cylinders engine matching with 4 speeds slushbox, which are a carry over combination from previous NCP42 Vios, the car returns quite decent fuel consumption figures even under urban driving conditions.

The rear seat and legroom are also another factor we decided to take the Vios. It has decent rear legroom despite the compact size as a B segmenter. It has a slightly higher sitting position compared to most of the cars nowadays, which are getting lower for better centre of gravity, and also handling purpose. The not-so-low sitting position and decent rear legroom make the NCP93 Vios a great family car, especially when fetching elderly like our parents. It is better ergonomic for elderly to get in and out of the car. Afaik, it has more comfortable legroom and good sitting position while fetching parents, compared to my own C segment sedan. My dad once complained to me that my own car is low and a bit difficult to get in and out.

User Experience

I have already done 141k km. My average fuel consumption is 7L/100km.
When we first get the car, the only thing I am not very used to is the centre positioned instrument cluster. It was a pretty unique design when the older NCP42 Vios launched, and then inherited the NCP93 model. The interior has a mix of beige and dark grey colour, which I quite like personally. However, the beige colour seat will make any stain on it look obvious and thus a little extra care may be needed.

As the car is mainly driven by my wife while I am driving it occasionally, I will just briefly share how I feel about the car. After we bought the car, all 4 absorbers were replaced as they were pretty worn out, and one already has a sign of leakage. I opted for original Toyota Vios absorbers as replacement, and not going for any aftermarket choice as this is mainly a daily commuter and I want to retain the comfort ride. The whole set absorber survived for another 140k km, or 6 years plus, until recently one of the front absorbers leaked after hitting a pothole. Then the front pair of absorbers are being replaced with another set.

Dark grey and beige colour combination of the cabin

Generally, I would say NCP93 Vios is a decent daily driver. The ride is comfortable and supple, albeit the suspension is on the soft side which is not too good for hard cornering. After all, the car is designed as a family sedan and not meant for a sprinted style of driving.  In addition, for the sake of having more choices on tyres with better performance, I have replaced the worn tyres with 195/55 R15 size instead of the stock 185/60 R15 size. The slightly wider tyre allows better grip when driving or taking corners. 

The trusted 1NZ-FE engine and 4 speed slushbox combination that soldiers on the car is doing the job well. Although the combo is a carried over drivetrain, they are still giving good response and performance to the car. The engine still revs freely despite the mileage clocked, especially during initial acceleration. It does roar a bit loud when the tachometer shows reading of 4000 rpm and above, but the engine is quite toned down during normal drive. The transmission is willing to kick down from overdrive when doing some overtaking while cruising on highway. The duo allows the car to return a fuel consumption of 7L/100km in mix driving in Penang, and around 6L/100km during highway drive at speed limit. 

As for interior space, the NCP93 Vios has ample rear legroom, comfortable rear sitting position which is good enough even for long distance drive. The seats of this car are positioned slightly higher than some cars. As I mentioned before, it is good in terms of ergonomics when ingress and egress the car, especially for elderly. The driver seat position, however, is on the higher side for me. I am 175cm in height, and despite adjusting the seat to the lowest, it is still quite high for me. My legs are a bit too close to the steering wheel if I do not move the driver seat further back. I am not able to get my best driving position when I am behind the wheel. At that moment, I wish the steering wheel can have either telescopic function or can be tilt up furthermore.

Non self-illuminating centre located instrumental cluster

Throughout the 6 years plus of ownership, the Vios never suffered from major breakdown. The most alarming one was that the radiator fan motor decided to fail in the third year we owned the car. The high temperature warning came out but we managed to stop the car safely in time. After being inspected by my trusted mechanic friend, there is no damage to the engine. I decided to give the cooling system a good preventive maintenance by replacing the old radiator which is not really in great condition, aging radiator hose, thermostat, and water pump. Besides this, what are being replaced throughout the ownership are wear and tear parts mainly from suspension and brake systems. Until 2 weeks ago, the 13 years old air conditioner evaporator core suffered a leak. The old evaporator core is replaced and a proper air conditioner system service is conducted at the same time. Despite clocking close to 300k km mileage, the air conditioner compressor is still doing well, and able to bring cabin temperature down efficiently.

Another issue on this Vios is engine oil consumption. I noticed the issue after we bought the car, and I was not surprised as the car already clocked almost 160k km during that time. Some info searching online shows that this issue seems to be pretty common for 1NZ-FE engines at higher mileage, probably caused by stuck piston rings. Despite the oil consumption, I am still running the car on fully synthetic engine oil for better protection and cleanliness. The engine oil is being replaced every 10k km or 6 months interval. Meanwhile, automatic transmission fluid is replaced at every 30k km or 1.5 years interval.

_{Despite the age, the car is still running with fully synthetic engine oil}

Pros and Cons

Pros of my car：

1. Decent interior space for the size
2. Great boot space
3. Great fuel consumption for drivetrain of this age
4. Wallet friendly maintenance cost
5. Reliable
6. Being a B segment sedan, it is easy to manoeuvre around town
7. Sufficient power from the drivetrain for daily use
8. Pretty mechanical, less electrical stuffs compare to modern cars
9. No telescopic adjustment for steering wheel

Cons ：

1. Relative high driver seat position
2. Sound and wind noise insulation, which may due to age too
3. The car feels a bit “light” if go beyond 120km/h, probably due to higher centre of gravity
4. Not so direct steering feedback
5. Lack of safety features compare to newer cars

_{ATF is replaced every 30k km interval}

Ratings:

Total Score: 4

Performance: 4

Quality & Features: 4

Space: 5

Ride comfort: 4

Fuel Economy: 5

Price & cost: 4

_{DIY brief throttle body cleaning with throttle body cleaner}

_{Old air filter (left) vs new air filter (right)}

Summary:

In a nutshell, NCP93 Vios is really a great and reliable daily driver with relatively low cost of ownership. The interior space is decent for the segment, allowing a family of four to travel comfortably even long-distance drive. Ride is comfortable throughout the journey, thanks to the suspension tuning, which is able to absorb vibration from uneven roads in Malaysia well. Despite the aging drivetrain combination as for today, the car is still able to return a competitive fuel consumption figure compared to newer cars nowadays.  Lack of safety features compared to newer cars may make some potential buyers turn away from this car. This is a 13-year-old platform after all. Undeniably, it is great if a car is equipped with more safety features, regardless of passive or active types. However, discipline and civilized way of driving are the keys to ensure safety on the road. 

Replenishing the battery juice for the car

Interesting events：
In view of this Vios is purchased second hand, thus there will be some maintenance jobs that need to be done. As I am interested in car preventive maintenance, my mechanic buddy taught me a few tips and some DIY which can be done by myself at home. When the Vios clocked around 240k km, my mechanic buddy performed a thorough throttle body cleaning to ensure the engine breathes properly. He then taught me how to do a brief throttle body cleaning at home, without the need to remove the throttle body, and advised me to do it every 10-20k km if possible. This will help in maintaining the cleanliness of the throttle body, before the next thorough cleaning needed. Furthermore, I also replace the air intake filter whenever I notice it is dirty, sometime before I send the car to routine maintenance, no thanks to the air quality in urban areas.

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