The new Toyota Vitz has arrived in South Africa, where it competes in the hotly contested budget hatchback segment. David Taylor took it for a quick drive.
Let’s begin by addressing the elephant in the room… The new Toyota Vitz is a badge-engineered Suzuki Celerio. Now, on with the review. Despite the economic downturn caused by the tail end of the pandemic, high interest rates and the Rand’s poor exchange rate, sales of new compact cars have remained robust.
Many brands are playing in this space, but surprisingly, Toyota does not lead the segment. That honour belongs to Renault, which has almost a quarter of this market to itself thanks to the Kwid. It’s interesting to note that during the 2 years that the Vitz’s predecessor – the now-discontinued Toyota Agya – was on the market, it could only muster the 2nd highest share in the segment, tied with Kia’s evergreen Picanto.
With the Vitz, Toyota hopes to capture some of the Kwid’s market share. For what it’s worth, the Vitz’s twin, the Suzuki Celerio has captured 5% of the small-car segment, which, to be fair, seems too little.
What is it?
The Vitz is a budget hatchback that slots beneath the Starlet in Toyota’s compact car line-up. The range comprises 3 derivatives that are offered in base and XR trim levels. The 1.0 XR is available in manual and automated manual (automatic) guises, with the latter ideal for those who commute in congested traffic.
The Suzuki-sourced naturally-aspirated 1.0-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine produces only 49 kW and 89 Nm of torque, which doesn’t sound like much, but when a vehicle weighs just 805 kg, it doesn’t need all that much power to get moving at a brisk pace, but more about that later…
It’s claimed to be light on fuel too; the manual-shift Vitz is said to consume, on average, 4.4 L/100 km, while the automatic version is said to be even lighter on fuel (4.2 L/100 km). The Vitz has a 32-litre fuel tank, which means that the 5-speed version has a theoretical range of 727 km.
Interior and features?
In Base trim, the Vitz is equipped with the essentials, but do consider digging deeper in your proverbial pocket to procure an example with the XR grade, because it comes with all the additional comfort features and gadgetry that its intended target market will appreciate, such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, additional audio speakers, nicer-looking 15-inch alloy wheels, and a tilt-adjustable steering column.
Safety features are all-important, even in the budget segment. The Vitz has the basics covered with 2 frontal airbags, electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes, and rear parking sensors. The auto version additionally has hill assist, which stops the Vitz from rolling backwards when pulling away on an incline.
MORE: Toyota Vitz specifications, price and features
What is the Toyota Vitz like to drive?
In Gauteng (South Africa’s major new-car market), naturally-aspirated engines lose around 17% of the power that they produce at sea level because the air is thinner at high altitudes. Therefore, at the Reef, a small car, which doesn’t have all that much power to begin with, tends to have to work harder to keep up with traffic – ideally, it needs a rev-happy engine and a slick-shifting transmission. The Vitz has those.
When we drove the Vitz at sea level, the Toyota was quite an energetic – even eager – performer. The 1.0-litre 3-pot engine enjoys a healthy dose of revs and, unlike in some of its competitors, the motor only sounds gruff and noisy at the redline, by which time you should have changed gear anyway!
The gearbox deserves plenty of praise too. Automatic transmissions have become ubiquitous and quite refined compared with their predecessors, so a light-but-precise 5-speed manual gearbox with an easy-to-modulate clutch pedal is a rare find. While we’ve yet to drive a Vitz with an AMT, we can recommend the manual version for its sheer ease of use. This is one of the most user-friendly city cars we’ve driven.
As far as ride quality is concerned, the newcomer’s suspension is tuned for comfort and the generously sidewalled tyres fitted to the 15-inch wheels look ready to cope with the worst of SA’s poorly maintained roads. We’d rate noise suppression and cabin refinement better than average – well, at this price point.
Interestingly, the Vitz has a ground clearance of 170 mm, which contributes to a touch of body roll under cornering and the steering is a tad vague, but again, the Toyota’s driving experience is quite acceptable for a car in its segment. If you drive in a relaxed and measured manner, the handling’s not a deal breaker.
After our quick drive on the rolling hills from Constantia to Camps Bay and back (with a pair of occupants on board), the test unit indicated an average fuel consumption figure of 4.6 L/100 km. That included some quick downshifts and hard accelerations to overtake other vehicles. If you adopt a more efficiency-oriented driving style, you should be able to get closer to – or even match – the manufacturer’s claim.
How much does the Toyota Vitz cost in South Africa?
| Vitz 1.0 manual | R189 900 |
| Vitz 1.0 XR manual | R219 900 |
| Vitz 1.0 XR AMT | R239 900 |
The new Toyota Vitz is sold with a 2-year/30 000 km service plan and a 3-year/100 000 km warranty.
Toyota SA also promoted its Kinto One subscription service at the Vitz’s launch. It’s a vehicle leasing (pay-per-use) scheme by which customers pay a monthly amount (that covers servicing costs, roadside assistance, licence/registration, wear and tear, mileage and insurance) to use the car for a set term.
Apart from the subscription fee, a customer will pay only for fuel and, after the contract period (from 6 months, up to 60 months) is over, they return the car. Of course, there are terms and conditions, but for burgeoning small businesses that need a small car for short trips, it may make more sense to pay for a vehicle in this manner. For June 2023, Toyota is offering the Vitz for a year at R2 999 per month.
Summary
The Vitz is yet another “Toyota-badged Suzuki” that will probably garner more sales in the local new-vehicle market than the vehicle upon which it is based; that demonstrates the huge brand cachet and loyal following that Toyota has in South Africa. Still, there is much to like about the Vitz’s, well, honesty.
At no point do you get the impression that the Vitz is trying to be something that it isn’t. It is well-made, oh-so-easy to drive and, simply put, fit for purpose. In these trying times, affordability is paramount, and the Vitz should do well in providing mobility for those who just need a cheap and cheerful new car.
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