Do you remember that rather interesting facelift that the XP150-based Toyota Yaris got recently? If you connected the dots, you probably guessed that the third-generation Toyota Vios would eventually get this facelift in most ASEAN markets, especially considering the fiasco that the fourth-generation, DNGA-based (Daihatsu New Global Architecture) model finds itself in.
And yes, the first of the Southeast Asian markets to receive said update to the humble Vios is Vietnam.
This is exactly like the “hammerhead shark look” we saw from the Vios’s hatchback sibling. New LED projector lights, an entirely revised front fascia, new multi-spoke 15-inch wheels, and some slight revisions to the rear bumper with two angular cuts and a blacked-out “rear diffuser” to further sportify the sedan’s appearance (even without any GR-related kit).
Just like its Yaris sibling, it also receives a larger nine-inch head unit with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, rear USB-C charging ports for the rear passengers, and the addition of Toyota Safety Sense for the top-spec G CVT variant, which includes such features as pre-collision warning, blind-spot monitor, and lane-departure warning (but no 360° camera).
Other than that, it retains the same 1.5-liter in-line-four engine called the 2NR-FE for Vietnam, and it has mostly the same features as the current Vios, with amenities such as automatic air-conditioning controls, paddle shifters, push-start engine start/stop, better gauges, and more as you climb up the variant ladder.
So, will we get this? Only Toyota Motor Philippines knows the true answer, but it is not completely out of the picture since our Vios is assembled locally at the Santa Rosa plant under the CARS program. And who could forget the current issues that the DNGA-based Yaris Ativ (or fourth-generation Vios) is facing right now?
Do you like the current look, or would you rather wait for this new face to appear locally?
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