Mario James, Gleaner Writer
The 1.3-litre 2003 Toyota Corolla Vitz is available for $899,000.00 from Auto Impressions. and the interior of the 2003 Toyota Corolla Vitz. - photos by mario james
The Toyota juggernaut is huge. So huge that it has trouble naming its products, they are so numerous. Names like 'Ist', 'Wish' and 'Belta' sound as if the marketing dept had a ringside seat to a Sumo wrestling match and recorded the surly growls of those dignified fat folk.
What does 'Vitz' mean? Today's deportee drive is rather diminutive, like its name suggests. Wikipaedia says that the word is a derivative of the German word witz, which means baby rabbit, or hoplette, in English. Look at it - it does look like a rabbit if you add the ears in your mind!
Our tester is powered by what is known as in Toyota speak as the 2SZ-FE power plant, an all-alloy four cylinder engine with Variable Valve Timing (VVT) that develops 87 hp at 3500rpm and is mated to a 'Super' CVTi transaxle. Funnily enough, Automotives thought that Toyota did not make CVTs. At least no Continuously Variable Transmission is available or optioned on their global best-seller, the Corolla. This kindof transmission has no gears, only belts and cones. It changes gear ratio by moving the cone relative to the drive belt, presenting an infinite array of circumferences, i.e. ratios to get the car down the road. Used with modern electronic systems, the goal of the system is to offer the ideal ratio for any given load, taking into consideration as well engine speed. Such a pairing also results in greater fuel economy and less emissions, as the engine can be held at the speed (rpm) where peak cylinder pressures occur, (read as b.m.e.p), and therefore engine combustion is most complete.
Spacious interior
The interior of the Vitz befits it price of $899,000. It's OK, nothing too flash it has lots of room because of to its cab forward design (like the Honda Fit). There is enough space for five adults in this thing, believe it or not. The seats are supportive enough for the larger set, ingress and egress presenting no problems. Like the Vios, the gauge pod in the Vitz is over the centre console, and is totally digital (LED). The pod is well shielded from the sun, though. Automotives suspects that the instrumentation really points towards the firewall, and a mirror reflects it to where the driver can see it. However, because of this, a feeling of vertigo is induced whenever this tester looked at it. Maybe it's just me.
Controls are placed where they should be, neat, decipherable hieroglyphs indicating their function. Again, not too much in the way of sophistication here, just the essentials. Power mirrors, mirror fold-away, central locking, A/C (with auto function), power brakes and power steering.
Driving this rabbit, though, is one of life's really great surprises. That VVTi engine really comes alive! Its starts making power at about 2500 rpm; from there, the digits turn solid '8' s, accelerating so fast that the speedo can't keep up! Seat of the pants testing says that Vitz is faster than the Fit; we'd have to do back to back testing to be sure, but it does feel that way. Storming down Spanish Town Road also revealed a delightful preponderance to flit in and out of traffic - it's a cheeky little thing, this four-door hoplette. Weaving and dodging in and out of the daily doldrums of the morning commute, one can't help but smile, it endears itself to you so quickly. The Austin Mini was like this too, no space too small for you to just slot in on your way out!
With a kerb weight that's got to be less than 2,000lb and the efficiency of the CVT, the high side of 30 mpg should not be a problem. Who says 'responsible' motor cars can't be fun? It is possible to have your cake and eat it too!
mario.james@gleanerjm.com
