There is no denying it: the era of the tiny hatchback is upon us.
There’s also no denying that the pandemic left most of us with less cash, more concern about how to make ends meet, and facing higher living and fuel costs. Not a good situation.
But it does go a long way to explain the accelerated growth in the small car segment, which now accounts for 64% of the market, up from 53% in 2018.
In short, more people are seeing the reasonableness of the new generation of three-pot one-litre powerplants in lightweight bodies, wringing the most out of that costly petrol you have to put in.
Toyota’s Vitz is one such cabbie. Replacing the Agya and sitting just beneath the Starlet in the range, the Vitz promises 4.4 litres per 100km for the manual with the auto doing a little better.
This fuel economy is achieved through a twin-injection thermally-efficient new age motor that uses stop-start technology and a weigh-in of a mere 805kg.
At that weight, the 49kW on offer gets to deliver perky inner-city performance, as we in the motoring fraternity navigate the transition of thrills from the older variation to the new way.
Put simply, where beforehand great satisfaction came from that low-down sheer krag that pressed you back into your seat, nowadays thrills need to be sought in nimble handling and palatable economics. So it goes.
Inside the Vitz, the basics are catered for, with some useful storage spaces, cupholders for all, and a range-topping 295 litres of boot space.
The XR version brings the real goodies, though, with tiltable power steering, electric windows, nice touchscreen with Bluetooth and USB, Apple Carplay and Android Auto functionality.
Setting the Vitz apart are the extra safety features, such as anti-lock braking, electronic brake-force distribution and vehicle stability control for traction and hill-start assist for those who don’t know how to use handbrakes.
It gets even more interesting. In line with Toyota’s vision to transition from a car manufacturer to a mobility company, Toyota promoted its Kinto One subscription service at the launch.
With the Vitz, for R2 999 per month, you get to lease the cabbie, while Toyota looks after the details such as servicing, licensing and insurance (less hassle to consumer) for a set time, then return it at the end of the contract. The move is from vehicle ownership to vehicle usage.
The entry price point is nicely under that psychological 200k at R189 900, with the XR version at R219 900 and the automated manual transmission, basically a clutchless manual, priced at R239 900.
The Vitz is sold with a two-year/ 30 000km service plan and a three-year/ 100 000km warranty.
All things considered, especially living costs, these little cars are making more and more sense.
The market is still led by the Renault Kwid and the Vitz, we imagine, hopes to bite into that share.
dailyvoice@inl.co.za