2018 Toyota Vios/Yaris Ativ coming to India soon, but how safe is the sedan?

2018 Vios is one of the sedans from Toyota Kirloskar Motor expected to be launched in India mid next year. The model is already on sale in South Asian countries like Thailand, Singapore, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar either with the name Vios or Yaris Ativ.

The Toyota sedan is expected to take on the likes of Honda City and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz in India. Both cars have upmarket safety features and hence the Toyota sedan should have good safety rating to topple the current hierarchy. A unit of the sedan has already been tested for safety by safety watchdog ASEAN New Car Assessment Programme (ASEAN NCAP) and it has scored an impressive five-star rating.

The Vios got a total score of 81.63 points. That is the total of 44.70 points for adult occupant protocol, 21.66 points for the child occupant protocol and 15.28 points for its safety assist technologies.

The Vios unit tested has been manufactured in Thailand and it comes with an array of safety features that include seven airbags as standard. Other safety features include seatbelt reminder for driver and front passenger, electronic stability control (ESC) and anti-lock braking system (ABS). For child protection, the car also gets ISOFIX and top tether across variants.

Previously, the Toyota Vios had undergone ASEAN NCAP test back in 2012. In that assessment, the Vios received a 4-Star rating for AOP and 2-Star for the COP category. The 5-Star rating in the new crash test under the 2017-2020 protocol meaning the sedan has certainly improved in terms of safety.

When it gets launched in India, the Vios is expected to draw power from a 108hp version of the 1.5-litre petrol mill. The DOHC 16-valve engine will get dual VVT-I, higher compression pistons and a more aggressive fuel delivery system. In addition to the manual transmission option, this mill will be offered with the continuously variable transmission (CVT).

There is no word on diesel mill yet. Toyota may introduce the car with its 88hp 1.4 D4D engine, which is currently under the hood of the Corolla.