Page 15 - Motoring Winter 2022

TOYOTA SA LAUNCH

TOYOTA STARLET around the Peninsula and over Chapman’s
Peak. The power delivery is smooth, the car
handles well around the bends, and the ride is
comfortable and compliant.
he Starlet was added to the local Toyota range during 2020 and has been a great success as We had a shorter drive in an automatic
a larger B-segment hatch offering, reaching peak sales of around 1 400 units per month. version and this left me with mixed feelings.
TI was privileged to spend a few days in the Western Cape to experience the new version Obviously, an auto is much smoother and
of the Starlet. Its enhancements include many upgrades and improvements on a proven winning less stressful in traffic and we handled the
recipe. rush-hour trip to the airport with ease. On
Amongst the exterior changes are a new honeycomb grille and front fog lamps on the upper the other side, the gearbox seemed to hunt
spec models. The top XR model adds items like auto-folding mirrors and auto lights with follow- between 3rd and 4th gears, which was a bit
me-home functionality. The XS and XR models also get new 16” alloy wheels and all models now of a let-down. That said, I’m sure that most
get a rear spoiler for improved aerodynamic performance. drivers who spend their lives commuting will
The main interior change is the addition of an infotainment screen with full connectivity, not notice this and find the auto a pleasure
which is 7” in the lower spec models and 9” in the top XR models. Overall, the interior is well on their daily drive.
finished and the larger footprint of the Starlet creates plenty of passenger space in the rear - we I am always aware of safety and I noted
noted this when the driver’s seat was set for my 1.89m tall co-driver at the launch. the lack of automatic door locking on pull-off.
The biggest change, however, is found under the bonnet. The engine goes from 1.4l to 1.5l, Personally, I believe that this should be a
providing 77kW and 138Nm to the front wheels through either 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic standard requirement on every car sold in SA.
transmissions. Increases of 9kW and 8Nm may not sound like much, but the manual version in Overall, this is a case of a proven success
particular (we deliberately chose a manual for the major part of the drive) certainly performed well being enhanced and improved in every
respect yet with a minimal price increase of
R1 000 over the previous models.

The new range:
1.5 Xi manual R226 200
1.5 Xs manual R239 100
1.5 Xs auto R261 100
1.5 XR manual R294 400
1.5 XR auto R313 300

All models include a 3-year/45 000km
service plan. n

Use this link to view our Video Review:
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=fWqh1nPw6fo

MOTORING | Winter 2022 | 13