Crazy Cars

One car that puts the Toyota design right at the top, would be the Toyota Wish. The Toyota Wish which is sold in Malaysia through UMW Toyota, is fully imported from Thailand. Overall its a modern and sporty looking vehicle with great substance in driving performance, that can cater for 7 persons comfortably or the additional space when needed.

To me, the greatest characteristics found in this great vehicle would be its appealing exterior and interior design that is accepted by most car lovers. Launched first in the year 2003 in Japan and “officially” by UMW Toyota, in May of 2006 in Malaysia. This model has done tremendously well in the market. After having a test drive on the Toyota Wish, you would definitely find it to be some what an outstanding driving experience.

The closest and most usual competitor for the Toyota Wish would be their constant brand rivals, the Honda Stream. But if you look into the specifications of the Toyota Wish, you would notice that its larger and a more spacious vehicle. Compare the exterior of the Toyota Wish which is at 1,745mm and the Honda Stream’s exterior of 1,695mm, thats a wider space of 50mm. Interior wise the Toyota Wish has a length of 2,670mm compared to Honda Stream’s interior of 2,560, that’s 110mm of extra length.

Toyota has not left out styling when they designed the Wish, as the exterior has a style that stresses sportiness as well as improving the vehicle’s aerodynamics. For most young executives its a practical choice as the Toyota Wish has features that enhances the modern and upmarket image that they can relate to.

There are so many advantages that you will be able to find in the Toyota Wish, one such advantage is their ability to transform their seats into different modes of operation, such as the; 7 passenger mode, Space Mode, Limousine Mode (5-passengers), Long Space Mode, Relax Mode and the Table Mode (good when go out for your picnics) .

Technicals aspects in this vehicle is also maintained as with all their other vehicles, where the main source of power coming from their 2.0S (1,998cc) 1AZ-FE engine which is a In-line 4-cylinder, 16 valve, DOHC, VVT-i provider. This engine compared to the Honda Streams i-VTEC offers a better acceleration and response which are essential for city driving with higher torque and comparable engine output. To define this take the example of a 0-100km/h test, where the Toyota Wish would take 11.11 seconds compared to Honda Streams 11.96 seconds. And we did a Standing Start Acceleration Test 0-400m, and found the Wish to reach it by 17.89 seconds compared to Streams 18.33 seconds.

The transmission found in the Toyota Wish is a 4 speed automatic sequential type. This enables the car to be driven in a manual transmission like way. Once the gear is set at “S” position, the shifting occurs by choosing either “+” (upshift) or “-” (downshift).

Macpherson Strut Suspensions with Stabiliser is used in the front and the rear is installed with Double Wishbone with Stabiliser, which in the end provides good handling and great ride comfort. To complement the ABS system, the Wish comes with 15″ ventilated disc brakes for the front and 15″ solid disc brakes for the rear.

Various other cutting-edge technology features are also adopted to prevent accidents from happening, like their active safety modes; VSC with TRC, ABS with EBD, BA (Brake Assist) as well the passive safety mode; GOA Body, Dual Front SRS Airbags, Front Seatbelts with Pretensioner and Force Limiter.

The audio system included in the Toyota Wish has a capability of playing CD/MP3/WMA disc’s, where sound is distributed through six speakers.

Currently if you are planning to purchase a Toyota Wish, get ready to make a selection from five different colour choices - Super Red, Black Mica, Champagne Metallic, Silver Metallic and Pacific Blue. As with all the Toyota vehicles sold through UMW in Malaysia, these vehicles come with a 3 year warranty or 100,000km (whichever comes first). Browse my earlier topic on "Toyota - June Promotion" to see what’s in store for the intended buyer. Starting Price is at RM152,686.10 (without insurance)

Insides the cars

Look and see your dreams car.

Toyota have launched the new Wish in the Japan market not too long ago, with a new front look. It comes either 1.8 or 2.0 variant. I guess the protruding concept is also being brought over to the Wish as well, as you can see the front headlights is like coming out of the body :p

The new Wish is fitted with the new generation engine with “Valvematic” technology, i guess they renamed VVTL-i to this name, since the technology is variable valve and lift.

The interior looks great, with the triangular window at the side so that you have more view of the road.

This baby also comes with Super CVT-i transmission which gives better fuel economy. Also mentioned is that the 1.8L gives 16Km/L while the 2.0L gives 15.2Km/L. I would say these are pretty impressive figures for the MPV class.

Facts you need to khow about Toyota Wish MPV

Here's my thoughts about Toyota Wish.

Toyota has unveiled a redesigned version of the popular 7-seater Toyota Wish MPV. The Wish goes on sale in Japan first and will probably come to Malaysia soon.

In Japan, the Wish receives Toyota’s new Valvematic engines. Valvematic is a continuously variable valve timing and valve lift mechanism, while VVT-i which affects timing. The engines are the 2ZR-FAE for the 1.8L model and the 3ZR-FAE for the 2.0L.

The 2.0L makes an impressive 158 PS at 6,200rpm and 196Nm of torque at 4,400rpm (of course the king of the hill is still the Optima facelift's 163 PS ), while the 1.8L units either put out 144 PS and 176Nm of torque or 133 PS and 164Nm of torque. The lower figures are for models equipped with the 4WD drivetrain.

All engines are mated to the Super CVT-i transmission, and some have manual paddle shifting for 7 virtual CVT gear ratios.

Fuel consumption is said to have improved and exceeds Japanese 2010 standards by 20% for the 1.8L model, and 15% for the 2.0L model. The 2.0L unit gets 15.2km/l based on the Japanese 10-15 cycle, and the 1.8L model gets 16.0km/l.

In terms of practicality, the maximum luggage capacity has had its width increased by 95mm. The slimmer seatbacks for the seats increase legroom for the rows behind it. Front diagonal visibility is better by attaching the side mirrors to the door panels and reducing the width of the A-pillars. Seat covers have been treated with an anti-mite agent, and the climate control system has the Camry’s Plasmacluster air-purifying technology. The steering wheel is both tilt and reach adjustable.

The Wish also adds an improved version of VSC called S-VSC, which also uses the electric power steering system to apply appropriate steering torque to help stabilize it. High spec models get features such as keyless entry and start via a push button starter. The Wish has a parking assist system that tells you when to turn the steering wheel and when to back up during parallel parking, but doesn’t turn the wheel for you itself. There is also a 10-speaker Wish Panoramic Live Sound System for surround sound audio.

Look after the jump for a video and a fully featured photo gallery of the new Wish with lots of focus on the small details all over the interior.