acing total defeat at the battle of Sentinium in the year 295B.C., Consul Publius Decius Mus couldn’t stand seeing his men in full rout against an inferior enemy consisting of allied Gallic and samnite tribesmen and therefore just as his father had done years before and in accordance with the Roman ritual of “devotio” he turned and charged head on with his horse into a tranche of thousands of enemy forces on the enemy’s right flank. He was promptly dismounted and executed in the ensuing melee but his courage and ultimate sacrifice was all that was needed to motivate the demoralized legions who had been in full rout and turn the tide of battle in the Roman’s favor.
It was in the same spirit of utter selflessness and disregard for oneself that a member of a certain facebook group; Albert, offered me, a total stranger, his 2012 Toyota Porte for a day with instructions to pen an unbiased review. At first, I was taken aback by his selflessness and I considered that to be a lesson on how I should conduct myself in future. In an era where we hold deep suspicions towards even the closest of family, mr. Albert is the exception rather than the rule, a symbol of hope in the midst of a man-swindle-man society. When he called and asked that I collect the car at spur mall near Ruiru, he was even kind enough to send Ksh.200 to cater for my transport needs though the money was promptly gobbled up by “Fuliza” and as if to add insult to injury, they informed me that it was just a partial repayment and thus I owed them more. I don’t remember borrowing the amount but I suspect it was Patricia who did so as a final “kick in the balls” before she ran off with a Subaru lad. I didn’t inform Mr. Albert of the situation since I didn’t necessarily require the cash that he had insisted on sending and i didn’t want him to feel inclined to send more so I used my own cash and decided that I would have to face a firing squad before I ever share my passwords with a girl again.
This facelifted version looks much better than the old model which looked like an american school bus upfront and a terrible copy of an FJ Cruiser on the rear column (without the spare wheel). The basic design however is still the same, the car is unusually tall which doesn’t help handling and causes noticeable body-roll around corners but creates more than adequate headroom. It’s still as boxy as its predecessor meaning there isn’t a lot of curves and sleek contours to speak of but the front column looks much more imposing than the bland unit on the former. However, the exterior generally is still very run of the mill save for the facelift. As we cruised at around 80KM/h on the Eastern bypass, a crazy lad in a grey fielder overtook a row of prime movers on the opposite lane in total disregard of oncoming traffic and with full lights on causing the car in front of us to suddenly brake and swerve off the road to avoid colliding head-on with the psychopath and I quickly reacted by narrowly avoiding both through a combination of luck, sheer talent and the car’s decent handling but it was a very close shave. I would either have rear-ended the car in front or endured a head-on with the inconsiderate bastard in the bloody fielder but his day of reckoning shall be upon him in the not too distant future if he keeps up his stunts, the arc of morality must always bend towards justice.
This “new” version however retains the large, automatic sliding left door which is reminiscent of the matatus that ply our roads and two normal swing-open but equally large right doors all of which offer stellar all-round visibility. The fact that the entire left door slides open is strange and unusual for a car in its class but it makes coming onboard easier for passengers and is ideal for the tight parking spaces in town or in our upscale malls. In spite of the short wheelbase, the rear sits provide ample legroom for even the tallest of men and are relatively comfortable with headrests that are adjustable to accommodate varying heights. However the flat, raised floor makes for an awkward sitting position on the rear seats moreso for tall passengers. The boot space is minimal and not ideal for large loads, we did however ferry a few computers and some monitors from my now defunct business premises and they all fitted nicely in the boot.
On the front are regular fabric seats that are neither comfortable nor uncomfortable, they straddle somewhere between and I suspect one would be fidgety after a very long drive since they’re quite stiff but not as stiff as the units in the probox. The dashboard on the other hand is very busy with a mix of colors and boxy design elements in tandem with the exterior. I prefer a black interior with sleek curves and chrome accents here and there but that’s just me and, furthermore, the use of 3 different colors more than made up for the lack of chrome or wood trim in the interior. I particularly disliked the instrument cluster which looked very odd as though it had been plucked from a motorbike and glued onto the center of the dashboard which I’ve always considered not to be an ideal position since you have to crane your neck to look at it while with the regular instrument cluster, you need only a quick glance without moving your head. It was however very functional and displayed all the important information such as the selected gear and the remaining fuel accurately and you get used to it quite fast. There is also a large touch screen on the center-console that was, unsurprisingly, inscribed in Japanese which made it hard to decipher and the lack of a USB port was unnerving. It did however have an aux port which I didn’t get to test out since I hadn’t carried my aux cord. While the mix of colors on the dashboard gives the impression of a premium interior, a quick feel of the actual dashboard reminds one of the quality which isn’t terrible but still not way up there. It feels rough and flimsy but at least some effort went into it but turned up short.
Under the hood is a naturally aspirated 1300cc engine paired to a smooth CVT-i transmission. Smooth because there were no jerks or jolts whenever a gear was engaged. We estimated fuel consumption at around 11-14KM/l which is actually not ideal given the CVT-i transmission and could be indicative of an underlying problem (and no I do not have a heavy foot, the owner can attest to my restraint behind the wheel.) The engine also wasn’t very powerful but this may be a matter of perception since I also had a brief sojourn with a 1.8L 2002 fielder on the same day. One impressive safety feature was the smart-stop sorcery which kicked in if both pedals were pressed accidentally thus bringing the car safely to a stop or if the accelerator pedal somehow got jammed and you pressed the brake pedal, it would cancel out the accelerator and bring the car to a stop. Not necessarily a must-have feature but I always say that it’s better to have something and not need it than to not have it when you need it the most. Both scenarios are rare but as I said last time, not even the most snobbish of connoisseurs are immune to the karma wave.
In terms of reliability, I can’t say much since I had the car for a very short time but then again, it’s a Toyota so it’s like asking whether our infallible pope is catholic or whether the proverbial bear sh*ts in the woods. The car hasn’t evanesced much from its former self save for a much needed facelift and a more comfortable and attractive interior. There has been a long overdue shift from a 4-speed AT to CVT-i which should, theoretically, do wonders for fuel consumption but for some reason that wasn’t the case. The smart-stop safety feature is also a welcome addition which makes it an ideal family car. I would definitely recommend it over other mini MPVs since it’s much more spacious, has an additional safety feature and the automatic sliding door is friendly for disabled persons or kids. It also feels solid and I suspect it could take a great deal of abuse. I would also like to express my gratitude to Mr.Albert for his selflessness and as a token of my appreciation, I washed the car at my place with his help and I also offered him a hearty meal of “ugali” with greens and mutton over lunch. May you live long Mr.Albert and may your kindness never waver. The world needs more of your kind.
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