i read your post about the ambiance noise in your vios and i've just one thing to say, the vios was actually built to be an affordable toyota. Did u know that when the first gen vios was introduced to the gomen, how much was the proposed price? RM 60k. It was gonna be cheaper than our national car's mid sedans, which was a red flag. sad to say they had to add a lot of accessories to the car just to put in into that price range it is today.

I mean, i'm not anti-Vios or anything, my mum owns the face lifted 1st gen and i like driving it as well. It really serves it's purpose as an everyday workhorse. Gets u from point A to B without any hassles, no fuss and no problems. The built quality is definitely better than some of the 1.5 models in the market. U know who they are...

I'm a proud supporter of JDM cars and will always be. Why? becoz UMW toyota sucks and that's enough said! they bring in sub standard toyota cars and expects us to live with it. They don't offer even a quarter of choices that u get from the Jap market.

Actually, NVH is very much dependent on the model that is produced, u can't expect an affordable car to have the quietness of a lexus. My altezza actually has very good NVH, i can hardly hear my tanabe exhaust, well except when i floor it at high revs. On normal cruising, i forget how bassy the exhaust sounds until I open my sunroof or roll down the windows.

Like a lot of ppl say, u can't compare an expensive JDM import toyota to a local model. But it was very nice of your grandparents to buy u a vios to go to uni. Back then, I only had a hand-me-down Mazda Astina, which i turned into an ah beng car when i first discovered accessories 

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Added on February 20, 2009, 12:11 am
only lower your ride if u don't live in KL. The bumps are mad and the potholes are just crazy!
what i'd give to raise my car back to the normal height.

i prefer the old wish steering wheel .lol
image taken from paultan`s site .