Is a 1.0l 2014 Toyota Vitz suitable for 120km/hr motorway commute ?

komzi

Hi there, I am about to purchase a 1.0 litre japanese import Toyota Vitz. On weekdays I have a relatively short commute to work which is about 4km(2.5miles)each way and possibly other errands within a small town which will probably get me to 70km(43miles)a week. Maybe once or twice month I might head down to my home town via a motorway and it’s going to be about 170km(105miles) one way  on Irish motorway roads. I just wanted to ask the more experienced drivers, will this be too much stress on the small engine? Would it be better to get a bigger car in terms of engine size or am I exaggerating?

thanks 

pauly58

We had one for 17 trouble free years, the problem comes if you hit any kind of uphill section, then she'll struggle, not the end of the world but you notice it alright. Many the time I've had my foot flat to the floor trying to keep the speed up.

2011abc

I’d be more worried about the fact it’s a Jap import .VERY worried ! Not sure of current insurance situation but for ages they were penalised / loaded or refused point blank by some companies .The rest of your concerns are non Issues unless you want to be racing around .All modern cars can make satisfactory , safe motorway progress .You want to try Daihatsu Charade or Peugeot 106 diesels in the 1980s .They struggled to get up Motorway hills at over 45/50mpg !

If anything the Jap imports are even less desired nowadays as there’s a particular one , Toyota Aqua that seems to have ‘steal me ‘ invisibly printed in it in big letters only thieves can read .And then there’s the horrific ‘Corrolla’ hybrid estates that are the serious ugly sisters of our model ….Can be an issue getting parts for them too as there can be subtle and not so subtle differences .The ‘Yaris’ you’re thinking of buying will probably have air con and an Irish one won’t so could be different belts etc ….Do yourself a favour and get a euro market one …

2011abc

The whole less stress on a bigger engine thing on motorway is a bit of a Myth in my opinion .The stress will be on you ,both due to noise and increased fuel consumption cost .As long as you change oil the wear and tear should be the same .Very very few keep cars the sort of time (300-500k miles ) that this sort of thing MIGHT become an issue .Yiu could just drive at 100-110kmh instead of 120/130 etc …

Ted222

The motorway driving represents the bulk of your commute so for safety and comfort, I’d go perhaps for a mid-sized car and engine as a minimum e.g. a 1.4 golf, Astra, Corolla etc

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121959951#Comment_121959951

I think your making a much bigger deal out of this than it has to be. As long as the car has a factory push button or an aftermarket alarm & immobiliser then the car cannot be stolen. Toyota Vitz is very easy to get parts for. New and second hand.

Let your insurance company know it has an alarm & immobiliser and you should be fine. I’d imagine OP isn’t dumb enough to buy a car without getting an insurance quote first?

And btw, a Toyota Vitz is terrible to drive at motorway speeds, a gust of wind would blow you off your tracks. But I suppose depending on what you’re used to it might be okay for you.

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121960430#Comment_121960430

The scumbags will still try to steal a JDM even if it has an immobiliser. I'd a JDM with a quality alarm and immobiliser it didn't get stolen but they did try to get it started. It's of no consequence to them if they can't get it started they'll just move on to the next one, the owner has a damaged door and steering column to deal with. I've seen a few JDMs where the owners have clamped it themselves.

bazz26

1.0 litre engine will be roaring at motorway speeds and won't be very fuel efficient either. They come in 1.3 and 1.5 also, why not look for one of those instead?

billyhead

I started out in a 1L Micra and used to do motorway driving. The car would rattle and shake a little in crosswinds but apart from that it was fine.

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121960768#Comment_121960768

My Dad has a 2007 1.6 Focus that every time I drive on a motorway I think it's in 3rd gear, nearly 4k rpm, when it's in 5th and no one would say not to drive a 1.6 Focus on a motorway .

A Yaris with any engine isn't really designed for motorways but it's 4 hours every 2 or 4 weeks, the rest of the time it'll be fine for the OP.

kirving

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121962953#Comment_121962953

Yeah it's moreso the gearbox that's the annoyance in the Focus (parents had 3X Focus, and I had a 1.8 S40, all 5 speed)

I think the likes of a Clio would be a step up in terms of comfort on that commute all the same.

elperello

OP you are looking at 12 to 24 motorway trips per year.

The car might not be the best choice but it will be fine.

Buddy Bubs

I remember back in the late 2000s in my e39 530i driving Dublin to Galway at a very decent motorway speed (140kmph or so) and a young one in a Micra kept pace with me the whole way, I couldn't shake her off! Well I could have but the speeds would have needed to be licence losing

I remember thinking fair play to her for sitting at that speed for 2 hours in a Micra, engine must have been roaring.

So although not the ideal car, the vitz should do it ok

pawrick

Re the insurance issue, depends on the car etc. but I believe it was more an issue with the performance cars which used to be imported here yrs ago. My experience with a small jap import I got my partner for her to learn in last year was no insurance company/broker turned her down or cared when i brought it up other than one who refused to take a learner driver (she had a ncb as a named driver on my car which helped). I think I priced about 7 providers at the time. Not sure how comfortanble a 1L car would be on the motorway for a long trip but her 1.2L petrol was fine.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121963057#Comment_121963057

I think some insurer’s have problems with cars like Nissan March, Toyota Vitz, Mazda Demio, Honda Fit etc as thess cars were technically never sold here. But as you say in most cases its fine and there are literally thousands of these cars in Ireland at this stage

djan

Really depends on what car you're coming from, specifically your tolerance of noise and general stability of car at speed.

Myself, I'd go at least a size up in car and make sure to get something with 6 gears to keep the engine noise and wear low at high speeds in addition to the improved consumption.

Hungry Burger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121960621#Comment_121960621

Excuse my ignorance, but why is that?

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121963493#Comment_121963493

Well the thieves won’t know it has an immobiliser fitted until they try to steal it.

Hungry Burger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121963608#Comment_121963608

No I meant the bit you said about them wanting to steal JDM cars.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121963632#Comment_121963632

Because the cars mentioned above usually have no alarm or immobilisers so they are easy to steal. It’s just teenagers joyriding them for the night, its not like a professional operation or anything.