The City Car Revisited

Next up in our series of hatchbacks is this cute little supermini from Toyota, called the Passo Racy. The Passo is no rare sight in Dhaka, with it's 996 cc (1.0) liter engine, it sits at the rock bottom of Toyota's range in terms of price and has sold rather well for being one of the cheapest Toyotas in the market. The particular car we tested is one that my friend's dad came across while purchasing his son's first car, and has wanted one for himself ever since. I wouldn't blame him for it, as it turns out, this is the Passo “Racy” edition, in a very metallic shade of black. It is surprisingly good looking, quite desirable and costs peanuts to run.

The “Racy” badge comes with an upgraded set of body parts all around. The front and rear bumpers are lower and have a different shape altogether, slightly boxy with a larger lower grill opening, large rally-esque fog lamps up front and stylish reflectors, a neat spoiler and a fat round exhaust tip at the back. Wheels are genuine 14 inch Toyota alloys sitting on a healthy amount of rubber for great comfort. A keen eye will also notice that the front and rear lights are black-housed. The wheels sit at the very wide ends of the car for a good stance and better handling dynamics.  

Despite the blocky, city car looks, the Passo looks smart and modern.

Inside you'll find a regular Passo with a fancy RPM gauge sitting on top of the dashboard. Standard Passos don't come with an RPM gauge, hence the separation. All else is clearly the usual plastic in a layout as basic as it gets, a standard factory CD player, a working air conditioner and nothing trying to look like something it's not. The amount of space in this tiny little car really is astonishing. You'll be able to fit four and a half full sized adults comfortably, and still have space to keep a few bags between your legs.
The inline three-cylinder engine is no brute but provides excellent fuel economy. It is the same unit from the Vitz we drove two weeks back, except that this has a three speed automatic gearbox instead of the CVT. Throttle response is damp as expected of such a small engine, but peak torque is at the low end of the RPM range meaning, you can get on the power instantly for manoeuvring in traffic. Small engines do tend to be a little noisy and jittery; however, the overall ride is quite smooth and cushioned. It's a fun and easy car to drive around town, it'll go as fast as you'll ever need it to go, gets into tight spaces and has character all the while. You always know you're driving a compact, good looking car.

Interior has cheap plastics, but what else did you expect?

Similar to a lot of the cars we've previously driven, the Passo is manufactured by Daihatsu and sold under many names such as the Subaru Justy, Daihatsu Boon, Toyota Passo and Perodua MyVi, the Perodua being the best selling car of its kind in Malaysia. There is an entire culture dedicated to these great little hatchbacks all over Asia, where they're souped up, swapped for bigger engines or slammed as close to the ground as possible on wheels that are (literally!) more expensive than the car. Parts should be easy to find, be it for service or modifications. Swap a 1500cc engine with a manual transmission into it if you're in the mood to fly!
Should you be in the market for a Maruti Suzuki or a similar subcompact as your first car, what you really should be looking at is this. This particular Passo Racy is priced at 12.5 lacs and is available for sale at Car House Limited.

SPECS

2008 Toyota Passo “Racy”

Engine: 1.0 litre VVT-i 1KR-FE inline-3.
Transmission: 4-speed automatic.
Curb weight: 980 kg

Prices:
12.5 lakh at Car House Ltd.
Older, 2005-06 year secondhand models go for sale at around 7 lakhs.