Trust Airinx-GT

My Ipsum went to its 2nd service 2 days ago.

I did asked my mechanic to pack the existing air-filter back to my Airinx-GT box.

Last night, I checked the box and found a surprise. The old air-filter is also Airinx-GT! Mutiara Motors must have replaced my original filter before first handing over because the filter still look like new!

Mutiara Motors did told me (before I took my Ipsum) that they have changed all replaceable parts to their in-house brand (i.e M7, Trust, G-Reddy). They were not joking.

I have kept the old filter aside for later use.

Parts for Second Service

I went to Mutiara Motors this morning. Their garage was busy, thus they cannot attend to my Ipsum. Thus I purchased M7 Semi-Synthetic Engine Oil, M7 Oil Filter and Trust Airinx-GT Air Filter for service to be done at my regular garage.

Tyres

It is now more expensive to travel than before the increase in petrol price.

Rumors are circulating that many prices are going up including tyres.

Last weekend I was told that the standard tyres for Perodua Viva have increased from RM150 per piece to RM210 per piece.

The standard tyres for Naza Ria have increased in price from RM2xx to RM3xx.

I contacted my tyre dealer - City Tyre (Michelin at Taman Pelangi, Johor Bahru), no price change for me because of the arrangement I made before this.

Unfortunately the Michelin MXV8 has been out of stock again.

I found out from Auto Express, UK (September 2006 review / test) that Yokohama C.Drive is actually not a bad tyre. Thus, I ordered the same for RM290 per piece, made in Philippine inclusive of balancing.

The tyres should arrive soon.

Mark X Zio

The new Ipsum I wrote earlier is not supposed to be the new Ipsum.

It is called Toyota Mark X Zio.

Reported by paultan.org and test drive by Nihon Car.

Avensis Verso, 2.4 Too!

I think, as a result of the many complaints about the lack of power on 2.0 Avensis Verso, Toyota Australia brought in 2.4 Avensis Verso.

Avensis Verso 2.0 1,000km Road Test

Found it here. Test was done in 2003.

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If you look at cars from a purely pragmatic perspective, people movers make a lot of sense. You get seating for six to eight in a package that's easy to drive, relatively economical and often packed with clever design ideas which maximise space, versatility and comfort. The Avensis Verso is Toyota's budget offering in the class.

Toyota Avensis GLX is the 2003 Australia's Best Cars winner in the Best People Mover category.

Toyota Avensis GLX was the 2002 Australia's Best Cars winner in the Best People Mover

category.

Value for money

Pricing

The Avensis is available in two specification levels: the $41,900 GLX and the $46,900 Ultima.

Warranty

Three years/100,000 km, which is average.

Standard features

Standard equipment in the GLX includes two front airbags, efficient airconditioning (with roof vents to seating rows two and three, plus a fan control behind the driver's seat), ABS brakes with emergency full power assist, a CD player, remote central locking and one-touch power windows with jam protection on all four doors.

The Ultima adds side and curtain airbags on the front seats, alloy wheels, roof rails, a cassette player, tinted windows and upgraded trim.

Retained value

Avensis is relatively new, so it has no resale history as yet.

Design and function

Ergonomics

You slide straight in to the high, plush, driver's seat. There's plenty of travel, the wheel is height adjustable and the seat itself is also height/tilt adjustable. The driving position is excellent for short and tall people alike.

Vision is clear around the car except for the thick base of the front pillar, which, when turning, slightly obscures the view between the steeply angled windscreen and the side windows.

The dash is clean, simple and efficient in its design, as is usually the case from Toyota. There's a surfeit of oddment storage bins, while the space between the two front seats is clear.

A blot on the copy book is the column shift automatic lever on the left. Tall drivers may find it difficult to select 2 or L because their knee is in the way. It's also possible to accidentally knock the transmission out of gear.

Innovation

The Avensis is quite conventional, though it has some clever interior design ideas such as the back seats which fold flat into the load floor.

Safety

The Avensis has not yet been independently crash tested, but features such as ABS brakes with emergency full power assist are welcome. Side and curtain airbags for the front seats are only provided on the top of the line Ultima, so those who can't afford this model miss out on proper side impact protection.

A lap-only belt is fitted to the middle of seating row two - a serious omission given that this seat in a people mover is frequently occupied.

Security

Remote central locking and an immobiliser are standard.

Comfort

All seats are comfortable, except the middle position in row two, which is adjacent to the split in the bench and quite hard.

The driver's seat is generously padded and comfortable on a long day's drive.

Space and practicality

The Avensis scores well here.

Toyota claims 18 configuration options for the Avensis' 2-3-2 seat layout.

The 60/40 split-fold row two seat is adjustable for travel, so you can tailor leg room to suit. Comfort is fine for the two outboard occupants, and the backrest angle can be adjusted.

However, as mentioned previously, the person in the middle gets a raw deal, with a hard, lumpy cushion adjacent to the split bench and a lap-only belt.

Several other people movers offer superior row two seating for three occupants.

Access to row three is very easy with a simple tilt/slide mechanism on both sides of the row two seat. Leg room depends upon where you have the row two seat positioned on its track, but it is possible to set row two so that all passengers have reasonable space.

The row three seats are quite comfortable (for back stalls), with firm padding, high, adjustable backrests and a covered bin/cup holder on both sides.

Both row three seats fold easily forward into the load floor when not required. The load area in this configuration is long and wide, and floor length can be adjusted by moving row two. A deep bin is provided under the floor for extra storage; the space saver spare is carried externally under the front of the cabin.

Both sides of the row two seat double fold forward without compromising front seat travel. This gives you nearly two metres of floor to play with.

Child restraint anchors are provided on the back of each row two and three seating position. A shopping bag hook is also fitted to the back of the driver's seat.

Build and finish quality

Excellent in all respects.

On the road

Fuel efficiency

Unladen, the relatively light Avensis returns good economy. Around town, the test Ultima used 12-13 litres/100 km, while on the highway it used 8-9 litres/100 km. Given the fact that the engine has to work hard when you have a load on board, these figures would probably increase significantly in these circumstances.

Performance

The Avensis uses a lightweight, all alloy 110 kW 2.0 litre four-cylinder engine with variable inlet valve timing, the same unit (with tuning modifications) found in the RAV4.

A four-speed automatic is the only transmission choice. A five-speed-manual GLX was available for a short time after launch, but is no longer offered.

Although the Avensis is fairly light, the 2.0 litre engine is too small and lacking in accessible torque for a wagon of this carrying capacity.

The 2.0 litre produces strong performance above 3500 rpm. However a full load exaggerates its lack of low down pulling power, and it has to be worked quite hard around the suburbs.

The deleted five-speed-manual transmission would be a happier match with the 2.0 litre than the four-speed auto, which has widely spaced ratios and frequently finds itself becalmed below 3000 rpm.

It then kicks back to the lower gears and revs the engine hard in search of power. This constant transmission hunting, especially in hilly country, is annoying.

Ride

The suspension can crash and thump occasionally on very rough surfaces, but generally the ride is compliant and comfortable.

Handling and steering

The Avensis is relatively short and manoeuvrable, which makes it very easy to drive around town and park. On the highway, its dynamics are at the better end of the people mover scale. It's quite taut and secure on rough roads, with precise steering.

Braking

This particular test car's front discs were warped, which caused the wheel to shake and resulted in a loss of braking performance and efficiency. NRMA tests, on an example with properly functioning brakes, found them to be good.

Smoothness and quietness

This is an area where the Avensis needs more work. Although it is quite refined when cruising, the engine is harsh and noisy at high revs. The test car's tyres generated significant noise on coarse bitumen, which caused some reverberation in the cabin, and the suspension occasionally transmitted excessive road shock.

Summary

Toyota's Avensis Verso has plenty of space, and offers you many options as to how it is used. Quality, equipment and Toyota's usual first class reliability and durability are other attractions. However the 2.0 litre/four-speed-automatic drivetrain is not entirely appropriate to the people mover application, while refinement and the suitability of the middle row to carry three people are not quite up to scratch.

Test by Bill McKinnon, March 2003.

More Than RM25

Another way of looking it, it is more than RM25 more expensive to go to Alor Gajah from Johor Bahru after the increase in fuel price.

5.8 Sen More Per KM

6 of us went to Parit Jawa and Alor Gajah yesterday. Our first long journey after the fuel price increase.

I drove as careful as possible with the aim of maximising kilometre per litre. Idling was unavoidable as kids were sleeping, disturbing them would be unwise.

506.8 km and more than 1/2 hour of idling, RM115.99 was pumped this morning. That's 22.8 sen per kilometre.

Usually on normal drive (not so fuel efficient kind of way) the reading was 17 sen.

Azrin's 240s

These are the photos of Encik Azrin's Ipsum 240s. He got it from a dealer in Bangsar for RM120k on the road. The front grille is dissimilar from mine. It seems that the 3-spoke leather steering looks nice too!

Query (continued)

Zam has agreed for me to post our correspondences here. His first and second replies -

Hi, many thanks for your reply. I'm from KL but my hometown is at Tangkak, Johor.

I have found one at Bangsar, 2003 (not facelifted) quoted at RM 126k, and i asked for RM120,000 and still negotiating.

I wish to ask your opinion that is it worth it if I get the Ipsum around RM120k-123k for the version (photos and spec attached)? I might commit in this 2 days.

For the Estima, we did consider it since the price is also around RM13oK plus, but I worry that the car is under power since it is using the same 2.4L engine, and I assume that Ipsum will give more kick compared to estima :-) (I am currently driving Perdana V6, 2002). I think for the size, i prefer Ipsum.

The photos and spec given by the importer:- (No front and rear cameras)

YEAR 2003 / 1 SUNROOF / 1 MOONROOF / ALLOY RIMS / NAVIGATOR / CD-MD PLAYER / FRONT & REAR SENSOR / BODY KIT / BEIGE INTERIOR / HALFWOOD STEERING / WOOD PANEL FINISHING / 6 AIRBAGS / ELECTRIC SEATS

I did went to Naza, Jalan Raja Muda, Kuala Lumpur. They have many units of Ipsum, all BRAND NEW 2004 Ipsum 2.4L, price quoted around RM150k, but found that all are without accessories, not even CD player :-(

I think they are selling at lower than their cost (like u said RM24x,xxx).

And Toyota Wish is selling at RM120k(without body kits) and RM125k(with body kits).

But one good thing is Naza provides 1 year warranty :-)

My reply -

Oh, you're Johorean too! We have more in common, I'm still driving my 2004 Perdana V6 (no modification) on daily basis. The Ipsum is used by my wife. Power wise, I think the Ipsum will win any time. Considering the load you carry is the same, the Ipsum is slightly more economical on the highway and more comfortable than the Perdana V6. What more if your Ipsum is 15" alloys compared to my 16".

For your information, Wish 1.8 (2004) with bodykit at Mutiara Motors is around RM115k (not OTR), with 1 month warranty.

I assume you have viewed the car you mentioned and the price you referred to (i.e RM120k - RM123k) is inclusive of road tax and insurance (according to http://www.paultan.org, the Ipsum should get RM200 discount from our road tax).

There are few variances of Ipsum 240 series in Japan. Since you mentioned that the car came with half wooden steering, it is probably the top of the range '240u G Selection' as it is the only model that came with half wood. You can see the differences here -

http://www.japanvehicles.com/newcars/toyota/Ipsum/main.htm

First, I think you may not want to get the full-top-of-the-range of the Ipsum - 240u G Selection 4x4. With the latest on fuel price announced this evening, just ensure that it is the 2 wheel drive version.

Secondly, I think you will have to determine that the one showed to you is 240u G Selection. From the colour and interior matching schedule, we know that for the one with Beige interior, the only exterior colour available should be White Pearl Mica. It should be Pearl Mica paint and not Solid paint. I think, if the exterior colour is not Pearl Mica, something is not right.

The alloy supplied should be 15" with 205/65/15 tyres. See the kilometres done on the car, compare if it matches the wear on the tyres. On my car, the previous owner changed to a better quality tyres (2006 made), so no way for me to determine this. I just assume that the previous owner wanted the best for his ride, and really took care of the car (there were exterior paint protectors on the inside of the door handles / opener).

Compare the chrome dressing on the car with this http://www.japanvehicles.com/newcars/toyota/Ipsum/240ug.JPG .

Do not forget that the G Selection should come with adjustable absorbers and Xenon Headlamp. So, check it out.

I think RM120k - RM123k OTR should be a bargain for this Ipsum 240u G Selection since it is the top of the range one (you'll get electric seat / pearl mica colour / glass roofs / 6 Airbags) PROVIDED THAT it should come with at least 1 month warranty for all mechanical parts - gearbox, all absorbers (the electronically adjustable absorbers cost more than RM1k) including engine mountings, new v-belts, new lubricants for everything which need it, and the price should include complete re-sprayed of the exterior (I got it) AND replacement of those privacy glass to one which complies with our current law.

On my personal preference, I don't like the after market skirting installed on the Ipsum. It may be a sign that the previous owner likes to mod the car / does not care about the originality of the car.

Another thing, beige interior is hard to maintain. I once viewed a used and registered 2001 Ipsum with Beige interior - the condition once it is dirtied is - you will prefer not to seat there. But, this is my preference. You may view it otherwise.

Is this Ipsum 6 or 7 seater?

Good luck! Hope this humble opinion from a motoring enthusiast helps!

Zam replied -

Hi,

Yes, the sale representative did said that it is Ipsum 240 "UG" which I am not so familiar with, but he said that it isthe "top spec".

I think I must ask him these questions before decide -

1) Color : Pearl White or Solid white?

2) The steering is half wood?

3) 2WD or 4WD? (most important at the moment)

4) 6 or 7 seater?

5) Is the price OTR and doest it come with Re-spray? (I don't think it is included)

Tomorrow my PV6,2002 will be valued for trade-in.

Oh, I must mention that I haven't seen the car yet :-{ still at East Malaysia (Sabah/Salawak). Sales representative said that the car will only be shipped-in after I paid downpayment (strange?). I have not experience this before.

Looked like you got a better deal in JB. I am confused.

Yes, one very important thing to ask, your Ipsum's fuel consumption compared to Perdana V6. This might be the key for me to change my decision to own Ipsum (ideal car for me at the moment) after the announcement by our PM. (My Perdana V6 gives me around 450-550 km/RM110, recently down to 4++km only).

My reply -

I think imported Ipsums are readily available in Kuala Lumpur for your viewing. Unless you really trust this sales representative, I see no reason why you should commit.

I think Encik Azrin that I mentioned earlier got a better deal at Bangsar, RM120k OTR for 2003 240s. I paid RM127k in January for 2003 240i Type S (lower spec).

Fuel consumption comparison - in town, my Perdana V6 is more economical. At highway, Ipsum is more economical (same weight being carried). 2 days ago I pumped RM87-xx for 4xx km (town) into my Perdana V6.

Another thing, the interest rate which I got is 2.3% per annum. You should be able too!

Good luck Zam! And thank you for letting me to post these here.

Query

Here, Zam left me this message -

Hi, im interested on the Ipsum 2.4, but require some help to source, hopefully you can help. Thanks.

I replied -

Hello Zam,

You left a message at my blog - http://ipsum240.blogspot.com

Where are you? I am in JB. Don't know whether I'm able of any assistance. If you are around here, just give Mutiara Motors a visit. I suggest that you purchase from them. I have a friend who wants to upgrade from his Ipsum 240 (don't know which version). Tell me if you are interested, I'll give the contact particulars.

Last week, I was contacted by one Encik Azrin who purchased a 2003 Ipsum 240s (not facelifted) at Bangsar for RM120k OTR. His friend purchased a 2003 240s (facelifted) for RM130k OTR.

2 weeks ago I went to Naza World at Taman Tun Dr Ismail. They have a silver 240s 2005. Not sure about the price because the displayed price was RM24x,xxx. They should give some discount.

I was told that there are few dealers near Sunway (near Kontena Nasional - the route from LDP to Taman Dato' Haron). Try to visit there.

Have you considered Estima?

I have had replies from Zam, waiting for his approval for me to post them here.

17" Alloys?

17" Alloys? With this being announced?

Considering 15" instead.