CNX

Nowadays most cars don't need an elaborate break in and the factory oil is good enough for at least 5k km. The 1k service is usually just an inspection to see everything is working fine and to reassure customers. As for the oil, anything mentioned in the manual should be okay. Synthetic oils are usually better.

Better get a trusted friend with some experience in vehicles, preferably a vitz with a similar gearbox (I assume CVT) to drive it and see whether it really has a problem. If the car has been properly maintained with timely CVT oil changes, it is unlikely to cause problems at 80k km assuming the milage is genuine. The other option is to take the car to the agents to have a look. Your local 'makabass' may take you for a ride if he gets to know you have no clue so better avoid them.

If you are driving in Colombo during rush hour, you cannot do justice to the car by measuring fuel efficiency in kmpl. May be hours per litre?

Make sure you use distilled water rather than deionised water which we find commonly as battery water.

It's standard practice in many other countries for budget motor insurance. They call it black box policy. They track when, where and how long you drive, where you park the car, sticking to speed limits, excessive acceleration and braking and give you points. If you are a careful driver, not doing late night driving or regular long distance driving and park in a safe place at night, you can get cheaper rates.

Yes it works and is safe. Also works for bird droppings.

Yes. The tires with more tread depth should be at the rear. This is because if the rear tires loose grip before the front tires, the car will spin out of control. If the front looses grip, the driver will feel it early and can make a correction to remain in control of the vehicle. Sadly in Sri Lanka many people and tire shops believe it's the other way round!

The difference of 2.1 million is the price they pay for a permit in the black market.

With a 1.2 you get the full value for your permit as the tax is 3.85 million and the permit is only 3.6 million. If you go for a 1.5 gasoline Axio the tax will be very high and not worth it. There was a 1.3 gasoline Axio but it is not as good to drive, not that economical and probably has a lower 2nd hand market.

For a budget of 5 million assuming you have the 3.6 million permit, you can go for a zero milage 1.2 T CHR or the 1.2T corolla manual transmission. The 1.2 gives the best value for the permit as the tax comes to around 3.85 million so you end up paying only 250000 as taxes out of pocket. The other options are hybrids such as Vessel , Axio hybrid.

Toyota is the automotive equivalent of a Bosch fridge. Cold, uninspiring and guaranteed never to go wrong (if maintained properly). Most owners probably are just as cold and uninspiring and there is nothing much to discuss as things hardly go wrong.

Why not consider a Toyota Rush/Daihatsu Terios? You will be able to find a newer car than the RAV 4, which will be more reliable and durable with better resale value hopefully than the MG.

And better visibility for the back seat passengers. If you are under 5ft 6inches the only things that you can see from the CHR rear windows are the sky, treetops and rooftops!

50mm longer than the Vitz

150mm longer than the previous generation Rocky in the picture

It's 55mm longer than the Yaris and 365mm shorter than the CHR

If you drive like a granny it will give excellent gas mileage. However, any attempts of spirited driving will sink the fuel efficiency below that of a 1.5 sedan driven in a similar fashion.

It has a ground clearance of 185mm, up to 4 usb ports, 360 camera etc. Probably more practical than a CHR with better visibility and similar boot space. The interior is not as upmarket as a CHR though and probably will not be as good to drive. Will be a good alternative for anyone considering a Suzuki Vitara or a Toyota CHR.

New Toyota Raize, 1.0 Turbo 3 pot, compact SUV for under 2 million yen. Likely to be hugely popular in Sri Lanka.

Could be a blessing in disguise

It may be the end of an era for Sri Lankan motoring. Unless they offer a 1.2 CVT later or the present tax structure changes, the new version of the corolla which dominated the Sri Lankan market for over 30 years will end up being more expensive than a BMW 3 series, mercedes C class or an Audi A4!

AWD definitely better but will have a lower 2nd hand market and slightly reduced fuel efficiency.

Depends on the conditions the vehicle is used in. In Sri Lanka most agents recommend a 5000km or 6 months interval which is fair enough given the traffic, dust, hot and humid conditions. If you do a lot of long outstation runs you may be able to stretch that a bit. In Europe, it is common to have service intervals in excess of 10000 miles. However the traffic and environmental conditions there are totally different and even after 10000 miles the air filter for example looks brand-new accumulating less dust than running 5000km in Sri Lanka.

I can't see any benefits of engine breaking. Besides being costly to repair, it can potentially kill you when traveling downhill or on slopes due to loss of steering & brake power and will be a real hassle if happens in heavy traffic.