Head to Head

In this week's Head-to-Head, it's a battle between two of the most talked about and sought-out subcompact sedans in the market. One of them has been in the industry for a longer time than the other one, which is its manufacturer's first ever entry in the segment. I'm talking about the Toyota Vios and the Chevrolet Sail. In today's episode, we'll see what they have. Watch this.

Let's first check the oily bits of our competing vehicles.

The Vios runs on a 1.3-liter four-cylinder dual VVT-i gasoline engine that produces 98 horsepower and 123 Nm of torque, and is coupled with a Continuously Variable Transmission. Meanwhile, the Sail is powered by a 1.5-liter DOHC 16-valve inline-4 that is capable of putting out 109 horsepower and 141 Nm of torque. Sail's engine comes with lower figures compared to the Vios, but both of them are fuel-efficient.

The suspension setup for the Vios uses MacPherson with Coil Spring at the front and Torsion Axle Beam with Coil Spring at the rear. For the Sail, it uses MacPherson Struts at the front and Torsion Beam Axle at the rear, just like with the Vios.

Let's proceed to the exterior and interior designs of the Vios and the Sail.

With just one look, one can easily tell that the design of the Vios is sharp and bold. It's highlighted by the four-beam halogen headlights in place of LEDs, bulb-type taillights, fender-integrated turn signals, body-colored door handles, and 15-inch alloy wheels.

On the other hand, the Sail likewise showcases a sharp exterior. It comes with Chevrolet's dual-port grille, sports sweptback headlights, a sculpted hood, and front fog lamps, and a 16-inch alloy wheels. The Vios and the Sail almost look the same, as if they came from the same manufacturer. The only difference is the body size. The Vios is longer than the Sail, but the Sail is wider than the Vios.

Now, the modern feel of the exterior design of the Vios is continued onto the interiors. Our variant here gets fabric-upholstered seats, and it is among the few trims that get the leather-wrapped steering wheel, push-button engine start/stop, speed sensing door locks, and automatic climate control.

When it comes to entertainment, the E CVT variant is equipped with a 7-inch touch screen head unit with Weblink, AUX, and MP3 connectivity. Audio is courtesy of 4 speakers.

Meanwhile, for the Sail, the driver can enjoy fresh air when driving, thanks to the sunroof, which is only available in this variant. Inside, the Sail comes with a more plain-looking cabin than the Vios. The steering wheel looks plain as well, although it doesn't fall short of the needed buttons like the auxiliary audio controls.

For the infotainment system, the Sail comes with a larger touchscreen than the Vios, a 9-inch color display with phone mirroring natural voice recognition with Bluetooth, AUX, and MP3 connectivity. Speaking of audio, sound is enjoyable in this one as well as it also comes with 4 speakers.

Talking about safety and security, the Vios comes with Toyota's standard features, including multiple airbags, Stability Control, Hill Start Assist, and Anti-Lock Brake System with Electronic Brake Force Distribution, Brake Assist, and 6 airbags. For the Sail, it comes with lesser features, namely the Anti-Lock Brake System with Electronic Brake Force Distribution, Hill Descent Control, and 2 airbags. Nevertheless, the Sail is safe to drive on the road.

Those were Toyota Vios and Chevrolet Sail, two subcompact sedans that almost look like twins, but have proven to be different from each other in so many ways. Our featured vehicles here on Head-to-Head.