When Toyota Motor Philippines introduced Raize in early February 2022, the local motoring landscape was in a state of transition: Chinese-made subcompacts that were more affordable were proliferating; fuel prices were increasing, and; the pandemic, though still ongoing, was being generally addressed via numerous vaccines that were already available, thus the public’s confidence to go out and resume their normal lives was steadily increasing—but so was the traffic.
So, Raize came at just the right time to highlight its strengths: Fuel efficiency, ease of use, and a design that, in a way, ushers in the post-pandemic urban drive experience.
TMP says the Raize’s four variants offer fuel consumption ratings of up to 19 km/liter (combined city and highway). During the Raize launch last Feb. 4, TMP vice president for customer service operations Jeff Matsuo explained that the vehicle was subjected to the European Regulation 101 of the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations (UN/ECE), which includes an internationally recognized fuel efficiency test, among other measurements for carbon emissions.
I just recently took the 1.0 Turbo CVT variant out for a spin, and I do admit having a bit of fun driving it around, owing to its compactness. The engine was responsive, the steering felt light, and the ride comfort was spot-on for its class. Parking was also a breeze, even in tight spots. Too bad, though, that traffic was so horrible on the highways at that time, I only got the chance to do a fuel economy run in the city. Those runs yielded a fuel mileage of around 11 km/liter. Not bad at all.
Nico Bravante, TMP vice president for product planning, explained the reason for the smaller engine for the turbo variant, as opposed to the 1.2 liters of the naturally aspirated ones: “Breakthrough engineering has been applied to make the 1-liter engine feel and perform like a 1.5-liter engine. In terms of consumption, it may be equivalent to the consumption of a 1.3-liter engine. All our engines have been tested vigorously for the proper weight and power output combinations.”
To get an idea of how the Raize performs in long, highway drives, I got in touch with a couple of owners.
Drive like a family man
James Andrew Q. Imperial, 33, a college instructor and artist, owns a 2022 Raize 1.2 E CVT. He chose the Raize because of its fuel efficiency, size, functionality, and design. James has logged in just 3,200 km, as he still works from home and only drives out when he goes home to his province and when he delivers his paintings.
On such occasions, James shares that he regularly gets anywhere from 19 km to 23 km/liter on the highways, and 6 km to 13 km/liter in the cities.
“In order to save fuel, I plan my trip and avoid unnecessary idling. I also avoid speeding, takbong may pamilya lang (drive like a family man),” James quips.
On board his Raize, James and his family have been to places like Unisan Sands and Bukid Amara in Quezon province, and Pinto Art in Antipolo, Rizal province.
His Raize demonstrated its advantage in design and compactness during a trip to Mall of Asia in Pasay City. “It was my first time driving to MOA and I missed a turn and we got lost. The map pointed us to a small road (eskinita) in Pasay, the street vendors and pedicabs were crowded into that road, but our Raize was able to quite literally squeeze into that narrow road and go back to our original route,” James narrates.
James says he didn’t expect much from his Raize, considering its price. “But so far, the Raize has exceeded my expectations when it comes to driving experience and comfort. Its power can keep up with the others on the road even if it’s loaded.”
Aging well behind the wheel
Mechanical engineer Alde S. Calizo, 73, is proof that the Raize isn’t just for millennials and Gen Z-ers. Alde just bought for himself a silver metallic 1.2 G CVT variant.
Alde, a mechanical engineer by profession, a retired government employee who’s now a part-time instructor, discloses that his average fuel mileage with his Raize is 20.5 km/liter on the highways.
“Fuel nowadays is still expensive, so the Raize is such a big help for our mobility, comfort, and economy at our age. Driving the Raize with my wife is always a memorable and exciting adventure, allowing us to go out and visit new places,” Alde explains.
Alde’s thirst for new experiences drove him to buy the Raize after he saw its Philippine launch online. Its size also met his criteria. “Its compactness is just right for me, my wife, and our granddaughter.”
Good vibes
Though Alde has no complaints about his Raize, James has a couple of suggestions to further improve the ride-and-drive experience of future Raize owners. He says the car could use better horns and headlamps, and offer more flexible height adjustments for the driver’s seat for all variants.
James also notes the engine vibration. “I expected the vibration of the 3-cylinder engine, although it cannot be felt when the car is moving. The car would be perfect if it were in a more balanced engine like a 4-cylinder,” he says.
In response to James’ concern about engine vibration, Bravante says: “We made mechanical improvements on the engine to improve balance and also lessen the vibration.” Earlier, at the launch, he explained that it was “normal for a 3-cylinder engine to (exhibit) some vibration because of the unequal (weight distribution).
“So, the designers created this new engine that optimized the engine mounts, and to be compatible with the new platform to minimize the noise and address the vibration. Of course, there may still be (some vibration), but it’s already much improved compared to the original, thanks to the new engines and the new platform.”
