Already a proven mega-seller, the RunX 160RX, with its funky name and racy looks, has its sights set on this year’s Car of the Year title. Following on its successful Conquest/ Tazz range with a car as sound and tough as its forebears will certainly see Toyota keeping its sales-nose in front of the competition. The question, however, is not what you can do for the RunX, but rather what the RunX can do for you.
Whereas the muscular RSi in the RunX line-up is all about the engine and the entry 140R gives good value for money, the 160RX has to manage both, and it does so with a fiery Japanese spirit. It’s this spirit (spelt VVT-i) that sees lesser cars in its class getting smaller in the rear-view mirror.
The entire range is blessed with variable valve timing technology, which, in the case of the Car of the Year contender, means 81kW at 6 000rpm on the front rubber and 146Nm of torque in the seat. Although these stats seem a little drab, on the road the car has guts and should see you to its top-end 188kph in quite a few squeals.
Sourced from the Toyota Celica, the RunX chassis has firm sporty appeal around the hairiest corners while retaining enough comfort to deal with often sub-standard South African roads. Pushing moderately hard into bends does not faze the car and should easily see most drivers through the twists.
Give it extra juice and you may find the RunX oversteering in a tight one, but overall the conventional MacPherson struts and stabiliser bar in front deliver predictable performance, while a torsion bar and stabiliser set-up brings up the rear and in most cases keeps it there.
On the ground, suspension is aided by Bridgestone 195/60 15-inchers decorated with good-looking alloy rims as standard. (Thumbs up also to the full-size alloy spare.)
Being in harmony with the chassis, steering feels nicely direct and response is as precise as the clicky five-speed shift. What irritated my obsessive-compulsive nature though was the slight off-centre feel of the steering wheel and the lack of lateral support from the leather clad seats.
Large ventilated discs in front and solid discs at the rear, combined with ABS and EBD as standard, are an excellent mix and give the RunX respectable stopping power.
Although the RunX shares its front-end with the more sedate Corolla, overall styling is ambitious and a lot more European than previous generation Toyotas.
Some comments have likened the rear to the Audi A3 and overall structure cues from Honda’s Civic seem apparent. Regardless, the RunX gets sportier nose-detail than the Corolla and cuts a distinctive silhouette that will probably become a favourite among the young and restless.
The interior is straight from the Corolla and has retained its upmarket characteristics, second only to Volkswagen’s Golf in this class. While the vastly improved look and feel of the cabin is obvious I didn’t like the trip-computer/radio screen that looks old-fashioned. Then still there’s that off-centre feel of the wheel.
There’s plenty of storage: in the centre hang-down section of the fascia, between the seats, on the driver’s side to the right of the steering wheel and, albeit limited, door pockets. Seats are comfortable but lack some hug. Tall drivers may find that legroom is limited, while head and shoulders have ample room to move in thanks in part to the thoughtful addition of height adjustment for the pilot. Safety features include driver and passenger air bags and whiplash-reducing front seat and headrest design.
While dropping the rear seatbacks (60:40 split) will give you about 960dm3 of usable space, standard luggage area is just over 200dm3 and in my opinion a little sparse considering the roomy cabin interior.
Counting in its favour, the RunX boasts a comprehensive specification list: leather upholstery and silver fascia trim, air-conditioning, height-adjustable power-steering and power windows and mirrors. Also, having banished tape decks forever, Toyota has snubbed the market by adding a front-loading CD-player/radio to all RunX models except the 140R.
Judging by sales of the 160RX and lower models, South Africa has certainly bought into the RunX concept. In this year’s competition, Toyota will be looking to beat rivals Honda and Mazda, making it the third Toyota (Corolla) Car of the Year winner since the inception of the contest.