The refreshed Aqua subcompact boasts an updated design that’s more in line with Toyota’s current offerings, but the interior and the tech make do with only minor improvements.
Compared to the original car introduced four years ago, the new Aqua has a Prius-style front end and revised bumpers at both ends. LED headlights are now included as standard, and going for one of the top trims gives them a connecting light strip.
The hatchback is now 4,080 mm (159.4 inches) long – 30 mm (1.2 inches) longer thanks to the new bumpers. It also has low-drag mirrors that make it 30 mm narrower. The tailgate stays the same, but a contrasting black finish makes the glass part look bigger than it is.
Little can be said about the interior. The digital dash screen is now seven inches large, and the base infotainment display now measures eight inches corner-to-corner instead of six. That said, the premium option stays unchanged at 10.5 inches. A button-activated electro-mechanical parking brake has been added alongside a single HDMI port, and Toyota says it expanded the ADAS package, but that’s about it.
Power is still provided by a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated three-cylinder engine making 91 PS (90 hp / 67 kW). An electric motor assists it with 80 PS (79 hp / 59 kW) of its own, conveying the momentum to the front axle via a CVT. Regardless of the trim, you can opt for an AWD system called E-Four, but all it does is add a 6-horsepower (3.7-kW) motor to the rear axle – useful for the initial launch and little else.
The old 4.3-Ah lithium-ion battery is no longer used, replaced with a superior 5.0-liter NMH pack. Toyota also points out an adaptive brake system that adjusts the brake application on a per-wheel basis in order to minimize nodding. According to the company, this system had previously only been used in luxury vehicles like the Alphard Business Van and the Century SUV.
You can already buy the new Aqua in Japan starting from ¥2.5 million (slightly over $17,000). All previous trim packages and accessories, including the Modellista body kit, remain fully available.
