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Thankfully though, the efforts of Hikaru were not wasted. The Wish went on to be a hit in Japan, becoming a Top five seller in the country's 30 Bestseller's list and holding its place for several months after its launch. It left competitors like Honda's Stream and Mazda's Premacy and 5 waning.
In Singapore, the sales figures of the Wish reflected its success in Japan. Even though Borneo Motors didn't introduce the Toyota Wish until mid-2008, it didn't stop the Wish from becoming a top seller here. Parallel Importers enjoyed a boom year in 2006 when they sold a total of 6000 units. Outstripping sales figures of the Honda Stream and Mazda 5 (the Wish's nearest competitors) by a mile, even when combined.
The reason for the Wish's popularity lay in its versatile yet modern design package for a relatively low demand for your money. Its sharp, front fascia leading to sleek headlamps were a premise to a low sloping roofline which gave the MPV a low and wide stance that is vaguely reminiscent of a Celica.
The Interior had room for seven adults with lots of cubby holes and generous glove compartments for knick-knacks which is especially useful when you've got little kids around. The second and third row of seats folded out of the way to reveal gargantuan room for oversized cargo. With the engine available in 1.8 and 2.0-litre guises, the previous Wish seemed to be a complete package offering power, space and an enthusiastic drive.
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More than a box
For the latest iteration, the front fascia has been given a complete redraft by Toyota's design studio.
In the old Wish, a gentle sloping bumper-bonnet that blended seamlessly into the roofline gave the impression that it was sitting much closer to the ground than it really was. But due to the shorter bonnet on the new Wish, that ground hugging stance is now absent. Although shorter, the bonnet now sports two creases that are similar to those found on BMW's 2009 facelifted 3 series touring. It does give the car a slightly aggressive appearance that helps its sporty appeal.
The trapezoid headlight cluster has been traded in for horizontal lamps that wrap around the front quarter panels. Together with the new grille and additional louvers, they combine to give the Wish a seemingly wider stance.
Along the side, the B and C pillars on the Wish are blacked out to give a clean unbroken impression that stretches all the way to the rear factory tinted windows. In the rear, the taillights have also been tweaked and given the wrap around touch which enhances the MPV's sleek appeal. It was disappointing to learn that the rims fitted on our test car are not standard even though they compliment the Wish perfectly.
Interior
The Wish's driving position is as comfortable as you'd expect from the manufacturer of the Top five best selling cars in Japan. Most of the interior plastics are of acceptable quality considering the car's other plus points. Although the centre console could use some work. Apply a small amount of force and the thin plastic cover will bend to your will. I strongly believe that if Toyota could improve the interior further, they would leave the competition further behind in the MPV race. If only Toyota could see the wisdom in that decision.
Climate and aircon buttons are grouped together in a keypad like arrangement that facilitates accurate operation of the controls with oversized buttons. The flat bottomed steering wheel provided in the new Wish does give it a sporty appeal but I would trade it in for a multi-function steering wheel in a heartbeat. Windows are one touch automatic all around and most of us would appreciate the electric folding mirrors that comes as standard.
Little has changed in the seating department and the new Wish retains the 2-3-2 configuration which offers maximum seating capacity while still providing abundant trunk space with the third row of seats stowed.
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The Drive
Moving off, you immediately notice the feather light steering which parents making regular school runs in 'tighter than usual' parking lots will definitely appreciate. Thankfully though the steering does firm up as you increase speed to allow a better feel for the vehicle.
Cruising along the highway, you hardly notice the Super CVTi (Constantly Variable Transmission-intelligent) swopping cogs. Despite the smooth gear changes, the throttle response on the Wish is lively. The 1.8-litre 144 bhp version we tested proved to be more than adequate for most tasks. When we attempted an overtaking manoeuvre on the highway, the Wish's performance was unlike an MPV. Flooring the throttle at 80km/h, we instantly felt the car drop a gear and increase speed with hardly any hold up. Braking performance though could be improved as it requires too much pressure to assure adequate braking when slowing from cruising speeds.
Ride is comfortable on the highway as the Wish's suspension manages to iron out all but the most stubborn bumps. At lower speeds, the coil spring with struts and double wishbone with coil springs suspension set-up has to work a little harder to soak up the road's imperfections.
If there were ever a quandary that would make an insomniac out of me, the Eco button on the Wish's dashboard would be it. In most cars when the Eco button is depressed, it would alert you when you're driving economically. Oddly enough the Wish seems to be excluded from that reasoning because the 'ECO' light flashes on the instrument panel regardless of whether the Eco mode is on.
Although the car does come with manual gear selection, we're confident that most of its target consumers would rather leave it in auto than fuss about with switching gears themselves.
Conclusion
Alas, Toyota has delivered an all rounded MPV for the price offered. At $76,900, you get a comfortable seven seater with enough space to haul your entire family along with the family pet in relative comfort and safety (with a full compliment of curtain and side airbags).
It has to be said that the new Wish does lack some finesse in interior build quality, but that's a minor complaint taking into account its price and versatility. That said, the new Wish is indeed worthy of its predecessor's glory. I would be quite surprised if the new Wish fails to be a top selling MPV once again.
SgCarmart would like to thank Sino Motors for providing the Toyota Wish for this review.
