2020 Toyota Starlet lands in South Africa
Announced in early September 2020, Toyota has already made the new Starlet hatchback available in South Africa. With three trim grades and 5 model options, the Starlet has become the immediate replacer for the Etios which stopped production in March 2020. The trim options are named Xi, Xs and Xr.
The Starlet is the first car to come to South Africa from the Toyota Suzuki collaboration. This follows cars like the Suzuki Across that was also apart of the collaboration but has not been launched locally.
The Toyota Starlet follows the Suzuki Belano.
Toyota and Suzuki didn’t make anything new when producing the Starlet as it is essentially a rebadged Suzuki Belano. Both style and heart all come from the Belano with the only major changes coming to the grille and 15-inch wheel design. The mid-range Xs model receives larger 16-inch alloy wheels while the range-topping Xr will get LED headlights with Daytime running lights, roof spoiler and chrome details.
As on the outside, so on the inside.
Toyota’s Starlet keeps the Belano’s interior almost to the tee. As standard, the Xi model will receive air conditioning, Bluetooth and USB connectivity. At the top of the range, the Xr will receive the more modern tech. This includes smart entry with push-start button, colour digital driver’s display and a touchscreen infotainment system. It comes with Apple CarPlay and Andriod Auto compatibility. Parking sensors and reversing camera comes equipped too with a nicer leather-wrapped steering wheel.
No new engine but that’s not a bad thing.
The Starlet comes with a 1.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine as the Belano. Mated to either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission, it’s good for 68 kW and 130 Nm. There is a decent fuel efficiency fo 5.1 lL to 5.4 L/100km depending on the transmission option.
There are a number of safety features that the Starlet comes with as standard. These include ABS with EBD, brake assist, vehicle stability control and 2 airbags. The Xr model goes a step further and receives cruise control and 6 airbags. Models with an automatic transmission will also receive hill-assist control.
South African Prices for the 2020 Toyota Starlet.
The Toyota Starlet is sold with a three-year/100,000 km warranty and a three-year/45,000 km service plan.
- Starlet 1.4 Xi – R204,900
- Starlet 1.4 Xs – R215,200
- Starlet 1.4 Xs AT – R235,700
- Starlet 1.4 Xr – R258,500
- Starlet 1.4 Xr AT – R272,500
Source & images: Cars | Car Magazine | Toyota
