Even though the dies used for the manufacture of our Qualis are second-hand imports from Toyota’s plant in Indonesia, the fact remains that this is a well-built vehicle.
If you need a vehicle that can easily accomodate upto 8 people (3 in the front, 3 in the middle and 2 at the rear) in good comfort, plus can accomodate their luggage without damaging it, and want to drive down to your farm-house which is say 100 kms away, and you don’t want to spend more than Rs.7 lakhs, the Qualis is an excellent choice. Looks notwithstanding.
Granted, the looks are dated. But apart from that, there is little to fault in this vehicle. It’s got air-conditioning (which really works), power-windows, power-steering and 4-way audio-system. It can tackle speed-breakers and pot-holes with easy, and has no problem travelling over over gravel and un-finished roads and dirt-tracks. Even though it does not have a 4-wheel drive, it can easily navigate dirt-tracks and climb steep gradients; even with a full-load.
The ride quality is smooth and silent (even though it runs on deisal), and mileage seems to be pretty good too (I’ll be able to give you an exact figure at a later date).
The only negative aspects are (a) it’s dated looks (b) it’s narrow wheels (yes, I wish it’s wheels could’ve been a bit wider) and (c) it unsuitability for spirited driving (in other words, it cannot behave like a sports vehicle, because it is not meant to be one).
If you’ve got children in the house, they’ll especially love the rear boot (which becomes their mini-home).