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| 2013 Toyota Porte |
Say hello to the all new, second generation, Toyota Porte (トヨタ ポルテ), a compact car with a sliding door that I never really liked. I'd never know that even in this second-generation, the Porte still retains the single sliding door at the left side of the car while on the right side comes two traditional doors. This unique door can be opened and closed using a wireless key or by the touch of a button from the driver or rear seats.
Also, the second-generation Porte introduced its new twin which is a bit more different by its looks but still the same as the second-generation Porte; the Spade (トヨタ スペイド).
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| 2013 Toyota Spade |
What is the difference between the Porte and the Spade? Well it's simple really. The new Porte is sold at Toyota and Toyopet dealerships while the Spade was sold at Corolla and Netz dealerships. The new Porte looks more like a oversized version of the Daihatsu Tanto while the Spade looks like a miniaturized version of the first-generation Toyota Voxy or a Toyota Sienta DICE. Both were made from the Higashi-Fuji Plant at Toyota Motor East Japan Inc.
If you're living from Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, or even Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, or in Pakistan (one of my perennial enemies because of their obsession to older generation cars), might be best that this car is NOT for you because these cars are available ONLY in Japan. ONLY AVAILABLE IN JAPAN. Don't even think about smuggling one for personal use. Okay?
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| 2013 Toyota Porte interior |
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| 2013 Toyota Spade interior |
Anyway, as for the interior, it seems to be a bit too small and a bit too plastic. Look at the instrumental panel, it's been positioned at the middle and how bad was it? It seems that the interior design for both of the new Porte and the Spade is a bit too poor, it's a bit like the...Toyota Passo for so many ways but to think about it, it has to be the worst looking interior for me because...it's a bit too targeted for the Japanese women in their 20's to 30's, which unfortunately I am not. I'm sorry to say that this new interior is a bit too pointless, just like someone I know who keeps spamming me on Facebook by sharing me some photos which are pointless.
Both the new Porte and the Spade comes with the highly versatile 1.3-liter 1NR-FE engine or an improved 1.5-liter 1NZ-FE engine, mated with the Super CVT-i (Continuously Variable Transmission-intelligent) automatic transmission for a smooth ride and high fuel efficiency. There was an optional SMART STOP system on the 1NZ-FE engine that shuts the engine off when stopped and the start again when the foot is on the pedal, promising about a fuel efficiency of 20.6 km/L under the JC08 test cycle (equivalent to 113 g/km of CO2 emissions) of the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). Those engines were qualified for Japan's ECO CAR GENZEI system in case you'd never heard of it.
The new Porte comes with eight colors such as White Pearl Crystal Shine, Silver Metallic, Black Mica, Super Red V, Dark Brown Mica Metallic, Cream Beige, Air Green Pearl Crystal Shine, and Light Blue Mica Metallic.
The Spade, on the other hand, has eight colors such as Citrus Mica Metallic, Dark Violet Mica Metallic, White Pearl Crystal Shine, Silver Metallic, Black Mica, Super Red V, Dark Brown Mica Metallic, and Light Blue Mica Metallic.
My comment:
As I warned you that if you were a JDM enthusiast living in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, or even Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, or in Pakistan, you CAN'T GET ONE because the cops will think that you've smuggled it. Anyway, to sum up them, neither of these two will impress me. The new Porte is all about simplicity and the Spade is all about style but for me, I wouldn't like to drive one because even when I'm driving either of these, it feels like I'm a passenger here. No offense on the unique sliding door on the left side though.
Photo: TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION