Axio’s Last Lap: Bidding adieu with Akif’s 2.10 lakh km Axio-Fielder

In Bangladesh, there isn't a second car that is nearly as popular as the Toyota Corolla. We have all seen a Corolla in our life, if not ridden one. While the Allion and Premio have dominated the mid-range sedan market for the last two decades, it was cars from the Corolla family that were the ideal choice as first cars for many small families as well as for corporate institutions.

In 2006, Toyota divided the Corolla series into two different lineups– one for the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) and another for the international market. With Bangladesh's automotive industry almost completely dominated by reconditioned cars, it was the JDM variants which ended up on the streets of Bangladesh.

These JDM variants, called the Corolla-Axio series, were smaller in dimension in comparison to the international models. These also retained the extremely reliable 1500cc 1NZ-FE engine of the previous ninth-generation series which was already popular in Bangladesh. The international Corollas on the other hand, had either received 1,400 cc, 1,800 cc or 2,000 cc engines.

Thus, with all the right ingredients in place, the new Axio was a perfect upgrade from the E120 and older models for new buyers. Currently, the Axio lineup is in its eleventh generation and Toyota has been continuously refreshing them over the years. However, one thing which remained constant ever since the E120 Corollas is the same 1NZ-FE engine. Variants of the newer models are also offered with a hybrid version of it.

The vehicle has been driven for 2.10 lakh km by now but this photo was taken earlier. PHOTO: Akif Hamid

In today's issue of Wheels, we have a 2010 post-facelift Toyota Axio Fielder, which has been the daily driver of Akif Hamid since 2016. The vehicle came with only 20,000 km on the odometer at the time of purchase. Since then, Akif's dad has been using this vehicle to commute to his Gazipur office from his residence in Uttara and back for a 45 km commuting trip almost everyday. On weekends, Akif sometimes takes it out for drives. And finally on holidays, it serves his family on drives to his hometown in Comilla, with cargo loaded till the ceiling while carrying at least four people on board.

For this Fielder, it won't be an exaggeration to say that the radiator has sucked in more exhaust gases of vehicles in front of it than it sucked in clean air required for efficient combustion. Yet, to this day, the vehicle is running on its original engine, which by now, has driven the car for 2.10 lakh km at this time of writing. This goes to show how reliable Toyota vehicles have proven to be and justifies its popularity amongst local buyers.

Internationally, a few Corolla models have managed to surpass the 10 lakh kilometre mark. However, given the quality of fuel, roads and air pollution in Bangladesh, many cars here meet their fate before they can be driven beyond the 2 lakh km mark. Those that do usually tend to be at their second or third engine at best. However, Akif mentioned two key points which helped to keep the original engine healthy and running to this day.

Firstly, unlike many Axios and Fielders of Bangladesh, Akif never converted the fuel system to either CNG or LPG. Secondly, the Fielder always received its oil and filter changes within the 1200 km to the 1500 km mark.

Despite crossing 2.10 lakh km on the odometer, Akif's Fielder still runs on its original engine — a testament to Toyota's legendary reliability.

However, within the nine years of ownership, the vehicle's continuously variable transmission (CVT) did give up once and he had to replace it with another reconditioned one. He also had to fully repaint the vehicle once. However, for the most part, all Akif had to do was refuel the car, do periodic maintenance and drive.

Ever since the first Axio series, two more generations of Corolla-Axio have been made. However, when launching the twelfth generation E210 Corollas in 2018, Toyota decided to standardise the lineup again across all markets. As of today, both the Corolla and the Corolla-Axio series are offered through Toyota dealerships in Japan.

However, like all good things come to an end, Toyota has announced that it will discontinue the production of Axio and Axio-Fielder (the wagon model of the Axio) in late October of this year. For Bangladesh, which is one of the largest importers of these vehicles as reconditioned units, this will turn out to be a major setback.

Currently, the price for one of these models starts at around Tk23 lakh for a base model. Car dealerships will still be able to import these vehicles till October 2030. However, with no new production, auction biddings will skyrocket over the years and this will eventually lead to increased pricing of these vehicles.

Given the challenges a regular commuter has to face on the road, the first priority of many Bangladeshi car buyers is the vehicle's reliability. If a vehicle is more reliable, it also retains its resale value better over the long run as well.

The 1NZ-FE engine proved to be extremely reliable in Bangladesh and is standard in many 1500cc Toyota cars. PHOTO: Akif Hamid

The Axio and Fielder series excels when it comes to this sector. Despite the continuous abuse these vehicles go through throughout their lifespan, most of these models remain on the road even to this day. And just like Akif's case, the experience of owning these vehicles is as simple as they can get. This is what made these vehicles special.

As Toyota soon bids adieu to the mighty Axio series, we will not see a new model for sale in Bangladesh after the end of this decade. However, for the amazingly successful journey it had in the Bangladeshi vehicle market, we pay homage to the series with Akif's robust Fielder.