Toyota Qualis FS-B5 - 8 Years / 55,000 kms and still going strong.

[v12]

2000 Toyota Qualis FS-B5

Manufacturer : Toyota
Model : Qualis
Year : 2000
Variant : FS - B5
Price (as in September 2000) : Rs. 6,07,000 / (Thane Registration)
Kms Done : Around 55,000.

Deciding Factor
It was in the year 2000 that we decided to break our long tradition of buying second hand cars and using them for 2 years. Till 2000, we always owned 2nd hand cars (mostly Maruti's) and used them for almost 2 years and upgraded. The cars were mostly used for short drives within Bombay. Ocassionaly once in a year we used to drive down to Mangalore to visit my grandparents.

It was just before Toyota launched the Qualis that my dad realised that sedans were too small for our family (6-member family then) and we needed a bigger car. And this would be a brand new vehicle. Thats when we started looking out for a bigger car. We had already owned 2 Maruti Omni's (low and high roof) so the "van" was ruled out. Our only options were the Mahindra Armada, Bolero and the Voyager. My dad was very much in favour of the Voyager since it would be very comfortable although it was a box. When Toyota launched the Qualis, we had another car to chose from. Dad test drove the Bolero and the Qualis and was immediately blown by the quality and refinement of the Toyota. We visited Lakozy Toyota in Malad to inquire about the variant and prices. The variant which most suited our budget was the FS-B5 (only a/c, no PS and Power windows). Power windows was not a priority since it could be fitted later too. The Power Steering variant was 40k more expensive, but that wasnt required too since the non-PS isnt too heavy as the Sumo. So we were fine with the FS-B5 variant. Now came the most difficult part, choosing the color. There were only 3 shades offered on the FS model i.e White, Blue and Red... all non metallic. The blue and the red looked too cheap and did not have a good shine on it. The only option left was white which would look like an ambulance (if we put a red beacon on it).
We inquired about free accessories and were given only side graphics. And that too worth Rs 3000/-.

The car with the original sticker :


Since the Qualis looked too bland, we replaced it with a different one.


This is the sticker it now sports


The Car :
In our 8 years of owning this car, we have never experienced any problems whatsoever except for a few flats. The car has now run around 55,000 kms which include one trip to Mangalore
and numerous ones to Panvel/Lonavala. The rest of the driving has been within Mumbai suburbs.

Interior :
I have to say that Toyota's quality is way ahead of any Indian car manufacturer. If you look at the interior, you wouldnt say this belongs to an 8-year old car. The plastics still look new and havent faded till now. Theres not a single rattle in the dashboard and it still feels tight. However there is one defect in this particualar car which we noticed while taking delivery. The roof uplholstery has different layers stiched together. 2 of the layers above the rear seat were of a different shade (pinkish grey). We pointed out this defect to the Toyota guys who said they would replace it but we would have to wait for a month. So we decided against this and let it go.
Our Qualis being an FS model was a 10-seater and a true 10-seater. The car would seat 10 people in a 3+3+4 fashion, however only the middle row of passengers would be the most comfortable lot. The front seat being a bench seat would have the center passenger uncomfortable with the gear lever. The driver seat is good for medium height people, but for tall people its very uncomfortable. The reason being that the sliding was very restricted so your knees would touch the steering column while using the clutch.
After a few months we replaced the front bench seat with a bucket seat from a Honda Accord (older imported model). It was a direct fit and you wouldnt even notice a difference in the 2 seats.
All said, the Qualis is a very comfortable vehicle and I cannot imagine myself being comfortable in any sedan now. So much so that we had an option of replacing the Qualis with a NHC and a Lancer this year, but we decided against it.
Interior Modifications :
At the time of buying the car, we were shown a few music systems, alloys and side-trims, dashboard clocks etc. Since this was our first brand new car, we had planned to go for company / dealer fitment. But the dealer pricing was so high that we decided to have all accessories fitted from outside. The car now has a JVC Music System and VCD Player.
Lakozy quoted the below prices :
Digital clock on dashboard : Rs 9000 / - (Yes, Nine Thousand Rupees).
Alpine Cassette Player : Rs 12,000
Fenders : Rs 19,000
Fenders + Bull Bar + Fog Lamps : Rs 29,000

Exterior :
Theres nothing much to talk about the Qualis' exterior. Back then in 2000 it looked outdated and 8 years on it looks more outdated. The Qualis looks the best from dead-front. Look at it from the rear or front quarter and it looks like a vehicle from the 80's. Toyota should have atleast given it 15-in wheels and a better looking rear.

Engine and Transmission :
Do I need to mention anything about the Toyota engine? The 2.4 Diesel engine is a proven and reliable engine but its quite underpowered for a 10 seater. The pickup is good when you have around 4 passengers, but with 8 or 10 it becomes very sluggish.
The steering is very smooth and even though its not power assisted does not require much effort while turning. Its only during tight parkings when you have to actually go front and back do we realise we should have opted for the PS variant.

Mileage
Best : 14 kmpl on the way to Mangalore
Worst : 7 kmpl in city driving
Overall Mileage : 9-11 Kmpl

Conclusion
8 years on and we havent regretted even once owning the Qualis. There has never been a time where it has let us down, be it on the one the single trip to Mangalore or the various trips to Lonavala. The only vehicle that will replace the Qualis would be the Qualis replacement i.e. the Toyota Innova.

[anjan_c2007]

Nice honest review V-12. Shows that you really love the Qualis.

[m-hawk]

Even i own a 2001 jan qualis the top end version of it and scince 2001 many cars came into our big joint family and went away but inly the qualis yet remain s as it is it is one vehicle which has a huge verstality for instance it can be at home even in a 5 star s driveway (mint maintained as in my case } and equally at home in dharavi bylanes !!! Mine has done 1.35lac km s and yet going strong !!! regards SAAjan

[extreme_torque]

Toyota Qualis is as reliable as sun. 55k kms is nothing I have seen cars with more than 3 lakhs kilometers going strong. That 2.5 Litre Diesel engine is almost indestructible.

[GTO]

Great review, V12. The Qualis is an absolute workhorse, the used market prefers low-mileage Qualis' to the more modern Innova!
@ 55,000 kms in 8 years you really haven't driven her all that much have you?

[mansidea]

Good review V12. Qualis has changed the MUVs into family cars.

But less than 1000kms per month is as good as keeping her idle in her stable.

[esteem_lover]

Wow ! A virgin qualis. Most qualises i know have done 2 cycles on the odo. Great work V12.

[sajands]

i must say, that a good looking, well maintained qualis. Toyota Qualis does have an reliable and smooth engine. So, are you looking to replace the good old qualis with the innova soon????

[garychopper]

i second your opinion, 4 months back we replaced our qualis with innova, it was a 2000 model, and we did about 1,45,000 kms without issues, it still ran like new.