Welly 1:43 Toyota Yaris, Renault Clio RS, and Volkswagen Santana




It's always nice to see diecast manufacturer's making everyday vehicles instead of the out-of-reach exotics like Ferrari's, Lamborghini's, or even high-dollar muscle cars, and these three are a great example: a simple hatchback, a hot hatchback, and a boxy 1980's sedan.










Toyota Yaris

The Yaris is one of Toyota's recent well-known subcompact car and it finally arrived in the U.S. in 2006.  Even if the Echo never looked like the Yaris sold across the world except the U.S. it had Yaris influences sharing the same chassis and powertrain.  Even the beginning of the Scion brand in 2003 had two vehicles that shared the same platform and engine with the Yaris: the xA and xB.  In 2006 the failed Echo was finally replaced with an updated Yaris line that included a three-door hatchback, four-door sedan, and a year later the five-door hatchback.  The engine is a 1.5L DOHC I-4 that produces 105 horsepower through a five speed manual transmission.  The styling is egg-shaped, recently replaced with a more edgier look, while the interior houses the gauges in the center as in the Echo and Scion duo (also replaced with a behind the steering wheel unit in the recent Yaris).  It might not be fast but it does have some good handling characteristics even if the electric power steering lacks any feel.












This dark blue 5-door looks nice, if a bit plain for a Welly hatchback.  The front has large headlights with signal lights stacked on top in one housing, a mesh grille with Toyota badge that floats above and indents the grille just below, and foglights in the front bumper.  From the side profile the 5-door looks a lot like the 3-door until you get close and see the extra rear doors.  Multi-spoke wheels look better than steel wheel covers and the tires have a bit too much tire tread showing as if this car was capable for the rough stuff (it is not).  The rear has large flowing taillights, a round rear hatch, and Yaris rear plate.  Interesting to note that the rear hatch is plastic instead of metal, highly unusual for a Welly model in this scale.  The underside shows off the detailed engine and exhaust system in its simplicity.  The interior has seating for four with rear seats occupied by the luggage box per ususal.  The dashboard has central gauges with a center stack that has the round HVAC controls mounted vertically instead of horizontally.  In the mist of empty space there is more cubby space in the dashboard including a second glove box above the main one on the front passenger side.  Also as most Welly Hyundai/Kia small cars have automatic transmission this commuter-basic Yaris has the 5-speed manual.










Renault Clio RS

For those looking for a bit more spice in their hatchback look no further than the Renault Clio RS.  Unfortunately this is the only car of the group that is not sold in the U.S. in some shape or form except for the engine.  The Clio has been Renault's successful hatchback that replaced the Renault 5 in 1990.  Even if it's basic transportation at its best Renault does offer high-performance versions under the Renault Sport name.  The name spans all high-peformance Renaults from the Clio to even the R.S. 01 track car.  The recent Clio was introduced in 2012 and only comes in a 5-door hatchback model.  Styling is more edgier compared to past predecessor's and looks even better in RS trim.  The RS model has revised front and rear bumpers, blacked-out 5-spoke wheels, and some revised interior trim with supportive front seats.  The engine is the Nissan-based 1.6L DOHC turbocharged I-4 that produces 197 horsepower borrowed from the Nissan Juke.  The only transmission is a six-speed dual clutch automated manual transmission on the RS, but this Welly casting uses the six-speed manual instead.












The colors offered on this car are stunning with this metallic red version very sleek and sporty at the same time.  The front has large headlights with blacked inner housings yet lacks the detailed U-shaped running lights so I had to add them to the lens.  The headlights connect to a slim grille that has the Renault diamond logo that is larger than the grille, while the lower bumper has a large grille area with running lights connected to a U-shaped chrome trim.  The sides show a 5-door with lots of smooth curves that bulge out with the D-pillar tucking in and the rear door handles concealed in the C-piller.  5-spoke blacked out wheels look good here as does the door-mounted mirrors and lower chrome trim.  The rear has a round rear hatch with rear spoiler over window, round taillights that end towards the center at a diagonal edge, and dual exhaust pipes in the lower diffuser.  The shape is very beautiful for a compact hatch and RS logo's are limted to the rear hatch and a small logo below the front Renault logo.  The interior has seating for five with the front seats offering vast bolstering like a hot hatch should.  The large 3-spoke steering wheel with red center stripe sits ahead of a gauge cluster that has the digital speedometer inside the analog tachometer.  The center stack has the touch screen mounted towards the top and the 6-speed manual shifter is clearly visible here.










Volkswagen Santana

Here's a car that you might have seen before even if you never heard the name Santana before.  Well that's because this car has been known in many names including Quantum, Passat, and even as an Audi model.  This was the car before the Passat, which was a front-wheel drive transverse model as the Santana was a front-wheel drive longitudional model.  The model has been very popular and sold among several countries with the name still used for a U.S. based Passat model in China most recently.  The boxy styling flows along the lines of Volkswagen passenger cars and even Audi cars in the 1980's with a familiar interior layout to Volkswagen owners.  The powertrain uses the similar Audi setup of a 1.8L SOHC I-4 that is mounted ahead of the front axle longitudionally and produces 94 horsepower through a 5-speed manual transmission.  The complicated engine setup and being too close to the Audi line made Volkswagen go for a more traditional front-wheel drive setup in the next Passat in the 1990's.







This dark red Santana looks good and makes it more of a premium model even if it is the low-cost Volkswagen version.  The front has that Audi look with flush composite headlights, horizontal slat grille with VW logo, and blacked-out front and rear bumpers with chrome trim added.  The ride height is rather high for a sedan and provokes body roll even if its narrow width does a good job in tight handling manuvers.  The skinny tires on silver multi-spoke wheels don't help either.  On the sides is a traditional boxy sedan profile with black and silver trim bits; note how long this car is for a mid-sizer of the 1980's!  The rear has horizontal tri-taillights and badging below them.  Simple design that is also efficient.  The base shows off lots of detail including the front-mounted engine and the exhaust system and my tester does not come with the pullback motor so the rear suspension and rear seat get spared here.  The interior has plenty of room for four people and their luggage in the trunk.  The front seats look very comfortable and high-end, the dashboard is very similar to the VW Golf with radio and HVAC controls mounted high in the dashboard next to the 4-spoke steering wheel, and of course the shifter on the floor for the 5-speed.  It may be a boxy sedan but considering the history between VW and Audi this Santana does prove some interest into the unknown of a basic sedan.





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