The Toyota Fielder is easy to maintain

Benard Mugume

I have had my Toyota Corolla for two years and one of the features I like about it is the fact that fuelling it, maintenance and service are all affordable.

For example, before the rise in fuel prices, I used to refuel with as low as Shs10,000 and this fuel would take me from my home in Naguru, Kampala, to Kampala City Centre (a distance of five kilometres) and back home. My particular model runs on a 1500cc automatic transmission petrol engine and it is the smallest engine consumption car I have driven in the 12 years I have been driving.

With such an engine size, when I fill the tank, I am able to cover a distance of between nine to 12km per litre of fuel in Kampala suburbs because of slow moving and unpredictable traffic, and will cover approximately 15km per litre of fuel on the highway, depending on how I accelerate.

I visit the garage after covering 5,000km as prescribed on the service manual. Fortunately, I sometimes cover this mileage and when I take the car to the garage, the mechanic finds no major repairs to carry out.

The minor repairs I carry out include an engine oil and air cleaner replacement, oil and fuel filter replacement and a few others such as replacing the handbrakes, if necessary.

This all costs Shs140,000. However, for major service, which includes automatic transmission fluid replacement and spark plugs and timing belt replacement, the cost rises slightly to Shs220,000.

Ibrahim Kajjoba

When I had just bought the Toyota Fielder in November 2019, it had a somewhat low ground clearance. To make it comfortable to drive on marrum roads, I changed the high profile rims it came with and used high profile tyres and smaller profile rims. It did not only increase its ground clearance to keep the underneath parts from rubbing against the road surface, but it also improved its driving comfort on roads with potholes.

Big profile tyres are able to manoeuvre through potholes and gullies with ease without getting stuck on the road and they have no effect on car rims as long as they have the recommended tyre pressure. Mine runs on a 1800cc petrol engine that is more powerful compared to one that runs on 1500cc engine. On rainy days, its all-wheel drive systems pushes the car through the slippery road and it is where the powerful engine comes in handy.

It also has ample legroom for the driver and co-driver that makes it comfortable to drive over long distances. The legroom for passengers at the rear seats is not as spacious but it is equally comfortable.

Morris Nsamba

One of the features I like about the Toyota Fielder is its interior space. Although it is a five-seater, it can comfortably sit six passengers. If you prefer to use it for commercial purposes, the rear seats can recline or adjust to create space for more luggage on top of the already existing big trunk space.  

It is one of the cars I have driven that offers reliability in terms of fuel consumption and performance on the road. With fuel worth Shs180,000, I can drive from Kampala to Masaka District (a distance of 134 kilometres) and make a return journey if there is no traffic jam. The only downside I find with it is that it is a light car and this makes it uncomfortable to drive at high speeds.

When it comes to service, it shares spare parts with most Toyota brands on the local market. Most of the basic parts such as brake pads and air cleaners are readily available and are affordable. I service the car once in four months and it costs me Shs150,000. There are minor repairs such as dents and flat tyres that do not have to wait until you have covered the recommended 5,000km.

Basic Specifications

Engine Capacity: 1496cc

Engine Layout: Straight

Cylinders: 4

Valves: 16

Bore/Stroke: 75.0 X 84.7mm

Compression: 3.4:1

Fuel Type: Petrol