Toyota Aqua: Driving and Fuel Economy in Okinawa
A white Toyota Aqua by the sea in Chatan
Haisai! I’m CULT.
It’s already getting plenty of bookings from Japanese customers, but it may be a little unfamiliar to Koreans. Compared with the existing booking platforms, the system really is much more convenient, easier to use, and more accessible.
Toyota Aqua Summary
It may be small, but the trunk is much bigger than a kei car’s, and the hybrid uses less fuel.
Details
Getting the Car
I booked online and asked for delivery to my home.
Booking online is straightforward. Payment is 100% by credit card, and they deliver the car to your hotel in Naha.
I asked them to deliver it to my home.. and received the car right outside.
The Toyota Aqua Hybrid falls into the compact category, so even if you book this, you might get a Honda Fit or Honda Shuttle. Getting a Shuttle is the real jackpot, since it’s the biggest. But the price is the same. It’s 5,500 yen per day, and insurance (1,100 yen) and NOC insurance (1,100 yen) aren’t mandatory. If you’ve got nerves of steel, you can go without insurance, but an accident could leave you with a bill you can’t handle. Anyway, play it safe and take both, and it comes to 6,700 yen.
Inside the Car
Since I was paying for this rental myself, I took a few more casual photos of the front seats.
Here’s the Aqua’s front seating area. The previous photos were for the product page, so I kept them fairly consistent. This time I’m paying to rent it myself, so I’ve taken the photos a bit more casually.
The Aqua isn’t a particularly big car either. Still, the trunk is much bigger than a kei car’s.
I’d rent a compact like the Aqua, Fit, or Shuttle rather than a kei car. An extra 500 yen gets you much more trunk space.
Wow.. 35°C.. It’s a bit hot here.
Anyway.. it shows all the information you need. Since it’s a hybrid, you can check the battery status too. The fuel economy really is good.
A rear camera with guidelines is.. well.. pretty standard. The Aqua is definitely smaller than a Hyundai Avante (Elantra).. so if you drive something bigger than an Avante, parking shouldn’t be particularly difficult. Still, always be careful.. It’s always the people with 20 or 30 accident-free years who are more likely to have an accident.
Here’s what the gear selector looks like, and the parking brake is hand-operated.
There are 2 pedals. With a hand-operated parking brake, the only foot pedals are the brake and accelerator. Just like in Korea.
Three people can sit in the back. This car seats 5.
Trunk Space
If five of you are traveling, it’s best to agree on suitcase sizes first.
Unlike in the previous photos, I’ve removed the divider this time. That definitely freed up more space.
Well.. to give you an idea.. assuming five adults are traveling together, 7 of the 20-inch suitcases (the smallest size) will fit easily. If someone brings a 24-inch or 28-inch suitcase, things get tricky. Just looking at it, you can fit 5 carry-on suitcases upright, then put two on top to make 7. Getting two 28-inch suitcases in would be difficult, and with two 24-inch and two 20-inch suitcases, I don’t think you’d fit much else.
So.. if everyone brings a 20-inch carry-on suitcase from the start.. you can keep the trip good value.
A Drive Wherever I Feel Like
I headed out to sunny Chatan in the Aqua, a car I’ve driven plenty of times.
From here on, it’s just a review of the drive.
This is Chatan. The weather’s been so good lately. Just incredible. Every day’s weather is a work of art.
It’s the perfect time to travel. The forecast says rain.. but it rains for about 5 minutes and stops. Today we had about an hour of showers, then it cleared up again.
I guess I’ve driven the Aqua enough to know it pretty well by now.
For a start, it’s a hybrid, so the fuel economy is good. First things first.. I don’t like gas guzzlers.
Head to Okinawa now and you can see scenery like this too.
These photos are actually from yesterday.. The weather yesterday really did feel unreal.
That’s roughly what the Aqua looks like.
It’s bigger than a kei car and good for a family trip with up to 5 people. I’ll say it again.. if someone sabotages the plan by bringing a big suitcase, you’re in trouble. But if you book a compact and get a Shuttle, you’ve hit the jackpot. The Shuttle has a huge trunk. It’s longer than the Aqua. I can’t tell you which one you’ll end up getting.
The reason they send out different models.. is that if a car breaks down or has an accident, they have to send out another car. That’s why, they told me, it’s hard to guarantee a specific model.
Parking
I parked just one block over from home, and it cost about twice as much.
By the time I finished everything and got home that day, it was almost eight at night? Around then. I’d been running around in the blazing sun all day.. and was so tired.. I parked near home even though it was a bit expensive.
Usually that yellow mutt is a sign of cheap parking, but this place was a bit different. Parking in front of my home is 770 yen for 24 hours, but here.. ugh.. expensive.
I’ve got another photo shoot at American Village in the morning, so I need to head out. I’ve come to get the car.
Hmm.. about 12 hours of parking came to 1,500 yen. If I’d known, I’d have moved the car a little earlier.. There are quite a few catches to watch out for. Ask Gemini to check carefully. ChatGPT is so painfully slow that I don’t use it when I’m out.
Looking at the times, I parked for just over 12 hours. It would’ve been just 770 yen in front of my home.. but one block over, the price doubles.
I’m at American Village for a photo shoot in Okinawa.
It’s just after 9 in the morning.. and the moment it goes past 10, the parking lot fills up. This one’s free, by the way. Well.. most of the parking lots at American Village’s Depot Island are free anyway.
Refueling and Returning the Car
Time to fill the tank before returning it, and see how much fuel it used.
The Aqua’s fuel door release lever is down to the right of the driver’s seat. I have to tell people every time. And every time, even after I tell them, they still get confused..
By the way, at 99% of self-service gas stations in Okinawa, you can’t lock the nozzle trigger in place while refueling. Why 99%.. because I’ve been to exactly one self-service station with a trigger lock. It wasn’t a chain, just what looked like a shabby independent gas station. So I can’t say 100%..
I drove about 85 km in total. It took 5 liters to fill up, so what’s the fuel economy..?
Roughly about 17 km/L. Say you rent an Aqua for your whole Okinawa trip, 3 nights and 4 days, and visit the usual spots, you know? Busena, Kouri, Bisezaki, Churaumi, then a bit farther to Cape Hedo at the northern tip, and call it a day. Even then, your fuel bill should be around 3,000 yen at most.
But I drive with very little braking, so that may help my fuel economy. (I’m pretty particular about fuel economy.)
A full tank before returning a rental car goes without saying 😀
You can return the car to the designated office or to Akamine Station, the stop just before the airport.
You can also park at your hotel and leave the key at reception, and a staff member will come to collect the car.
I returned the car here and took the monorail home.
And.. there’s no need to worry. If you’ve rented a slightly bigger vehicle and have a spare seat, a staff member can drive you to the airport after you return it. It’s free. If all five seats in your 5-seater are taken, you’ll need to go to the office. There, you’ll switch to a bigger car for the ride to the airport.
If you’re returning the car on the last day of your trip, it’s easier to go straight to the office. Switch to a bigger car and get a ride to the airport. Nice and simple, right?
And that was the car returned and everything wrapped up. They do a quick inspection, check the fuel level, and so on.
Couldn’t you just do this at the airport? No, that’s illegal. Near the airport, they can only pick you up or take you there after you return the car. Worried all the rental cars will be booked? Umm.. I doubt they’d reach 100% utilization even if Okinawa hosted the Olympics. Renting out over 50% of the fleet means business is doing really well, you know? That’s.. nothing to worry about. There are plenty of cars.
- An Aqua isn't guaranteed; you might get a Fit or Shuttle. They told me it's hard to guarantee a specific model because they have to send out another car if one breaks down or has an accident.
- It seats 5, with room for three in the back. If five of you are traveling, it's best if everyone brings a 20-inch carry-on suitcase.
- The one I drove had a rear camera with guidelines. I also found the car definitely smaller than a Hyundai Avante (Elantra).
- It's a lever you pull by hand. The only foot pedals are the brake and accelerator, just like when driving in Korea.
- There's a fuel door release lever down to the right of the driver's seat. Even when I tell people every time, some still get confused.
- When I rented one, I could return it to the designated office or Akamine Station. There was also an option to park at your hotel and leave the key at reception for a staff member to collect the car.
