Toyota YARIS MMT
If You Want A Small Runabout With All The Advantages Of An Automatic But The Practical Virtues Of Manual Transmission, Toyotas Yaris MMT system Could Suit. Jonathan Crouch Checks It Out
If you live in town, then you probably want a small car. And if you want a small car, then its probably worth your while considering Toyotas Yaris, arguably the current class-leading supermini. Another item on your wish list might well be automatic transmission or at least it would if you could afford both the option price and the cost of the increased fuel consumption.
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You may also have considered the likely dent on performance. Saddling a car as small as this with an automatic gearbox is usually a recipe for snail-like progress which can be more than annoying when youre trying to nip through the traffic. Aware of all these things,
Toyota have chosen not only to give the Yaris a conventional automatic gearbox but also to offer the option of what their engineers call Multi-mode Manual Transmission or MMT for short. This is the sort of system weve seen dabbled with before by manufacturers as diverse as
Renault and
Saab.
These two have deleted their versions from current production, stating lack of demand as the reason. Mercedes in contrast seem to disagree, offering a similar set-up both on A and C-class models. Basically, what were talking about here is a clutchless manual gearbox, rather than a full auto, so although you still change gear yourself with the normal gearstick in the normal way, youve no need for a clutch.
"Toyota says that MMT will have a particular appeal for the elderly and disabled and its not difficult to see why..."
Toyota says that MMT will have a particular appeal for the elderly and disabled and its not difficult to see why. Its available only with the smallest 1.0-litre engine with the entry level being the 3-door only 1.0-litre T2 priced at £7,795.
If you want something plusher then youll need to step up to the T3 model (from £9,095) or further still to the T-Spirit (From £10,595) - both of these are available in three or five-door bodystyles. Toyotas conventional automatic gearbox, which costs £800 extra, is offered on the three and five-door T-Spirit models. On paper at least, the Yaris is a car that achieves the best of both worlds. With a bodyshell 150mm shorter than a typical Fiesta-type Supermini, its hardly any larger than a tiny city runabout.
Yet inside, Toyota have created a packaging revelation. Thanks to a sliding rear bench
seat, theres more head and legroom front and rear than in any Supermini rival. Its almost like being in a
Ford Focus or
Vauxhall Astra-sized family hatchback. Look elsewhere and the big car/ little car comparisons continue.
Affordable pricing suggests a Citycar. Yet the option of five doors and impressive equipment levels smack of something much larger. Initially, only a single 67bhp 1.0-litre engine was on offer (the unit used with the MMT) but customers wanting that conventional automatic can, as weve said, order an 85bhp 1.
3-litre version of the same unit. Both are willing powerplants, with even the 1.0-litre quite good enough to keep up with any well-driven Fiesta, Corsa, Clio or
Peugeot 206. Toyota have worked a special kind of magic on the Yaris, making it small on the outside yet uncannily large on the inside.
Life with the little Toyota should continue to echo this contradictory mix of virtues. The Yaris is as at home on a shopping spree to Harvey Nicks as it is in the carpark of your local Tesco. A sloping bonnet line, mesh grille and bulbous teardrop headlights give this little Toyota an appealing and friendly face: in terms of charisma, the Yaris is in a class of its own. The short, stubby body is deceptively wide, giving front seat passengers far more room than theyd expect from such a small car. It also gives the Yaris a squat, foursquare stance quite unlike some of the more toytown city cars. ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution is standard.
If you need more space, theres also the option of that clever Yaris Verso model, based on the standard car but with an extended platform and 1.3-litre power. Here's a car not much longer than a Fiesta yet with more interior space than MPVs from the next class up like Renault's Scenic. Fold all the seats down and there's more luggage space than a Mercedes E-class. Keep them up and you've just about room for a family of five - for a lot less than the cheapest Astra or Focus. Whichever Yaris you choose, from the moment you sit in the drivers seat, its obvious this is no ordinary little car. There is no traditional dashboard; in fact youre left wondering where all the instruments are until you turn on the ignition. Then youll notice the central binnacle which houses an F1-style digital LED display something thats seldom seen on road cars, and certainly never previously seen on an affordable little hatchback like this.
It is angled towards the driver for better visibility and shows speed and revs in numbers. All models have a trip computer that provides information on fuel consumption, average speed and range or external temperature. This is not really a car intended to satisfy the keen driver. While handling is safe and competent, it doesn't really set the world alight. But to be honest, thats not the reason why MMT buyers will want to buy a Yaris anyway. Practicality, reliability and value for money are what are important to city dwelling drivers. An automatic choice? Very possibly.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Toyota Yaris MMT
PRICES: £7,795 - £11,095- on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 2
CO2 EMISSIONS: 134 g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 12.0s / Max Speed 96mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (Euro average) 50.4mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front airbags, ABS, EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height" 142/65/59"
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