Toyota YARIS RANGE
The Yaris Has Evolved. Andy Enright Checks Out The Latest Generation Of Baby Toyotas
Since it was first launched in 1999, the
Toyota Yaris has proved something of a hit. Good enough to claim the 2000 Car of The Year crown and initially lauded by the motoring press as a market-leader, the Yaris could be held up as an example of how to design and sell a supermini. You dont become a market leader by standing still of course and the Yaris hasnt, hence the recent far-reaching packing of changes incorporated into the latest line-up.
Not that too many changes were needed. After all, there was never a great deal wrong with the Yaris, Toyota merely needed to give it a mild mid-term makeover to ensure continued sales success which is exactly what theyve done. With over 200,000 cars being built at Toyotas Valenciennes plant each year, we could say that theres one born every minute. Toyota have brought the Yaris in line with the rest of their model line ups by ditching the existing trim designations and replacing them with T2, T3 and T Spirit.
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The T Sport version continues, but straight off the bat a confliction arises. There used to be S, GS, GLS, CDX and SR versions. Does five into three go?
Toyota certainly hope so, reckoning on the simplified product line up to cut out much off the confusion when it comes to choosing a new car. As well as trim levels being reappraised, equipment levels have been boosted and the exterior mildly revised.
And theres more. A new 86bhp 1.3-litre engine has been added to the Yaris range, the T Sport now comes with five doors as well as three, the suspensions settings have been revised and interior materials quality has been beefed up. What hasnt changed too much is the pricing, at least not by much.
Expect to have to write a cheque for anything between £7,295 and £12,845, depending on the derivative you choose. Most will spot the facelifted Yaris headlights and grille before anything else. You have to feel for grilles. Always the target of any cars redesign, they must live life racked by anxiety, knowing that theyre perpetually staring obsolescence in the face.
The grille on the latest Yaris is a sporty mesh affair and the headlights are now of a more modish clear glass teardrop shape with an inner lap cluster than gently dips into the line of the resculpted bumper. The rear bumper and rear tail lights have also come in for a makeover, inspired by the Yaris Cabrio show car first seen at the 2000 Geneva Motor Show. The choice of alloy wheel designs looks a good deal more contemporary.
"Toyota didnt need to do a great deal to the Yaris to ensure it stayed at the top of the supermini pile"
The 86bhp 1.3-litre engine slots into the range between the upgraded 64bhp 1.0-litre and 103bhp 1.5-litre powerplants.
Diesel buyers still get the excellent 1.4-litre D-4D engine. A Multi-Mode Manual Transmission is an option on the 1.0-litre car, offering a clutchless sequential shift that can be set into fully automatic mode.
If your Yaris is used purely for urban driving, this makes an interesting choice, but otherwise the software that chooses gears when left in fully automatic mode isnt the best around. One benefit is excellent economy, the sequential shift offering better all-round fuel consumption than the equivalent manual car. At the top of the range sits the T Sport warm hatch, a car that besides being available in five-door guise for the first time now sits on suspension thats 20mm lower. 60mph is 8.
8 seconds away, yet the T Sport will still return 41.5mpg on the combined cycle and emit just 162g/km of carbon dioxide. Distinguished by side skirts, bigger bumpers with integrated fog lamps, 15-inch alloy wheels and low profile tyres, the T Sport also wears a
smart matt black version of the mesh grille and is priced from £12,345. Interiors have come in for a reappraisal, with sleeker fascias incorporating a central digital display.
Trim colours and materials have been revised and many of the minor knobs and buttons have been improved; the mirror controls are a case in point. The Yaris set new standards for citycar safety when it was first launched and the current car aims to augment that reputation. The body structure has been enhanced to offer extra crashworthiness and side airbags are standard on all models bar the entry-level T2 version. All three rear seats now feature proper three-point
seat belts.
All variants feature anti lock brakes and electronic brakeforce distribution. 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 and bulbous headlights give this supermini an appealing and friendly face: certainly in terms of charisma, the Yaris remains 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. Theres also a lot of useful storage space - more than 15 litres in total. Cubbies for everything from a mobile phone to tape cassettes are hidden around the cabin and theres a good-sized split-level glovebox, even though most models are fitted with a passenger airbag.
If you need more space, theres also the option of a 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. In truth, Toyota didnt need to do a great deal to the Yaris to ensure it stayed at the top of the supermini pile. A nip here, a tuck there and the Yaris emerges as a strong contender for class honours. Now better to drive than ever, the Yaris makes a compelling ownership proposition.
There might be one born every minute but only a mug would leave a Yaris off their shortlists.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Toyota Yaris range
PRICES: £7,295-£12,845 [Yaris Verso £10,945-£12,645] - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 2E-7E
CO2 EMISSIONS: 129-162g/km
PERFORMANCE: [1.0] 0-60mph 14.1s / Max Speed 96mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.0] (Euro average) 50.4mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags on all except entry-level model, ABS, EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [standard 5dr] Length/Width/Height" 142/65/59"
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