Toyota YARIS VERSO RANGE
If You Want A Small MPV That Didnt Start Out In Life As A Plumbers Van, The
Toyota Yaris Verso Is Probably The Best Place To Start Looking. By Andy Enright
Although we didnt realise it at the time, the launch of Toyotas Yaris Verso in 1999 was a significant event. Here was a tiny MPV-style vehicle that broke all the existing rules. For a start it wasnt based on a commercial vehicle and whats more it actually did offer added utility over and above the Yaris hatch upon which it was based. Times move quickly, however, and other manufacturers have moved in to copy Toyotas formula.
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In response, the Yaris Verso has been given a mild facelift and equipment boost to keep it on top of its game.
The grille and headlights are the two targets that every manufacturer unerringly homes in on when refreshing the look a car and with good reason. Along with the front bumpers, these constitute the face of the car and
Toyota has resculptured the grille, given the headlights a distinctive teardrop shape and have redesigned the front and rear bumpers as well as the tail light cluster. The interior benefits from some additional safety equipment. The centre berth on the rear bench
seat is now fitted with a proper three-point seat belt but many will feel its prior omission somewhat surprising for a car that campaigned as a family favourite.
Side airbags have also been added for front seat occupants. The three-spoke steering wheel has been redesigned and is now finished in leather, whilst if you can stretch to the T-Spirit trim level youll also get inbuilt stereo controls. This trim level also benefits from a CD-based stereo while the T3 adopts a new wheel trim design. But hold on: let's backtrack just a minute. A people carrier based on a tiny supermini? Surely not. Well stand by for a surprise. 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.
"Innovation has paid off for Toyota in the unconventional shape of the Yaris Verso."
To be fair, five full-sized adults might find things a bit of a squash, given that the depsite its three-point seat belt the centre rear seat is actually half the normal width. Better to fold it into an armrest or a picnic tray and travel comfortably four-up. Alternatively, you can take the thing out completely (it weighs just six kilos) and clip it neatly away on the side of the boot. That enables passengers to enter the car from the rear side-hinged door as well as from the sides.
They can also let themselves out thanks to an inside handle. But it's when you don't need so much passenger space that this Toyota's Verso-tility really comes into its own. The two main rear seats fold individually forward under the floor - though in a special right-to-left order which means that only the right seat can be used on its own. Once everything's tucked away, a massive 2160 litres of space is available - more than most family estate cars. Certainly it's enough for two tea chests side by side - and you could fit a couple more in behind were it not for the protruding wheelarches. There's plenty of oddments space too, with a twin-lidded glovebox in front of the front passenger and aircraft-style overhead luggage bins built into the roof above the sunvisors. A couple of cupholding slots sit in front of the gearstick and there are more built into the removable centre seat at the back. Unlike the standard supermini however, Yaris Verso buyers get only two engine options - the 85bhp 1.3-litre VVT-i unit which makes sixty in 12.
5s on the way to 102mph and the frugal D4-D diesel powerplant. Still, both are economic, with even the petrol 1.3 just as frugal as the ordinary Yaris' 1.0-litre unit - expect to average nearly 45mpg on a regular basis. For those looking for greater economy, D4-D diesel engined Yaris Veros variants manage over 56mpg in regular use. You won't be expecting driving excitement from a car like this - nor does the little Toyota deliver it - but as long as you don't throw it around too much, the Verso can be punted along at a surprisingly respectable speed. Priced from £10,945 (or from £11,845 in D4-D form), the Yaris Verso costs just £500 more than its standard supermini sibling. Two versions badged T3 and T Spirit are now on offer, and come well equipped, with electric front windows and mirrors, twin airbags, central locking, ABS and power steering. The plusher T Spirit includes air conditioning, front foglamps and alloy wheels.
A four-speed automatic and satellite navigation are amongst the options, though sadly, UK buyers can't specify the twin sunroofs offered to continental customers. Criticisms are few, unless you object to the slightly awkward rear styling or the rather thin rear seats. Certainly, the UK importers has had no trouble in shifting the 3,000 Versos earmarked for the UK on an annual basis. Innovation has paid off for Toyota in the unconventional shape of the Yaris Verso and even now its hard to see a credible challenger to its throne.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CARS: Toyota Yaris Verso
PRICE: £10,945-£12,645 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 5
CO2 EMISSIONS: 133-165g/km
PERFORMANCE: [1.3] 0-60mph 12.5s / Max Speed 102mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.3] (urban) 35.3mpg / (extra urban) 51.4mpg /(combined) 44.1mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags, ABS, EBD WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE: (length/width/height) 3860/1690/1680mm
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