Toyota Yaris review (25/01/2012)

THE Toyota Yaris was the sole occupant of the cute-as-a-button supermini segment. When it was launched, just before the turn of the century, the Yaris was the dawning of a new age of the small car.

It was cheeky to look at, the design was as fresh as a spring day and it was good to drive. It was a lauded winner of the European Car of the Year title and developed a reputation for reliability that was the envy of the automotive world.

The success of the Yaris was soon swamped by a phalanx of other superminis — led by the Mini — which left the Toyota struggling for market share as it grappled with a bunch of cars that quickly superseded it in terms of smartness and desirability.

Toyota’s other superminis — the iQ and the Aygo — may have contributed to the flattening out of Yaris sales over time.

But the third generation Yaris has now arrived with us and Toyota has done much to try and restore the range to its previous greatness. It has given the car a bolder new look, considerably more sophistication, and more room for both passengers and their luggage.

We tested the car late last year and it was equipped with the baseline one-litre, three-cylinder engine which Toyota is confident will be a big seller here in Ireland and will — along with the car’s re-found design presence — particularly appeal to younger buyers.

The Yaris has always been a watchword for bombproof reliability and Toyota is understandably anxious to drill this home to prospective buyers. The engine is central to this message and the diminutive unit is certain to be as problem-free as can reasonably be expected from any engine.

Its characteristically thrummy note immediately establishes it as a three-cylinder and, personally, I like the noise it makes, although that will not necessarily be the case for everyone. It outputs 51 kW (69 bhp), takes 15.3 seconds to do the 0-100 kph dash and will return a decent 4.8 l/100 km on the economy front.

If you are an enthusiastic driver, you will find yourself thrashing this engine quite a bit to extract the max from it. But this is not what this Yaris was designed for, and if you want more performance you might want to look to the 1.3-litre version.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the one-litre unit and found it to be a brilliant companion around town, even if it struggled a little on open-road driving. In terms of ride and handling, the Yaris is good, but not, perhaps, as good as some of its rivals.

The ride is a little on the choppy side, particularly on poor surfaces and the handling is not as pin sharp as you might like.

Having said that, though, the margins in these areas between the best and the rest are very small and it is not something which will bother the majority of potential clients.

What will truly enthuse people, however, is the spaciousness. Front-seat passengers have plenty of room and the driver is well-accommodated, with a seat that adjusts for height and a steering column that adjusts for rake-and-reach. In the back, there is bags of legroom and the boot space is pretty much standard for the class.

Toyota has moved the Yaris’ instrumentation binnacle from the centre console to a more traditional spot behind the steering wheel, and in the centre there is now — on Sol and Luna models — a touchscreen ‘interface’ which incorporates a radio and CD/MP3 player, a rear parking camera and Bluetooth connectivity. A UBS port is also part of the package.

While many manufacturers are intent on moving their superminis into the premium end of the market, the Yaris has retained its focus on budget-conscious buyers. The corollary of that, however, is that some of the plastics utilised are scratchy and unpleasant.

The focus on a value-for-money product has been central to Toyota’s thinking in the design and manufacture of the Yaris, and, undoubtedly, many punters will see considerable sense in this approach.

Criticism has been levelled at the Yaris because it might lack the panache of some of its rivals and therefore limit its potential to appeal to younger buyers.

The other side of this particular coin, however, is that the car has a ready-made market for those looking for bullet-proof mechanicals, value for money and exceptional residual values.

It is certainly not the most edgy design Toyota has ever produced and may not, indeed, appeal to people for whom standing out from the pack is singularly important, but it will appeal to those who want a trouble-free motoring experience.