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28/10/2011
REVIEW by MURRAY HUBBARD
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With the light car segment booming, the importance of Yaris to Toyota is very significant. Although the Yaris has previously been seen as a 'girls' car, Toyota Australia says the all-new Yaris is also pitched at males. With this in mind, Toyota has included a sportier manual 1.5-litre three-door ZR in the range. The ZR comes with a body kit consisting of new bumpers, grille, side skirts, rear roof spoiler, tailpipe diffuser and headlamps with dark surrounds.
In addition to the Yaris ZR, there are three specifications levels, YR, YRS and YRX. Most prices remain unchanged including the entry-level car which is $14,990. Amazingly, this is the same price as Yaris’s predecessor, Echo was in 1999. It's for pricing like this that buyers of Japanese cars can give thanks to the surging South Korean car industry.
Toyota Yaris comes in three- and five-door models with 1.3 and 1.5-litre engines and five-speed manual gearbox, as well as an automatic transmission, however, the latter is still only a four-speed unit.
The third generation Yaris is all-new but in style is an evolution of the previous model Yaris. There is a Euro influence to the exterior styling. Design changes include more prominent mudguards, slimmer headlights, short overhangs and a single wiper for the windscreen. The visual impact is of a flatter, wider car that has grown in length by 100 mm with the wheelbase 50 mm longer. New Yaris is 20 mm lower than the old.
The interior has changed dramatically with Toyota dropping the love-it-or-hate-it centre-dash instrument binnacle in favour of the traditional binnacle above the steering column. The influence behind this was to make Yaris more driver-focused, with all instruments, handles and switches there to serve the driver, not to trim the cost of the car. The result is a more user-friendly vehicle.
Yaris has an interesting dash layout with the centre console containing the screen inside a horizontal flashing giving the impression of width.
Three new audio systems are available in Yaris. YR has FM radio with radio text. YRS has a 6.1-inch, full-colour touch-screen display,SMS/email read-out for mobiles with MAP. Yaris YRX and ZR have touch-screen satellite navigation, SUNA traffic channel, movie availability through USB, split screen navigation and audio, with 3D landmarks. Map data includes fixed speed cameras, red-light cameras, railway crossings, school zones, 4WD tracks, green routing and trip data.
Toyota has 'softened' the look and feel of the interior by using graduated graining on major interior surfaces.
Away from aesthetics, the steering column angle has been lowered to add versatility for drivers. The front seat height adjustment is been increased from 45 mm to 60 mm. Rear legroom has been improved by 35 mm by using a thinner back to the front seats that have a new, lighter frame. Interior width is increased by 30 mm and luggage length has been increased to 710 mm, a gain of 145 mm. Luggage space is now 286 litres, with a dual space under the floor.
The five-door version has larger front-quarter glass and the division bar on the rear side windows has been removed. These changes make the interior feel brighter and more open.
New Toyota Yaris has refinements to the engines and suspension, as well as improved body rigidity. Significantly Toyota engineers in Australia had input into the overall chassis package plus the calibration of the steering and accelerator pedal.
The end result is a car with improved handling and while the accelerator is at first touchy it’s geared to quick launches but slower when it comes to the key area of keeping to Australia's speed limits.
Updates to the 1.3 and 1.5-litre four cylinder petrol engines include a lighter fuel system, less friction, better heat management and engine tuning. This has resulted in reduced fuel consumption by around four-tenths of a litre per 100 km. This small gain shows how all manufacturers are trying to squeeze the last drop from the fuel tank.
However, Toyota points out that the greatest fuel savings can are still those achieved by drivers who modify their driving habits.
All Yaris models are fitted with seven airbags including protection for the driver's knee, as well as vehicle stability control, traction control and ABS brakes with brake assist. Toyota Yaris has already received a five-star NCAP safety rating in Europe and the importer is confident of the same result when tests are done in Australia.
The Toyota Yaris, and the Toyota Echo before it, have always been delightful little cars to drive. This third generation Yaris builds on that pleasure. We were never a fan of the central instrument binnacle and common sense has prevailed by putting it back where the driver has less need to take their eyes off the road. In addition the air conditioning controls are now horizontally placed at a higher level, unlike the second generation that had them running vertically, again diverting the driver's attention away from the road.
We got to drive three models, with variations of 1.3 and 1.5-litre engines and manual and automatic transmissions. Neither engine will break any speed records, but that's not what these cars are about. They do accelerate smoothly even from low revs in second gear making them easy to drive in the urban and city environments. The turning circle is 9.4 metres, so parking and negotiating tight turns is easy with excellent light steering that still gives the driver good feedback.
YARIS PRICING
YR 1.3-litre three-door: $14,990 (manual), $16,590 (automatic)
YR 1.3-litre five-door hatch: $15,690 (manual), $17,290 (automatic)
YRS 1.5-litre three-door hatch: $16,890 (manual), $18,490 (automatic)
YRS 1.5-litre five-door hatch: $17,390 (manual), $18,990 (automatic)
YRX 1.5-litre five-door hatch: $21,390 (automatic)
ZR 1.5-litre three-door hatch: $18,990 (manual)
Note: These prices do not include government or dealer charges. Contact any Toyota dealer for driveaway prices. |
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