Toyota Yaris Road Test Review

Exterior Design and Features of the new Toyota Yaris

The Toyota Yaris is a good looker. It has a split grille with the thin one above in which are embedded the projector headlamps, and the bigger, almost spindle like grille influenced by its luxury brand Lexus which is at the bottom.

The headlamps also sport a LED line guide, while on the lower grille we have the LED DRLs. Not to be missed are turn indicator in the outside rear view mirror. At the rear are the LED combination lamps with the non-LED line guide. There is an LED high mount stop light at the rear. Incidentally features like the LED DRL and the chrome door handles only come in the top variant of the car i.e. the VX model and not on the J, G and V variants. We took turns driving the Manual V variant and the automatic VX model.

Fog lamps are there in front as well as the rear. Auto headlamps, follow-me headlamps and rear defoggers are available in the top variants.  A shark fin antenna on the roof gives the car a sporty look. Interestingly, there are also a lot of tiny design elements on the car which enhance the aerodynamic character of the car, like the fins on the sides of the tail lamp, near the ORVMs and even on the mud flaps and above it.  Again, at the bottom of the wheel arches, facing the mud flaps are the air spats, that help in better road grip and helps prevent turbulence because of excess air inside the wheel arch while driving. The car sits on 185/60 R15 tyres wrapped around smart alloy wheels.

Interior Design and Features of the new Toyota Yaris

The interiors are two-tone with the seats in the top end variant being leather. The beige coloured seats bring a lot of brightness within the cabin and a sense of roominess. The dash is made of good quality plastic and is designed as though it has been stitched on the edges. It gives a sophisticated leather look. The car also comes with a cooled glove box. The waterfall design instrument panel comes with a piano black finish. The 7 inch LED touch screen audio system comes with gesture control with features like USB, aux-in, Bluetooth, remote control, SD card, Mirror Link, Miracast, HDMI and wi-fi. There are 12V power sockets at the rear and front too.

The optitron combo meter is a combination of analog and digital information in four separate sections which are displayed through a tachometer, a speedometer a multi information display or MID and a warning cluster. The optitron meter is basically an electroluminescent gauge that glows brightly. The seats come with three point seatbelts with the front ones having both a pre tensioner and a force limiter.

One of the highlights of the cabin is the roof mounted air vents with ambient illumination.  Do not mistake it for an AC duct, rather it is a blower with fine nozzles at the air vents which when switched on create a negative pressure and cools air faster and better. Thus it draws its coolness from the AC vents on the dash in front. It also has a louvre with which one can adjust the air flow for the rear passengers.

Seating is comfortable within the cabin. In the top end, the driver seat has power adjustment. The rear seat gets a flat floor but that does not mean the person sitting in the middle sits comfortably. His or her knees are bound to get obstructed by the front arm rest module which protrudes quite a bit into the rear. Otherwise headroom and leg room are more than adequate for the rear passengers. The rear seats are 60:40 splits so bringing down the seats would mean increasing the storage space from 476 litres in the boot which is huge by itself to a lot more. The Yaris is also fitted with acoustic and vibration control glass which ensures a quiet cabin and a great output from the 6 speaker audio system.  The car comes with high solar energy absorbing front windshield with infra red cut off.

Then there are rain sensing wipers, rear sunshade; audio, phone and MID controls on steering wheel, electrically adjustable and foldable ORVMs, a rear armrest with cupholder and a steering that can be adjusted for tilt but not for reach. The boot release and fuel lid release buttons are not on the dash, rather they are on the floor near the driver seat, slightly surprising for a car which boats of so many modern features.

Safety and Performance of the new Toyota Yaris

The Toyota Yaris will definitely create a benchmark in its segment when it comes to safety. Right from the base model, the company is offering seven SRS airbags. Also available across the variants are ABS, EBD and Brake Assist. Other safety features include tyre pressure monitoring system, parking sensors, both in front and rear, reverse camera, speed sensing auto door lock and  impact sensing door unlock in the top variants. Central locking and immobilizer are also available across the variants.

The car has a keyless entry and has a push start stop button. The 1496 cc, 4 cylinder, in-line 16 valve dual VVT-I petrol engine comes with an option of either a 6-speed manual transmission or a 7 speed super CVT-I transmission. While peak power is 105hp at around 6000 rpm, peak torque is 140 Nm @4200rpm. In the case of the manual transmission, the joy of driving is quite evident. The engine revs up smoothly and reaching speeds beyond 160kmph comes effortlessly. The car remains planted to the road and even cornering comes without any major hiccups. But I felt the electric power steering did not give adequate feedback at high speeds. A little more tweaking would do it good.  The manual transmission variant was a treat to drive. The top variants come with hill start assist control and vehicle stability control. Disc brakes are available on all four wheels.

Coming to the automatic one, it was responsive, no doubt, but like all CVTs, it groaned like hell. Fuel average is better delivered in a CVT, though. But if you want to sacrifice the automatic mode and shift to paddle shifters, then the dynamics of your drive is bound to change. It’s a lot of fun, to say the least. But there is a hiccup here with the CVT model, I noticed. The foot well does not have a dead pedal and the place where your left foot is to rest is uneven, which in short means that driving the automatic may not be very comfortable for the driver.

Verdict

The new Toyota Yaris will surely redefine modern luxury and instill confidence among its users when it comes to performance and safety. From the makers of such fine and practical cars like the Fortuner, Innova, Camry and the Corolla, the Yaris too would be another jewel in the crown of Toyota.