If you were to make a short list of superminis then the VW Polo would probably fly the flag
for luxury, the Mazda2 maybe for driving dynamics and the Ford Fiesta for, well, a
popular and familiar safety net for those who maybe don't know what to go for. But what about
the Yaris?
Well, as of late, the Yaris has become a very reliable and sensible supermini option which,
by definition, kind of favours older drivers. But by looking at it you wouldn't really think that
I mean I think it looks pretty slick, you've got nice 16-inch alloys, you've got the big X front
and that red and black does look pretty cool
But what else has the Yaris has got to offer?
If you’ve been in a lot of superminis then the Yaris’ interior will be very familiar,
you've got a very minimalistic design and lots of of hard-wearing plastics dotted
around. You do get this nice spongy material on the dashboard though and you also get it on the doors.
The infotainment screen is without a doubt the main attraction here though, this is available from mid-range
models and upwards, this is actually the Design model and this has the likes of
DAB radio, bluetooth and you can actually have sat nav if you pay £500. But what I like about the screen is that its just intuitive and just really
easy to use. You get used to it in 5 minutes, unlike some supermini touchscreens, and I really like the little funky
graphics you get as well, especially this little volume control graphic.
A few notes on comfort and practicality, the steering does adjust for
reach and rake, always a good thing with city cars and superminis. You also get a comfy
arm rest on the door and there are just absolutely loads of useful little cubbies dotted around. Always useful.
Five door option, always a good idea. Now space back here is plentiful especially for two people,
There's plenty of elbow room, plenty of leg room and plenty of headroom, although six footers might get their hair squashed a bit. But all round space is really good
back here. You can even go for a third passenger, although elbow room might be a bit of a squeeze but at least they'll have enough foot well room because there's no transmission tunnel.
The boot isn’t as big as the one you find in the likes of the Skoda Fabia, but it does hold its own against the
Ford Fiesta, with 286 litres on offer. These rear seats also fold down to give you a bit of extra
wiggle room when it comes to large amounts of shopping.
So I did say that the Yaris is the sensible supermini option – and that does become
abundantly clear when you head out on the road because the Yaris isn’t particularly…
well it's not particularly fun. It doesn’t thrive on country roads like the Ford Fiesta does, but let’s forget
about boy racer driving for a second, because where the Yaris really exceeds its is ease
of driving – be it around the city or on a country road.
To be honest, at anything you could nit-pick about it way the Yaris drives, it can be justified
i mean yes, is a little light and numb feedback wise,
but it’s incredibly easy to use, and if you go to a corner at speeds you will get body roll, but the payoff
for that is a nice soft ride that absorbs even the most dramatic bumps. The six-speed manual gearbox is really
snappy too
The 98bhp 1.3-litre petrol it’s mated to though is a little vocal, even when you're
pulling off slowly at traffic lights, and the cabin doesn’t do a very good job of deadening
this noise, unlike something like the VW Polo does a much better job.
If it was up to me, I think I’d go for the little 1.0-litre petrol that Toyota offers
because it is a bit more efficient, ducking under that all important 100g/km figure,
whereas this 1.3-litre what we've got model emits 119g/km of co2. It also claims to return
an average of around 55mpg but we’ve been getting closer to 40-45mpg. If fuel economy is paramount
though, you can go for the Yaris Hybrid, and that claims to return upwards of 80mpg.
An entry-level Yaris will cost you £11,000, or go for a mid-range Design model and it
will cost you around £15,000 and that means the Yaris costs somewhere in between the Skoda Fabia and Ford Fiesta
when it comes to price.
But the Yaris does has warranty on its side because you get a five-year 100,000 mile warranty, you get three-years worth of
paintwork warranty and you get a year’s worth of AA roadside assistance.
Those looking for a supermini with a distinct identity aren’t short of options in the
marketplace, but some people will just want one that does the job, is solidly built and, if possible,
has a good warranty and a low price and that’s what the Yaris is all about.
And I’ll say it again, I think it's design is pretty eye-catching,
so don’t be surprised if younger sons and daughters take a liking to it as well.
But what supermini would you go for? Let us know in the comments section below and don’t
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