I don't think I'll surprise you if I tell you crossovers are the best selling cars on Dutch markets these days.
Capturs, 2008's, Crosslands, T-Cross's, Puma's, you name it. And it seems like Toyota is desperately trying to catch on.
But that's not the case really, because this Toyota Yaris Cross is a very nephew from the old Toyota Urban Cruiser.
Having said that, Toyota actually was one of the founders of this segment. So Renault is actually the manufacturer that is trying to catch on.
And that's a good thing, because this is a modern Toyota and thus it's a hybrid. And Renault has been moving into that hybrid-territory as well.
Like the name already gives away, the Yaris Cross is based on the regular Yaris. That means there are a lot of similarities in the interior.
However, there are some small differences. The digital instrument cluster isn't the same as in the Yaris, with two tubes.
It resembles more of the digital instrument cluster from the Corolla. Partly analogue, partly digital.
Also, there's a new infotainment system. It's a tad bigger, but it also has new software. And it's not that comprehensive, but that...
means everything is easy to find. And if you compare that with the system in the Captur, which is bigger and flashier, but also more...
distracting because you have search for stuff. In the Toyota however, you get what you need and that's it.
If you look at the used materials and the styling, it's all very decent in the Toyota. Again, the Renault looks more luxurious and original,
but when you touch it, it feels quite cheap. The gear lever for example, which is used for putting it into D or B, feels incredibly wonky.
In the Toyota Yaris Cross, you just get a simple lever, but it feels like it will survive for another 100 years.
So the quality experience in the Toyota is better. It's just a tad less playful.
Looking at the interior space, the Captur takes the lead again. That's not because it's more spacious, but it's got an adjustable rear seat...
as standard. So you can have slightly more space on the rear seat, or a bigger boot.
Like I said, it's a modern Toyota, so it's available as a hybrid. And it's the exact same drivetrain as found in the Yaris Hybrid.
That means it's powered by a 1.5-litre 3-cylinder engine, connected to two electric motors which send power to the wheels through a planetary...
gearbox, which means you've got some sort of CVT-setup which lets the power sources manage the revs themselves.
That comes with several advantages. It feels seemless, because there's no way of knowing when the combustion engine kicks in.
It's efficient, because it's economical and very smooth, but for modern Toyota-hybrids, we're used to high power output drivetrains.
Just think of the Corolla 2.0 hybrid or the RAV4, they only need about 30 or 40 percent of the power to accelerate smoothly and quietly.
In this car however...
It's just not as powerful. So when you start accelerating... I'm not putting my foot down, but you still hear the...
3-cylinder purring away. It's not as quiet as modern Toyota-hybrids, so there's a lot of room for improvement if you ask me.
The chassis then. That's great. It's built on the TMGA-B, which is the embodiment of the 'No More Boring Cars'-creed Toyota envisions.
It's a relatively dynamic car, and despite it being higher on its wheels and thus having less grip than a regular Yaris,
but you'll only notice that when you push it to the limit. Other than that, it's a car that feels very certain. It's easy to position,
the steering is direct enough, it's not bouncy on bumps or anything, but you still have grip at higher speeds. So as a whole, it's pretty good.
How different is this Renault Captur? This clearly aims for comfort instead of dynamic. That also comes with certain advantages, like imperfections...
and speedbumps not shaking the interior too much. On the other hand, it comes with some drawbacks as well.
It doesn't take much for the ESP to kick in. You might encounter moments on wet surfaces when it kicks in, which will make you...
think 'this wasn't necessary'. The fact remains that Toyota clearly aims for dynamic driving instead of the comfort of the Renault.
That's not better of worse, just a different approach. What's worse however, is the steering of the Renault.
It feels very artificial and heavy at the same time, so it's not good in any way. That should be better.
When it comes to the drivetrain, this is a weird car altogether. It's the well-known Renault Group-hybrid system, which consists of a...
1.6-litre 4-cylinder which is connected to gearbox with four gears, but it doesn't have a clutch. Instead, there's an electric motor which...
relieves the tension of the drivetrain. That allows the gearbox to change gear. A bit like you would change gear in a manual car without clutch.
But how does it set off without clutch? Well, it does that through a second electric motor, which powers the car as a whole as well.
That's connected to the same axle as the combustion engine through a gearbox with two gears. That sounds complicated and it is complicated.
The idea behind it is that this drivetrain can operate both as a parallel hybrid and a serial hybrid.
That way, you don't get the elasticky feeling when you accelerate, just like in the Toyota. And it works to a certain degree.
When you drive a little bit faster, this feels more harmonious. There's no engine screaming its lungs out for example. Sure, this is a...
4-cylinder instead of a 3-cylinder, so it partly works. It faster as well, but there are some strange things happening in here.
Sometimes the engine runs stationary because it's working as a serial hybrid, sometimes you feel it changing gear whilst the revs stay the same,
because it's the 2-speed of the gearbox changing up. So it's a very interesting solution which partly does what it promises.
However, it's not without flaw, despite the advantages. I do have to say that it's quicker when it counts.
So the question remains: is that enough to make it the winner? Well, at the beginning of this video I thought the Renault would easily win.
It's more spacious, the interior is nicer, easy peazy. But I've been driving it for a while now, and the Toyota is clawing back points.
It's got a more dynamic chassis, it's more economical, the build quality is better... And despite it being different cars, when we tally...
up the points, it will be very, very close. So for my conclusion, you'll have to read the paper AutoWeek.