The Toyota Yaris is one of the most important Toyota-models in the Netherlands. About twenty percent of Toyota-sales in the Netherlands...
consists out of Yaris's and because the outgoing third generation first saw life in 2011, so it's nine years old already.
In current times, that's too old. Car lifecycles are getting shorter every year, so it was due time for a new one. This is generation number four.
That also means that since Toyota's new approach, when they started using the Toyota Global New Architecture...
to make the cars lighter, more fun and more dynamic, there hasn't been a new Yaris. This is the first one based on that technology.
It's on the TGNA-B-platform, meant for the B-segment. It's supposed to make it more fun and lighter than its predecessor.
Remarkably, it's smaller than its predecessor. Where do you see that these days, right? Cars are getting bigger, but this has shrunk by 5 millimetres.
It's not a lot, but it's the thought that counts. It's lower as well, to offer better dynamics. Also, they've extended the wheelbase...
which means the smaller measurements compromised the interior space. As you've seen before when my colleague Marco introduced...
the car statically, and he concluded that it isn't a spacious car. And I agree with him. It's a trend seen all across the B-segment as well.
Take the new 208, or take the new Corsa. When you're in the back, you'll start wondering if they wanted to be too funky.
Maybe they didn't want it to be too big, or they wanted to reduce fuel consumption with the size.
They're just not very big family cars, whilst you still have the Ibiza and the Polo, which are pretty spacious.
So when it comes to space, the extended wheelbase still doesn't make the new Yaris a market leader.
What did continue was the hybrid technology. A very popular option in the Netherlands with the previous generations. Of course,
Toyota arrived at the 'Hybrid-party' incredibly early, especially in the B-segment. And this is a hybrid as well.
There are two other engines available as well. A 1.0-litre producing 76 horsepower, which you should skip if you want to move at all.
Also, there's a non-hybrid petrol-engine. A 1.5-litre 4-cylinder producing 126 horsepower. However, if you look at the price difference and if you...
know that this Yaris will be very economical as well, this will definitely be the best choice for the Netherlands.
It remains an unique setup which Toyota offers. A hybrid in the B-segment. And a great one at that. Toyota's experience is really paying off nowadays.
It doesn't matter if it's about the current RAV4 Hybrid, which I really like, or the new Corolla. That's a very decent car, decent to drive as well,
especially if you drove the Auris before that. The Auris truly was a disaster. And the new Yaris yet again proves how much experience...
Toyota has and uses. This car be incredibly economical, both on paper and in the real world. Right now, we're driving through the hills,
so we'll conduct that test later when we get to drive this for a longer time. But we're talking about 30 km per litre here,
if you try that is. That's incredibly good for a car which doesn't need to be plugged in any way. And that's the magic word.
So why doesn't Toyota switch to electric cars? Well, Toyota doesn't need them. Other big manufacturers need them to get their...
average CO2-emissions across their fleet lowered, but Toyota is pretty much the only manufacturer which stays neatly below the new standards.
So they keep going with the incredibly economical hybrids. Electric vehicles will come in time. Other manufacturers have to have electric cars...
to compensate, whilst Toyota remains on par, so they don't have to do anything at all.
This particular Yaris, the hybrid system consists of a brand-new 1.5-litre 3-cylinder connected to Toyota's famous power system with electric motor.
It also has a planetary gear setup, which pretty much works like a CVT. We used to complain about the revvy engine-howl back in the day,
but the electric motor became more powerful. In higher segments, but in the Yaris as well. That means it's able to do more on the electric...
motor which in turn means that the car doesn't always need the engine power. That way, you don't get that annoying howl anymore.
Unless you're putting your foot hard down, that is. But if you are, those ten seconds you're doing that won't be as bad as it used to be.
It does 0-100 km/h in around ten seconds, which used to be quick. Having said that, it's still rapid enough.
Also, it now has lithium-ion-batteries. Toyota stretched their usage of nickle-metal-hybrids. A few models already have lithium-ion-batteries.
The Corolla I believe, and the RAV4 was amongst them as well. And now it's in the Yaris as well. The battery pack produces more kWh's...
and it's able to produce more electricity at any given time. That means you've got more boost on the electric motor,
which makes the drivetrain even smoother. The annoying features of the first few Priuses, aren't in this new Yaris.
Also, like I already said, it's built on the new TGNA-platform, and it's a huge difference. The seating position is much better than it used to be, because...
you used to be pretty high up in the previous Yaris. Also, you couldn't really pull the steering wheel towards you. Now however,
the seating is very nice. It feels more natural and I'm able to pull the steering wheel towards me. That way, I've created a seating position in which...
I'm very comfortable. All of the drawbacks of the previous interior have been thrown away, very nice.
The drive is much better as well. It has less body roll, the centre of gravity is lower and it has a wider track width.
That means that this car handles very well.
The way Toyota has tweaked the chassis reminds me of the Corolla. The handling is fine and when I steer it, the car doesn't seem to suffer...
at all. However, it's not the most comfortable car in its class. And the springs aren't even that hard.
Sometimes, it's weaving a little. That's not criticism. Even though I sound harsh, I only mean that cars like the Opel Corsa or Ford Fiesta,
which drive very well. And I haven't even mentioned the Mini. But those are cars which drive so much better than this Yaris.
This has never been a true drivers car, but the drive is very good. I wouldnt've said that about the previous Yaris. That could get you...
from A to B, and that's it. This is a car in which I'll never get annoyed because of corners or flyovers.
The handling is solid and the steering is very good. On the other hand, the typical Toyota-advantages have remained.
The reliability still is very good, so this Yaris won't be an exception. Also, Toyota offers a five years guarantee or up to 200.000 km, that's how...
much they trust their own products. If we take a look at the dashboard,
it looks very good. It's been modernized very nicely. In front of me, I've got digitalized dials, which aren't standard.
It doesn't come with a fully-digital instrument cluster though, like an Ibiza. But still. The multimedia system is the same as seen in other Toyota-models.
I don't think it's top-of-the-bill, but the lower I go in segments, the better it becomes. In a RAV4, this system makes me think there...
are better alternatives. However, in a Yaris I'm impressed. It could be a lot worse in the B-segment. It's pretty big, it's usable, it's pretty quick,
and if you want you can switch to your own phone through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. And again, for the B-segment, it's not that bad.
Especially if we're talking about safety systems. This Yaris comes with Toyota Safety Sense as standard. That consists of automatic cruise...
control, active lane keeping, City Safety with an automatic brake function which brakes for pedestrians and crossing traffic. And it's all standard.
Especially in this segment, that's not common. But in higher segments, it's not incredibly common either. If you want a Mercedes-Benz GLA...
with cruise control and AutoPilot, you'll have to pay extra. Toyota however, offers everything as standard.
Besides the fact I think that's good for the person buying the car, it's very good for the community as well.
The less costs and hinder we get from accidents, the better.
Especially in the B-segment, hybrid technology used to be very expensive. If you had less money to put into hybrid technology across the whole range...
I mean, it wouldn't really stand out on a Toyota RAV4 because that's an expensive car to begin with. But back then, you could outprice yourself.
Toyota is in luck however, because the CO2-emissions rule the added taxes nowadays. So if Toyota only averages around 85 grams...
with the Yaris according to WLTP, it's not a bad deal. It would've been 60 grams in NEDC-terms, just go figure.
But that's why this isn't expensive at all. Prices start at €21.000 and you have some nice First Editions which cost €23.000.
If you want a fully-loaded First Edition, which has everything you could think of, it'll set you back around €28.000. You won't hear me say that's...
cheap, but a fully-loaded Polo or Ibiza will set you back around the same. In the Yaris however, you really get a lot of gear.
In this particular Yaris, I've even got heated seats. Just like all of the safety systems.
I do have to say, it could've been more spacious. The rear seat is kind of cramped and the boot only fits 286 litres, which isn't a lot either.
Undoubtedly however, Yaris-fans will love it. They might think it's a tad less comfortable than before, but because of the good handling this might...
be able to win over some new customers. Having said that, this car will remain as important as it used to be for Toyota. Without a doubt.