What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

22 April 2020 whatcar.com

Toyota

Yaris Hybrid

WITHANEVER-INCREASINGnumberofsmall,

affordablecarsturningtoelectricitytoreduce

oreveneradicatecarbonemissions,Toyota

mustbefeelingprettysmugwithitself.That’s

becausesince2012,you’vebeenabletobuya

hybridversionofitsVolkswagenPolo-sized

Yaristhatemitswellunder100g/kmofCO 2.

Aftereightyearsoffettling,though,it’stime

tosaygoodbyetothethird-generationYaris

andhellotoanall-new,fourth-generation

model,drivenhereinlateprototypeform.

Whenwesay‘all-new’,wereallydomean

it.Forastart,it’sbuiltonToyota’slatest

underpinningsdesignedspecificallyforsmall

cars,andit’spoweredbyabrandnew1.5-litre

three-cylinderpetrolengine.Thebatteryis

smaller,lighterandyetmorepowerfulthan

beforeandthere’stonnesofnewsafetykit.

Surprisinglyforanewcar,theYarishasn’t

hadagrowthspurt.Infact,it’sfractionally

shorterandalittlebitlowerthanits

predecessor.Sure,it’sabitwiderthesedays,

butwhodoesn’tputonabitofpadding

aroundthehipswithage?

Lookunderthebonnetandyou’llfindthat

theYaris’sheartisactuallythestrongestithas

everbeen.Betweenthetwoelectricmotorsand

thepetrolengine,totalpowerisnow114bhp,

Two10.25inscreenscanbeupgradedto 12.3indisplays Adultswillbecomfortablein thesaloon’srearquarters with0-62mphtakingarespectable10.3sec.It’s

Peugeot 208

A classyand

comfortablechoice,

witha plushinterior,

goodrideandquiet

cruisingability.

VolkswagenPolo

Thecartobeatin

thisclassin almost

everycategory;

a consummate

all-rounder.

RIVALS

‘Toyota claims the car

can run on electric

power alone for up

to 80% of the time,

something we believe’

underthebannernameofUrbanGuard.The

newsystemcansendnoticationstoyour

smartphoneif thecaris moved,if it detects

a break-inattemptorif it’sknockedwhile

parked.It caneventellyouwhichareaofthe

carwashitandhowhard.

AlthoughMercedeshasn’trevealedfull

enginedetailsforthenewE-Classyet,buyers

wantingtogogreennowhavemoreoptions

thanever,withbothmild-andplug-inhybrid

optionsavailablealongsideconventional

petrolanddiesel

engines.Themild-

hybridpetroloption,

forexample,can

coast using small

amounts of electric

power to save fuel

and the plug-in

hybrids can ofcially

travel for around

34 miles on electric

power alone, which

means your entire

commute could be

completed without

using a drop of fuel.

Four-wheeldrivewillbeavailableonsome

versionsaswell.

Priceswon’tbeannounceduntilcloserto

theE-Class’son-saledate,butwe’dexpecta

modesthikeovertheoutgoingcar’s,starting

ataround£40,000.ThecurrentE-Classis

alreadymoreexpensivetobuyoutrightthan

the5 Series,butdiscountsonbothcarsare

substantial.Forexample,buyerscansave

upto£10,043onthecurrentE-Classthrough

WhatCar?NewCarBuying.

Aswithtoday’s

car,therewillbean

E-Classtosuitevery

taste.Aswellasthe

saloon, you’ll be able

to choose a two-door

coupé, a convertible

or a spacious estate.

There will also be a

jacked-up All Terrain

estate, designed to

appeal to buyers who

want the versatility

of an off-roader but

don’t want to drive a

fully edged SUV.

AudiA6

Quiet and

comfortable, the A6

is accomplished

at covering big

distances.

BMW5 Series

Our class champ

has no weak points.

It’s comfy, with a

high-quality interior,

and is great to drive.

RIVALS

Toyota’s all-new small hatch

has more power, reduced

emissions and improved road

manners On sale September

Price from £20,000 (est)

FIRST LOOK

RAPID MOVER

High-performance

AMG versions of the

E-Class are waiting in

the wings. Expect

chiselled looks and

more than 600bhp in

range-topping

V8 form.

Alan Taylor-Jones

[email protected]