What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

whatcar.com^ April 2020 23

Boot is a modest 286 litres, but somegeta two-leveloor Yarisis available with a head-up display for the rst time There’snoneedto dreada twistyroadwiththenewYaris

not the outright performance

that you’ll appreciate the

most, though. Instead, it’s

the way this acceleration is

delivered that’s one of the

biggest steps forward.

The new car’s engine is

far quieter and doesn’t need

working as hard to deliver

acceptable performance.

While the old engine often

whined loudly when climbing

hills or accelerating up to

motorway speeds due to its CVT automatic

gearbox, the new ’box is much less inclined to

send the revs flaring. Most of the time, the Yaris

is a quiet partner that generates little more

than a subdued thrum from the engine bay.

Not that the engine is on that much, at

least in urban environments. Indeed, Toyota

claims that the Yaris can run on battery power

alone for up to 80% of the time, something we

can entirely believe. The handover between

power sources is virtually imperceptible,

with only a bit of engine noise and a faint

vibration through the steering wheel telling

you that the Yaris is supping petrol. ‘Supping’

is the right word, too. On our

two-hour test route, which

included towns, motorways

and some challenging

mountain passes, we

averaged 61.4mpg, according

to the trip computer.

That’s all the more

impressive when you

consider that the Yaris is

now far happier to be driven

briskly on a winding road.

The steering is naturally

weighted and precise, making the car easy

to place on the road, and body lean is far less

noticeable than before. Grip is decent and the

handling is surefooted yet agile. While you’d

have more fun in a Ford Fiesta, at least corners

can now be enjoyed rather than avoided.

The downside is that on the 17in wheels

of our test car – the largest available on the

Yaris – the ride is on the firm side. It’s perfectly

pleasant on smooth but undulating roads, but

larger potholes and pimples can thud through

the car uncomfortably.

Hopefully, that’ll improve on smaller wheels,

but it’s also worth remembering that our test

Roomy,decent to drive

and very economical; this

is easily the best Yaris yet

SAYS

ToyotaYarisHybrid

BUYER’S FILE

Price £20,000 (est)

Engine 3cyl, 1.5 litres, plus

2 electric motors

Power 114bhp (combined)

Torque tbc

Gearbox CVT automatic

0-62mph 10.3sec

Top speed tbc

Economy tbc

CO 2 , tax band 86g/km (WLTP), 22%

FIRST DRIVE

car isn’t the finished product. That’s also true

of the interior, which contained a few plastics

that weren’t quite up to production grade. Even

so, the squishy dashboard, large fabric inserts

on the doors and expensive-feeling switches

and buttons impressed us. Sadly, the dim-

witted infotainment system, with its yesteryear

graphics and sluggish responses, put a damper

on things, especially because the hard-to-

follow sat-nav got us lost several times.

As for space, the 286-litre boot is on the

small side, although most versions will get a

two-level boot floor for added flexibility. Space

in the cabin is better, with room for a 6ft-plus

adult to sit behind another one driving.

All in all, the Yaris has taken a big

step forward and, assuming pricing and

specifications are competitive, it’s a car that

we look forward to testing against rivals.