Australian New Car Buyer – June 2019

AUSTRALIAN NEW CAR & SUV BUYER’S GUIDE | 145

T

oyota’s Yaris is getting
fairly long in the tooth now
but it still offers value and, for
many people, the compelling
reassurance of the Toyota badge
is reason enough to put their
money down on one.
The base 63kW 1.3-litre fi ve-
speed manual Ascent fi ve-door
hatch is $15,390. An 80kW
1.5-litre petrol four powers the
mid-level SX and top-spec ZR
hatchbacks, priced at $18,080 and
$22,570 respectively. The four-
speed auto adds $1530 to Ascent
and SX and is standard on ZR.
I’ve driven the 1.5-litre and
1.3-litre Yaris and the smaller
engine is fi ne for scooting around
town, where it returns very low
fuel consumption fi gures on
regular unleaded.
The 1.5 feels dated and
unresponsive compared with
newer engines in the class

(notably the Kia Rio’s 1.6 and the

VW Polo’s 1.2 turbo), especially

with only four ratios in the

automatic. It does the job but

with no joy or enthusiasm.

A six-speed auto would help

its cause immensely. Toyota

has made the accelerator overly

sensitive, probably to compensate

for the 1.5’s lack of verve, and this

can be annoying in traffi c.

The four-speed has yawning

gaps between ratios and an

irrational, irritating tendency

to kick down to third gear from

fourth when you touch the

brake. When you want decent

acceleration from fourth it lurches

down to second, where you get

lots of noise and not much else.

Handling is vice-free and the

Yaris sits on the road with good

composure for a small car.

Toyota claims to have further

improved the Yaris’ dynamics

and ride on the current

model, with a stiffer body and

recalibrated suspension.

The electric power steering,

though, is calibrated for easy

parking in shopping centres. On

the road, at any speed, it’s vague

and overassisted.

Ride comfort is very good for

a small car, as are the brakes.

Toyota has also given the

current Yaris an interior makeover,

adding equipment and redesigning

the cabin along Corolla lines.

All models now have a

reversing camera, cruise control

and touchscreen infotainment.

ZR includes navigation, the

Toyota Link connectivity system

via your mobile phone and voice

control for Bluetooth.

Automatic emergency braking,

lane departure warning and

automatic high beam are

standard on ZR hatch and a $650

option on Ascent and SX hatch.

The comfortable, supportive

driver’s seat has plenty of travel,

but wheel-reach adjustment is

limited so tall drivers will still

be a bit cramped. The upper belt

anchorages are not adjustable.

The back seat is spacious and

comfortable by class standards,

with easy access.

The boot offers usable

space, with a removable divider

allowing you to use it as a split-

level arrangement.

Toyota offers fi xed-price

servicing on Yaris, at $130 a time

for the fi rst six services over

three years, and because it’s a

Toyota I can almost guarantee

nothing will ever go wrong with it.

Although most of its rivals,

notably the Kia Rio, Mazda2,

Suzuki Swift and Volkswagen

Polo, are newer and better cars

to drive, the Toyota Yaris still

makes a powerful case if you

just want simple, safe, no-grief,

low-cost transport.

S TOYOTA YARIS FROM $15,390

THINGS WE LIKE

 Bulletproof Toyota engineering

 Spacious, comfortable interior

 Cheap to run, with fi xed-price

servicing and strong resale values

 Reasonable dynamics and good

ride comfort

 Safe and solid

THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE

Engine feels a bit old

So does the four-speed auto

Minimal covered storage

Auto kickdown when you touch the

brakes is annoying in traffi c

SPEX (SX auto)

Made in Japan

1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol/four-

speed auto/front-wheel drive

80kW of power at 6000rpm/141Nm

of torque at 4200rpm

0–100km/h: N/A

5.3L/100km highway; 7.9L/100km

city; 91 octane regular; CO 2

emissions are 147g/km

Warranty: Five years/unlimited km

Standard: Seven airbags, stability

control, touchscreen audio,

Bluetooth with audio streaming,

reversing camera, cruise control

15-inch alloy wheels

Redbook future values: 3yr: 48%;

5yr: 37%

Safety

ANCAP

Green Vehicle Guide

Performance

Handling

Quality and reliability

Comfort and refi nement

Value for money



Overall



STARS

compare with ...

Honda Jazz, Hyundai Accent, Kia

Rio, Mazda2, Suzuki Swift, VW Polo