Toyota Yaris

The design flourish continues on the inside too. The Vios-inspired instrument cluster has given way to an Optitron meter from the Corolla Altis. The seats have a new fabric while the touchscreen infotainment has been retained from the outgoing version. The new Toyota Yaris’ music interface is a bit laggy and could have done with better graphics as well. The automatic climate control system works well and cools the cabin within seconds. Space at the front is good enough, however, the steering wheel has limited adjustment. There is no telescopic functionality and this might prove to be a problem for shorter drivers.

The back seats too are comfortable for three. However, the seat back is a bit too relaxed and the sloping roofline eats into headroom. If you’re above 6ft in height, then you will find yourself cooped in the car. Boot space is good and if you tumble the second-row bench, it becomes even better. After all, the wheelbase of 2,550 mm is more than the aforementioned competition.

Build quality is typical Toyota - taut. We like the way the controls are all laid out logically. We also wish Toyota could have added more buttons on the steering console to make things easier for the driver.

Passenger and boot space

Sharing its platform and most of the cabin with the XP150 Toyota Vios sedan, the Yaris hatchback offers a great sense of space on the inside. The hatchback comes with a 6-way adjustable driver’s seat and a 4-way adjustable co-driver seat, along with a 60:40 split arrangement for the rear seats in both of its variants. All four door panels inside the car come with bottle holders carved into them, with the front ones also having map pockets within them. The centre console at the front also has the facility to accommodate two cups/bottles. 

With a length of 4140mm, a width of 1730mm and a height of 1500mm, the Toyota Yaris is one of the largest-sized hatchbacks offered in the Philippines car market. It translates to segment-best legroom, knee room, shoulder-room and headroom for both front and rear passengers. Toyota hasn’t revealed the boot space of the Yaris, though it is believed to be segment-leading among hatchbacks. 

Comfort and entertainment

Despite its premium positioning as a more desirable and larger hatchback over entry-level offerings, the Toyota Yaris lacks several modern-day features which are nowadays taken for granted. In terms of comfort and convenience features, the Toyota Yaris feels like a car from a decade ago.

The car comes with an LCD screen for the MID in the instrument console, which offers decent information but looks a bit dated. The same is the case with the 6.75-inch touchscreen infotainment system – while it packs in new-age essentials like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, the UI looks dated and the touch responsiveness could be better. 

The Toyota Yaris is also packed with only bare essentials considered for this segment, such as automatic climate control, steering-mounted audio and Bluetooth controls, all four power windows and two drive modes (eco and sport). The hatchback misses out on some modern-day cool bits like a wireless charger, ventilated front seats, sunroof and rear AC vents. 

The Toyota Yaris is based on the XP150 series Toyota Vios sedan and is regarded as the hatchback version of the same. It rightfully deserves the tag, for this facelifted version of the hatchback shares its front profile and the design of the B-pillar with the sedan version. However, post the B-pillar, the Yaris has distinctive rear door panels and a rear profile, which makes it look like a proper five-door hatchback and a stylish one in the process. 

The facelift which Toyota gave to this Yaris made it a hot looker, especially from the front. The front profile of the Yaris looks extremely stylish and aerodynamic, thanks to the sleek bonnet lines and a curvaceous fascia. The sleek V-shaped fascia of the Yaris includes a body-coloured V-shaped centre panel, which houses a Toyota logo and chrome garnish on both sides, making it look like a cat’s whiskers.

The chrome linings over the small grilles extend towards the sweeping long headlamp clusters, which come integrated with all-LED headlamps and LED daytime running lights on the outer corners. The front bumper of the Yaris houses a large trapezoidal air dam, which serves as the main grille and has honeycomb mesh all over it. The L-shaped surrounds for the LED fog lamps and outer edges of the front grille come with piano black garnish for an added essence of premium-ness. However, most of these elements are restricted to the higher-spec 1.5 S variant, with the 1.3 E variant getting halogen headlamps and missing out on LED DRLs, chrome garnish and fog lamps.

The side profile of the Toyota Yaris carries forward that sense of athleticism, which is evident in the sharp curve flowing through the door panels. Apart from that, the side profile of this hatchback looks rather simple with rounded wheel arches and large-sized window panels. The Yaris comes with 15-inch machined alloy wheels and turn indicators on ORVMs. Talking about the ORVMs, they are electronically adjustable in both variants, while they are electronically foldable in the 1.5 S variant. The door handles are body-coloured in 1.3 E and chrome-plated in 1.5 S variants. 

The rear profile of the Toyota Yaris comes with large-sized combination tail lamps at the back, which come with LED inserts in the higher-spec variant, which also gets a roof-mounted body-coloured spoiler. Both the variants come with a shark fin antenna and rear wiper, washer and defogger. 

Toyota hasn’t revealed the official figures for the fuel efficiency of the Yaris. However, the premium hatchback is believed to be one of the most fuel-efficient cars sold in the Philippines. The owners of the 1.3 E variant are reportedly getting fuel efficiency between 17-17.5 kmpl, whereas those of the 1.5 S variant claim to get 15.5-16 kmpl in real-world driving conditions.

Q. What is the fuel efficiency of the Toyota Yaris?

Ans– While the 1.3 E variant of Yaris is believed to deliver 17-17.5 kmpl, the 1.5 S variant can return 15.5-16 kmpl.

The Toyota Yaris rides on MacPherson strut with stabiliser in the front and a torsion beam type with stabiliser at the back. The chassis has been tuned for ride comfort more than handling. If you check it, you will realise that the 2018 Yaris facelift, has dropped some of the harshness off its ride quality. It still rides firm but is far better in compliance when it comes to the potholes or road irregularities. We also like the handling. It is not exciting but is safe enough. You can take corners at wee bit better speeds than you would in the pre-facelift model. The steering is a bit heavy but maintains its heaviness at high speeds as well. The turning radius of 5.2 meters is conservative by large hatchback standards.

Ground clearance of 160 mm is more than enough to tackle what the everyday Manila road will throw at you. However, load the car up and the suspension sags a bit. You got to be a tad slower on speed humps if the car has a full complement of passengers and their luggage.

Drive and performance

The compact cars from Toyota are not regarded as pure driver’s delight, and this version of the Yaris is no different. The suspension combination of the Toyota Yaris – Macpherson struts at the front and torsion beam at the rear – are tuned more towards comfort rather than offering tuned settings for precision and thrill in the driving experience. Even the light-weighted steering lacks the feedback one expects at higher speeds. However, all these attributes, which might be shortcomings from an enthusiast’s point of view, are acceptable to a common layman. With a well-sorted ride quality and light steering input, the Yaris is a fine car for urban traffic situations, making it a good everyday car.

Q. What are the engine options offered in the Toyota Yaris?

Ans – There are two engine options available in the Toyota Yaris – a 1.3-litre 99 PS petrol engine and a 1.5-litre 107 PS petrol engine, both of which are offered with a CV gearbox. 

Safety features

Apart from the comfort and convenience features, the Toyota Yaris also falls short on safety and security features. Unlike many other small cars which are now coming with ADAS features, the Toyota Yaris gets none of them. Instead, it gets only the bare-basic essential safety features like front, side, curtain and driver knee airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, vehicle stability control, hill start assist and ISOFIX mounts for child seats. The surprising omission of reverse parking sensors and camera can be bothersome for a few people, especially those who are new to driving even a car as compact as the Yaris.

Q. Is Toyota Yaris a safe car?

Ans – The Toyota Yaris comes with essential safety features like seven airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, vehicle stability control, hill start assist and ISOFIX mounts for child seats.

Value for money

As mentioned above, the Toyota Yaris is available in two distinctive variants – 1.3 S and 1.5 G, the prices of which are as follows:

Toyota Yaris 1.3 E – PHP 973,000

Toyota Yaris 1.5 G – PHP 1,114,000

The Yaris is the only other hatchback sold by Toyota in the Philippines – the other one is the smaller and more affordable Toyota Wigo. 

Warranty

Toyota is one carmaker which pays a keen focus on reliability, and the Yaris follows the brand’s ideology of offering a fuss-free ownership experience. The hatchback is offered with a five-year or 150,000 km warranty (whichever comes first). 

Q. What is the warranty offered in the Toyota Yaris?

Ans – Toyota offers a standard warranty of 5 years or 150,000 km (whichever comes earlier) on the Yaris. 

Toyota Yaris vs the Competition

Being a premium compact car, the Toyota Yaris faces stiff competition from some of the well-heeled competition from traditional rival brands, which are as follows:

Toyota Yaris vs Honda City hatchback – Compared to the Toyota Yaris, the Honda City hatchback is a newer and feature-packed car. It gets a rev-happier petrol engine, more sense of space and better levels of equipment and quality. It replaced the Honda Jazz in the Philippines car market, which debuted in the same time frame as the Yaris. Compared to its predecessor, the City hatchback feels fresher and is a better alternative than the Yaris hatchback. 

Toyota Yaris vs Kia Rio – The Toyota Yaris and Kia Rio feel similar in many aspects – be it the fanciness in exterior styling or the performance of their petrol engines. However, in comparison, the Rio feels a bit more premium on the inside, with marginally better fit and finish and equipment levels. Though, the fuel efficiency of the Yaris is better than the Rio in everyday driving cycles. 

Toyota Yaris vs Suzuki Swift – Compared to the two competitor cars mentioned above, the Suzuki Swift is smaller in size than the Toyota Yaris. It means that the Swift lacks the sense of space and comfort offered by the Yaris. However, in terms of equipment levels and quality, both cars fare equally better. The Swift excels in fuel efficiency with best-in-class figures. 

Is Toyota Yaris worth buying?

The Toyota Yaris might not be a car for people who are looking out for an out-and-out trendy and modern car, due to the lack of features and a slightly boring and dated interior layout. However, the Yaris makes up for the compromise with its keen focus on long-term reliability, refinement, comfort and space on offer, making it a more practical car for mature minds.