2015 updated exterior and interior look much better; spacious inside; brilliant manoeuvrability for the city; stiffer chassis means better ride and more refinement
Some interior plastics still look/feel hard
Toyota dominates the new car sales landscape in Australia, its 203,501 sales in 2014 almost doubling second-best Holden’s 106,092. Toyota has no weak links in its model range and a perfect example is the Yaris compact hatchback which scored a significant upgrade for 2015.
The Toyota Yaris heads into 2015 taking-on the all-new Mazda2, all-new Honda Jazz and soon the all-new Hyundai i20. Last year sales honors in this ultra-competitive segment went to the i20, by about 1500 vehicles to the ‘2’ with the run-out previous generation Yaris about 700 units behind in third.
Fact is, across the range, Toyota’s volumes were down last year compared to 2013 - so the Japanese giant is actually under pressure and can’t afford to let sales slip in any segment. Arrival of the new ‘2’ and Jazz as well as the looming all-new i20 means there will be good news for new car buyers throughout the year.
Sales team keep your pencil sharpeners ready.
Toyota Yaris Overview
Toyota handed www.carshowroom.com.au the keys to a mid-grade –and slightly sporty – SX model Yaris hatchback five-door (five-speed manual) which will set you back $17,790. A four-speed automatic Toyota Yaris SX is stickered at $19,390 and of course the Yaris range kicks-off at $15,690 for the Ascent grade manual.
The 2015 upgrades for the Toyota Yaris saw fairly significant improvements to the looks inside and out, extra specification and the axing of the three-door hatchback models. Toyota Yaris now boasts as standard 15-inch wheels, cruise control, reversing camera, 6.1-inch touchscreen, reach adjustment for the steering wheel and a six-speaker audio system.
Only $400 more than its superseded namesake, Toyota says the SX model Yaris we tested adds around $1,000 worth of extras including privacy glass, front fog-lights, new wheel covers and the reversing camera.
Toyota Yaris Engine
Toyota Yaris SX scores the naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine. It’s definitely superior to the Ascent model’s 63kW/121Nm 1.3-litre powerplant so worth the stretch if your dollars can make it.
The 1.5-litre engine is good for 80kW/141Nm and drives through either a five-speed manual transmission (as tested) or a four-speed automatic).
Combined-cycle fuel consumption is rated at 5.8l/100kms.
We’ve driven plenty of distances in Toyota Yaris models over the years and we can confirm this latest update does offer noticeably better refinement with the 1.5-litre much more subdued even when working hard.
Toyota Yaris The Interior
Major changes inside for the updated Toyota Yaris – and they’re all good. Opening the driver’s door for the first time, as an overview, we must say the latest Toyota Yaris looks and feels much more substantial and distinctly up-market over the previous generation.
That’s a combination of a much-improved new dashboard design, new steering wheel, more upscale materials and extra sound-deadening. Pleasingly the new sporty and thick steering wheel now adjusts for rake and reach to provide a much more tailored driving position.
That new-look dashboard incorporates the 6.1-inch display audio screen which doubles as the reversing camera image. Screen operations emulate smartphones with ‘touch’, ‘drag’ and ‘flick’ functionality.
Same Toyota Yaris space and practicality however with plenty of room in both seating rows and no shortage of storage locations for odds-n-ends.
Luggage space (rear seat in-place) is 286-litres – enough to handle the weekly grocery shopping for a family of four we discovered. The rear seat split-folds 60/40 for versatility.
Toyota Yaris Exterior & Styling
For the 2015 updates Toyota Yaris scored a significant new look which we must say is much more…erm…’masculine’. This is highlighted by the muscular front-end (Toyota says it’s “more assertive”) with a new-design grille combination which is downright sporty.
The slimline upper grille and trapezoidal lower grille cross at the centre where the larger Toyota logo is situated.
At the rear, new lights and trim around the numberplate combine to give the impression of extra width.
Toyota Yaris On The Road
As we mentioned, this updated Toyota Yaris is a clear improvement in terms of refinement. And the work has been substantial – for example there’s a new cowl louvre at the base of the windscreen to reduce air turbulence, more sound-deadening material (and it’s thicker) and improved seals.
Underneath, additional spot welds have been added to improved rigidity in order to reduce NVH and improve steering response. In addition, the suspension has been recalibrated.
Combine all of that with the improved driving position courtesy of the rake/reach adjustable steering and the latest Toyota Yaris is a much improved ‘drivers’ car. It’s no Lexus LFA 86 but it’s much better than the previous generation.
Naturally the 15-inch wheel/tyre combo doesn’t deliver LFA-like levels of grip but the Yaris does turn-in reasonably competently (understeer still an early arriver) and does a much better job of absorbing mid-corner bumps without the need for steering corrections. Yes there’s a fair bit of body-roll when pressing-on hard but we could name several major rivals which aren’t as sporty in their responses.
Around town the Toyota Yaris was in its element with compact dimensions, lots of steering lock and good all-round visibility providing for easy maneuvering. And top marks to Toyota for the Yaris’ standard reversing camera – unbelievably still uncommon in this league.
Finally a word about the five-speed manual transmission. Normally this would attract some criticism from us (we do have 10-speed automatics these days) but Toyota has cleverly matched the Yaris’ five-speeder to the 1.5-litre engine and it provides good low-end response for freeway merging and relaxed highway cruising – very smart.
Toyota Yaris Issues
Yes we know these sorts of cars are all about practicality. That said if the question was about driving dynamics the answer is the updated Toyota Yaris still doesn’t match the Ford Fiesta or Mazda2.
Toyota Yaris Verdict
We love the Toyota 86 sports coupe, we’d happily own a Kluger SUV and there’s no doubt the Prius turned the world onto hybrid technology while the likes of Porsche were just dreaming of it. But it’s cars like the Yaris, Corolla and Camry which are the backbone of the world’s biggest car company.
While company president Akio Toyoda has tasked his teams to bring more ‘Fun To Drive’ and personality to the model lineup, the vast majority of buyers in the compact hatchback segment demand practicality and reliability above all else – Toyota Yaris strong points to a tee. And yes, the new-for-2015 styling changes have delivered a better look inside and out – part one of Akio’s plan and we bet the all-new Yaris whenever it appears will be right at the front of the pack for dynamic all-new looks.
So you just can’t go wrong with a Toyota Yaris. There might be some compact hatchbacks which are better value and there might be some which are more rewarding to drive – but (despite not being the freshest design) as an all-rounder it’s very hard to beat.
Maybe Toyota’s cricket sponsorship should extend to a prize for all-rounders –a shiny new Toyota Yaris (but maybe not the brilliant pink colour of our test car).
Toyota Yaris The Competition
Hyundai’s i20 is the segment’s best-seller because it offers a lot for your coin. The ‘Active’ model five-door ($16,590 for the six-speed manual or $18,590 for the four-speed auto) runs the 74kW/136Nm 1.4-litre engine with 6.3l/100kms combined-cycle fuel consumption. Interior space is reasonable but ticking the value-for-money box always scores big in this league. The all-new Hyundai i20 is due this year.
The German-origin Fiord Fiesta is a Car Showroom Favourite compact hatchback. The ‘Trend’ model competes with the Toyota Yaris SX and, priced at $17,825 (five-speed manual) and $19,790 (six-speed auto), there’s no denying its value. Ford’s 82kW/140Nm isn’t the most powerful amongst similar rivals but for ride and handling the Ford Fiesta and the Mazda2 are the pick of this class.
Honda’s all-new Jazz delivers the smartest interior amongst this lot. But at $19,790, the Toyota Yaris SX-rivaling Jazz VTi-S (CVT auto only) is getting pricey (Honda Jazz starts at $14,990).
The all-new Mazda2 is the other Car Showroom Favourite compact hatchback. Mazda didn’t leave much on the shelves when they kitted the all-new ‘2’ with ‘SkyActiv’ everything, cute looks and lots of kit.
