Toyota’s sub-4.0m compact ‘superiority’ is underpinned by 4th-gen European Yaris
Reflecting on Toyota’s 1999 replacement for the Starlet model, Iain Robertson recalls an outstanding driving experience in the South of France for a Renault Clio-like hatchback that would shock the European small car sector for several reasons.
Toyota made no bones about it. It was introducing a purposely designed rival to France’s No.1 best-seller and would be manufacturing it at Valenciennes, on Renault’s domestic territory. That first-generation model was all-grey ‘plastique-fantastique’, with its 3D centrally located speedometer and cutesy appearance, but it had competitive menace in its heart.
Notoriously jingoistic, the French buy French products. Yaris would have a snowball’s chance in hell of survival, had it been produced elsewhere but France, which also presented a convenient gateway to the UK and the rest of the EU. Yet, it was also a good car and could hang its reputation for total reliability on countless Gallic coat hooks, further reinforcing its potency. To add insult to injury, it also claimed the European Car of the Year award.
Now, four generations in, the latest Yaris has survived the ‘yer-arse’ jibes, became one of the first connected cars, with the second-gen version and introduced us to a smaller class of Toyota hybrid technology, for an additional sales boost. Yaris has never stagnated, which is a key lesson in product management, from which its competitors have either learned, or been cast aside, as a result. It remains securely in the sub-4.0m class but is packed judiciously with user-pleasing features that continue to move the game on, even though its list pricing is now dipping into stupidly steep territory, starting (in Icon trim) at £19,910, through Design, Dynamic and Excel, to the latest Launch Edition at a whopping £24,005!
You cannot acquire a Yaris unless it is a hybrid. However, typical of Toyota, it is active technology, by which it prioritises its self-charging, electric drivetrain, drawing on its 1.5-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine’s 90bhp, when it needs to, to a maximum combined power of 114bhp. While not exactly banner headline figures, the seamless switching between petrol and electric is precisely what buyers desire; an uncomplicated but moderately frugal and relatively ‘clean’ mode of transport.
Driving its front wheels through an e-CV transmission, Yaris can reach a maximum speed of 109mph, after despatching the 0-60mph sprint in a modest 9.4s. It is hardly going to set the heather alight but is zippy enough for most demands, returning up to an attainable 68.9mpg, while emitting CO2 at a rate around 92g/km, although it can operate at zero emissions dependent on driving conditions, its user paying road tax at the standard rate. Low-cost insurance and a five years, 100,000-miles warranty are more than enough for Yaris customers. Interestingly, the engine and transmission are produced at Toyota’s Polish factory.
Yaris has earned its spurs by providing eminently wieldy transportation that possesses quick steering, compliant suspension and a grippy, well-behaved ‘chassis’. Measured consistently against its key European rivals, it percolates as close to the top of the brew as it needs to, without being outstandingly excellent. Ordinariness is something at which Toyota has become highly adept, after all, if the Yaris buyer wants a sharper and even more focused alternative, there is always the rally homologation version, the ‘halo’ model, if one is available.
Central to the success of Yaris is its application of the torsionally rigid GA-B platform, which lowers the centre of gravity but also allows the suspension to work more efficiently. However, the Yaris also raises the bar on safety, benefitting from a greater range of Toyota Safety Sense active systems as standard. These include Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), such as Lane Trace Assist, Emergency Steering Assist and Intersection Turn Assistance (all of which can be immensely annoying but can be switched off). The functionality of the Pre-Collision System has been increased to allow it to detect pedestrians by day and night and cyclists in daytime driving. New Yaris also offers a ‘segment first’, Intersection Turn Assistance to recognise collision risks with oncoming traffic and pedestrians, such as when making a turn at a junction, and it is the first Toyota to be equipped with centre airbags. These help to prevent driver and passenger colliding with each other in a side impact.
Understanding the importance of Yaris in Europe is essential. Over the past 20 years, it has become Toyota’s most important model, increasing both its sales volume and market share. In 2019 alone, it recorded around 224,000 sales and took 7.6% of the compact car (B) segment, accounting for more than 22% of its new car business. Toyota is predicting that the B-segment will remain a strong part of the European market for the next few years, with Yaris driving directly through it. However, in a market where prices are starting to run away on the back of the pandemic, carmakers attempting to make some hay in difficult trading conditions, care will be needed. Customers are not as easy to find as they were pre-‘lockdown’, regardless of the compelling quality of the product. While I am sure that ‘deals will be doable’ and that discount programmes, as much as manufacturers loathe them, will be rife, Toyota may be forced to underwrite each hard-won acquisition with ultra-competitive lease and PCP rates.
Unusually, the new Yaris is actually shorter than the model it replaces, although it is also wider and squatter than before. Its poise is abundantly clear and riding on standard 16.0-inch, with 17.0-inch diameter optional alloy wheels, it can boast a more athletic appearance. Toyota no longer needs to ape other popular European rivals, which makes its latest outline even more evolutionary. It offers a Yaris byword of good cabin space, supported by a modest boot of around 286-litres capacity.
The all-new Toyota Yaris, presaged in some ways by the sporty GR version we sampled earlier this year, is sure to appeal to a large number of potential customers and it will make a worthy proposition, if the price is right. Yet, Toyota is up against strange market forces at present and, to win, demands significant bowing and scraping.
