Toyota Yaris 2011

Gadgets galore

Fri 14 Oct 2011 // 06:00 UTC

Spacious interior

The cabin feels airy and spacious especially, in part thanks to the full length panoramic glass roof. For a small car there is plenty of room in the driver’s footwell.

There's plenty of room in the driver’s footwell

The two-tone dark and light grey colour scheme won’t be to everyone’s taste, but I’ve seen much worse, and the plastics are solid and squeak-free. The light grey areas are ever so slightly spongy giving some tactile as well as visual relief.

Pockets, ledges, cubbyholes and cup-holders abound, while the thin-backed seats manage to be supportive, comfortable and space-saving all at the same time. With 286 litres of space in the boot, the Yaris is a pretty good cargo hauler, though the rear seats only fold rather than tumble forward which is a bit of a missed trick.

The single wiper works well... for the driver

Something else I noticed during my rain-soaked travels was how well the Yaris’ single wiper works. OK, the noticeably good job it does of clearing the driver’s side is balanced by areas left unwiped on the passenger’s side, but that’s a reasonable trade-off.

Verdict

Prices for the new Yaris start at £11,170 but for that you get next to nothing in terms if equipment and the 68bhp 1.0 litre three-cylinder engine, which I suspect will offer worryingly poor performance on the motorway.

If you want the 1.33 litre motor, the trick CVT transmission and all the toys such as Touch and Go, the panoramic glass roof, rain-sensitive wipers, dual-zone air con, keyless entry and ignition, and automatic lights, that will set you back £15,385.

That looks expensive at first glance, but spec up a Ford Fiesta or Nissan Micra to a similar level and it’s not that far from the going rate. ®