Upgrades a big plus for little Yaris

ROAD TEST: Toyota Yaris 1.3

Johannesburg - Let me start by saying that you’d be forgiven for thinking that the subject of this road test, Toyota’s funky little Yaris, is an all-new car.

It’s actually a recently-launched in SA facelift – but facelifts generally involve a new headlight here and a colour-coded doorhandle there. They don’t tend to include around 1000 newly-engineered parts inside and out, let alone an all-new face (courtesy in this case of the carmaker’s design studio in France).

So, like some of you, I was a little surprised that so much effort was put into a Yaris midlife update – but surprised in a good way as I quite like what the Japanese carmaker has done in terms of the whitenings-and-brightenings. That most-obvious feature, the new cross-shaped front bumper (which we reckon looks like a fu-manchu moustache) is a breath mint in the segment, and most I asked were quite fond of the look (someone in our parkade commented that it reminded her of a bow on the bonnet, and that it was very “girly”).

STYLISH AND SOLID

So good on you Toyota for taking such a bold step. Now if only our local distributors had brought in the similarly-stylish Corolla which the US market gets – versus the more generic one we got – but that’s for another road test.

Other more-regular Yaris body improvements include a redesigned rear bumper with an integrated diffuser, and new LED taillights. The interior, like the car’s nose, is just about all-new too, scoring restyled instruments, larnier chrome trimmings, softer surfaces, and better seat fabrics.

And I can report that a week of living in there left me with an impression of comfort and solid build quality.

I especially liked the little storage compartment with a lid, which hid prying eyes at robots from my wallet stored inside; the stylish key-fob was very European-design-school; the front seats were especially comfy with a Recaro-like sporty shape; and the rear-seatbelt warning indicator was handy when kids didn’t buckle up.

The big single wiper blade and centre-console touchscreen were nice touches too; while rear legroom seemed adequate for the average-sized adults I hauled around.

SMALL NIGGLES

Little things I reckon they could look at with the next-gen Yaris include more reach on the steering; the touchscreen menu could be more intuitive; I’d like a real temperature gauge (so I know when my engine is starting to pick up Ebola); and then my usual parenting bugbear – my eleven-year-old could barely reach the handle on the tailgate when it was open.

My final observation, if you’ll indulge me, was a little sneaky from Toyota and involved the measurement of fuel consumption.

The instrument cluster gives you instant and average readings, but that average reading is per trip, and irrespective of longer Trip A or B distances this reading fluctuates. Peering through the fancy touchscreen menus you find consumption plottings, but these show you past trip records and will only tell you the “best” consumption, and not the overall average consumption. Like I said, sneaky.

My best consumption then over various trips was 7l/100km, while a fair average with that moving goal-post average reading was 8l/100km - neither of which is sterling for a little 1.3-litre motor (Toyota claims 5.6l/100km).

NEEDS A TURBO

Which brings us then to the engine. Call me spoilt, but the force-fed little powerplants we’re seeing more and more of in many cars these days are definitely the way forward. VW’s little 1.2 turbo engine, for example, makes this Toyota’s normally-aspirated 1.3 feel like the one which was in my mum’s ‘84 Corolla.

It tries hard, I’ll give it that, but the 73kW and 125Nm claimed on paper are chewed and spat out by Gauteng’s high altitude.

Sure, I like that Toyota has thrown in a sixth gear, but sans voomah that extra gear is about as useful as a deck chair on the sinking Titanic.

The Yaris is quiet to pilot, with a very easy driving nature going for it – but the electric steering is a little over-intelligent, if you get my drift, battling to provide real road feedback. I liked the handling, though, with this Yaris feeling like it could easily handle more gusto from the lazy tenant in the engine bay (part of the facelift included a stiffer rear torsion-beam suspension and softer front springs).

VERDICT

At R194 300 for the 1.3-litre I can’t believe how expensive the Toyota Yaris has become.

I remember attending a Yaris entry-level three-door launch years ago, and the whole point was how Toyota got the car in at under the hundred-grand mark. It’s not just the Yaris, though; similarly powered and specced competitors in the Chev Sonic hatch, Ford Fiesta, Honda Jazz, Hyundai i20, Kia Rio hatch and Opel Corsa ranges all cost similar money.

My choice? The recently-facelifted VW Polo – which gets a sparkler of a 1.2 turbo engine, and at R194 500 for the Trendline is almost-identically priced.

Follow me on twitter: @mineshbhagaloo

FACTS

Toyota Yaris 1.3

Engine: 1.3-litre, four-cylinder petrol

Gearbox: Six-speed manual

Power: 73kW @ 6000rpm

Torque: 125Nm @ 4000rpm

0-100km/h (claimed): 11.7 seconds

Top speed (claimed): 175km/h

Consumption (claimed): 5.6 litres per 100km

Price: R194 300

Warranty: Three-year/100 000km