Brussels, Belgium – Toyota has pulled the virtual covers off its new Yaris Cross, and a likely ingredient to its success is that it looks more like a baby RAV4 than a Yaris on stilts.
Although it shares a platform with the recently revealed global Yaris, Toyota has put considerable effort into distinguishing the styling of the Cross derivative, which has its own unique sheet metal and square wheelarches of the kind you’d expect to find on a more off-road oriented SUV. Although the Yaris Cross is not meant to be a true bundu basher, it will be one of the only vehicles in its class to offer all-wheel-drive as an option.
At this stage the new Yaris Cross is not on the cards for South Africa, according to Toyota SA, as it is a European-focused model and our market sources a different Yaris line-up from Asia.
The new Yaris Cross joins the latest global Yaris on Toyota’s new GA-B platform and although it shares a 2 560mm wheelbase with its hatch sibling, the Yaris Cross is 240mm longer, with 60mm added to the front overhang and 180mm to the rear end. The SUV model is also 90mm taller and 20mm wider, while 30mm has been added to the ground clearance.
On the engine front, Toyota is only mentioning a hybrid variant for now, and as per the new Yaris, the drivetrain pairs an electric motor to a 1.5-litre three-cylinder Atkinson-cycle normally aspirated petrol engine for a system output of 85kW.
Depending on the derivative, the Yaris Cross will offer high-end convenience features such as a powered tailgate, while the safety aspect is looked after by a whole suite of Toyota Safety Sense active safety systems, which provide driver warnings as well as braking and steering intervention when needed.
