Toyota Yaris 2020 Review

This is a bold new direction for the Toyota Yaris. Safer, greener, laden with technology including the first hybrid version and roomier than before; it lands in Australian showrooms this week making quite the statement.

Ordinarily, these improvements would be a recipe for sales success, but in the case of the price-sensitive light-car market, there’s an elephant in the room.

The new Toyota Yaris hatch range is between $7000 and $9000 dearer than before, with a starting price now above $22,000.

For a sales segment populated mostly by price-conscious younger and older drivers, it begs the question: has Toyota priced itself out of the city-car equation?

Toyota believes this is the new cost of doing small-car business, at least where the latest safety and technology is concerned, and has even directed those who can’t afford the new Yaris to its used-car sales program.

The cheapest new 2021 Toyota Yaris, the Ascent Sport manual, is priced at $22,130 plus on-road costs – a rise of $6740 compared to its predecessor.

The most expensive model in the line-up is the $32,100 ZR hybrid tested here, which is a climb of $9430 compared to the previous flagship and effectively replaces the unloved Prius c.

The all-new five-door hatch line-up will be topped in November by the three-door Yaris GR hot hatch, pricing for which could eclipse $50,000.

For now, there are six different Yaris variants spread across two new powertrain choices – a three-cylinder petrol engine and a petrol-electric hybrid system.

The dollar jump means the Yaris now sits much closer to the larger Corolla on pricing. The cheapest Corolla hybrid actually undercuts the entry-level petrol-electric Yaris by more than $1000.

Inside, the new Toyota Yaris is offered with an all-new infotainment system that includes a 7.0-inch touch-screen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and voice recognition.

Entry-level cars now sport LED daytime running lamps, a 60:40-split folding rear seatback, a reversing camera and a USB outlet. Moving up through the model grades brings added features included sat-nav, keyless entry and start, LED headlights and tail-lights, head-up display and more.

Toyota Australia says the Yaris has more safety features than any other model it offers. Thanks to the latest autonomous emergency braking (AEB) tech, it is the first Toyota model available here with the ability to avoid collisions with pedestrian and vehicles both day and night, with cyclists at night and while turning at intersections.

It also debuts a centre airbag to the light-car segment – just as Isuzu has recently done with its D-MAX utility. Other key safety features include lane keep assist and speed sign recognition; but only the flagship ZR grade gets blind spot monitoring, rear-cross traffic alert and front and rear parking sensors.

The new Toyota Yaris will be covered by a five-year/unlimited-km warranty and 12-month/15,000km service intervals for five years/75,000km priced at $195 per service.

Based on Toyota’s TNGA-B architecture, the new Yaris is pretty much all-new from the wheels up.

Compared with its predecessor, it boasts 30 per cent more body rigidity, 15mm lower centre of gravity, an optimised driving position and a more spacious cabin thanks to a wheelbase that’s 50mm longer.

Despite being 40mm lower and 5mm shorter overall, Toyota says headroom isn’t compromised thanks to clever packaging.

The new Yaris platform comprises MacPherson struts up front and a torsion-beam rear-end, with reinforcements to the cowl, rear pillar, tunnel, rear wheelhouse and the addition of a stiffer dashboard panel.

Under the bonnet, the existing 1.3-litre and 1.5-litre four-cylinder engines have been ditched and replaced by a 1.5-litre triple-cylinder in regular 88kW form and as an 85kW hybrid.

The hybrid is the most fuel-efficient model Toyota offers in Australia at a claimed 3.3L/100km average consumption rate. The CVT automatic version of the conventional 1.5 manages a handy 4.9L/100km, while the manual consumes 5.4L/100km.

The hybrid’s 85kW rating combines the engine and electric motor outputs. Toyota does not provide a torque output.

We said at the top that this is a Toyota Yaris unlike any other. Nowhere is that more pronounced than in the cabin.

The 2021 Toyota Yaris is a decidedly more upmarket affair than before, with a well considered cabin layout, a large infotainment screen and excellent oddment storage.

The flagship ZR Hybrid accentuates the Yaris’ more premium positioning with a neat head-up display, multiple digital screens within the instrument cluster and premium materials.

Space is a strong point throughout, with ample room for front-seat occupants and enough toe, knee and head space for a couple of six-foot adults further back.

The new Toyota Yaris has ISOFIX child attachment points on the outbound rear seats, but no rear air-vents and a relatively small 270-litre boot (underslung by a space-saver spare tyre) limit its true child-carrying ability.

On face value, the new presentation here is solid. Delve deeper, however, and Toyota’s higher price positioning strategy for the Yaris begins to unravel.

Hard, cheap-feeling plastics still adorn many of the cabin panels, there is only one USB port and 12-volt outlet in the cabin and at night the dimly-light switchgear makes it difficult to locate basic controls like the door lever.

Look closer and the paint finish on both of the test vehicles we drove leaves a lot to be desired, with overspray underneath the bonnet, firewall and wheel-arches, and basic primer about the only coverage near the spare wheel housing.

We took the time to check this against the Yaris’ key rivals and the Toyota appeared an outlier in this regard. Similarly, the drum rear brakes are nothing to write home about either, and the doors feel tinny upon opening and shutting. These are all points worth mentioning given the Yaris’ huge price hike.

Happily, the new Toyota Yaris has taken a big step forward on-road. There’s a newfound confidence behind the wheel – a youthfulness, even, courtesy of a zippier turn of speed, more refinement and a more athletic dynamic bent.

The three-cylinder engine is a significant departure from the previous four-pot units, with an endearing thrum that is full of character, and a broad spread of power across the dial.

The three-pot engine percolates confidently at low revs and is happy to explore the higher echelons of the rev range, maintaining its composure and pulling strongly. At highway speeds, it purrs along just below 3000rpm.

In the case of the $22K entry car we drove initially, the engine is paired to a smooth shifting six-speed manual that offers a nice throw and adequate spread of ratios.

We then spent most time in the top-shelf ZR Hybrid, which pairs the same basic engine to a 67kW/120Nm electric motor. In ordinary conveyance, the pair makes a formidable combination, with the electric motor providing smooth initial shove, segueing seamlessly into petrol power alone at higher road speeds.

The biggest compliment you can make of the hybrid is that it masks its green credentials cleverly, with strong brake pedal feel and excellent driveline execution across all conditions. As with the hybrid RAV4, it’s a convincing package.

All told, we averaged 6.5L/100km in the regular petrol manual Yaris and just 3.7L/100km in the hybrid, both of which are noteworthy real-world figures across a mix of conditions.

Dynamically, the new Yaris is eons ahead of its predecessors. It encapsulates the fun-to-drive hatch experience with nicely weighted steering and an agile, communicative chassis that breathes over bumps and maintains composure through fast changes in direction.

At the same time, the new Yaris offers excellent stability at highway speeds, and shakes off pitter-patter bumps and larger undulations admirably, especially given its small size.

The dynamic envelope here is much broader than your typical city hatchback, though still not quite as polished as VW's Polo. Even so, there’s more than enough promise to suggest the forthcoming Yaris ZR hot hatch will be a feisty, engaging little jigger.

Upon announcing its ambitious new positioning of the 2021 Toyota Yaris, the Japanese brand justified the huge price spikes by pointing prospective buyers on a tighter budget to its used car program.

That says a lot, but in many ways it seems the high-spec, high-safety strategy is the new price of doing small-car business in Australia. Mazda treaded the same path and so slim are the profit margins at this end of the market that both Ford and Hyundai have completely exited the mainstream light-car sector, as will Honda.

There’s no doubt the 2021 Toyota Yaris is a step-change improvement, but it’s also now pricier than European light-cars like the Renault Clio, Skoda Fabia and Volkswagen Polo.

So it’s highly likely that many people who would typically be attracted to the Toyota Yaris – predominantly younger and older buyers – will be priced out of the equation.

How much does the 2020 Toyota Yaris ZR Hybrid cost?
Price: $32,190 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 1.5-litre three-cylinder Atkinson-cycle petrol, electric motor and lithium-ion battery
Output: 85kW (no torque figure provided)
Transmission: CVT automatic
Fuel: 3.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 76g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not yet rated