Review of the new Toyota Yaris - Long Term Test

Until the Yaris came along, Toyota was very much an also-ran in the supermini sector. No longer. This car, in first and now second generation guises, has ensured that the Japanese giant is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to small car sales. But in the face of ever-toughening opposition, can it continue to make an impact? To find out, we've added one to our long term test fleet.

If, like me, you haven't had much of a chance to get to know the MK2 Yaris, then you should find it to be much bigger and more substantial than the model it replaces. The Japanese see the Yaris as very much an inspirational vehicle for thirty to forty year olds and have moved it significantly up market, leaving the smaller Aygo to mop up the budget end of the supermini spectrum. Wisely, Toyota have retained and improved the all-aluminium 1.4-litre D-4D turbo charged diesel engine that featured in the old Yaris and this was the unit we chose to power our long term test car.

We also chose our trim level carefully too, opting for the TR trim that is rightly favoured by many current Yaris buyers. In this guise, the car cuts quite at dash while managing to steer well-clear of the kind of extrovert accessories that make some superminis look like they're benefiting from the proceeds of a ram raid at Halfords. The compact, chunky lines of the standard Yaris are lifted by classy 15" Savara alloy wheels and front fog lights. The TR is based on the middle ranking T3 trim level so buyers also get that car's body-coloured door handles and bumpers to enhance its appearance.

Inside, there's more tasteful detailing including chrome scuff plates on the door sills and an upmarket silver-effect coating for the door pulls and handbrake button. Otherwise, equipment levels are high as those familiar with the Yaris range would expect. The TR comes packing desirables such as a six-speaker CD stereo, air-conditioning and no fewer than nine airbags. A matching leather steering wheel and gearknob round things off nicely. TR prices start at well under £10,000 and top out at under £12,000 for the diesel five-door we tried.

"You could imagine running this car without problem for ten years: it feels that well built and designed"

And our experiences with our car? Well, as I write this, it's actually very difficult to think of a single aspect of the car to criticise. All right, so it's not the most exciting supermini of its kind, either to look at or to drive, but as an exercise in covering all the bases, this design has plenty to be said for it. Plus, it also feels very well built. The double-sealed doors have been designed specifically to feel thicker and weightier and shut with a thunk rather than a clang. The unconventional fascia looks far removed from the supermini norm, with a 3D effect on the main display. More conservative buyers may find it a bit unusual but it's certainly distinctive.

The Yaris' diesel engine felt a bit pokier than I remembered and, sure enough, close perusal of the spec details revealed that it's had a bit of refurbishment as part of its installation into the MK2 Yaris model. Basically, that's been about an increase in the injection pressure to 1600 bar with six-hole injectors. This makes the fuel burn more efficiently, giving increased power and better fuel economy. This has resulted in an engine that delivers 89bhp at 3,600rpm compared to 74bhp at 4,000rpm for the previous model. The sprint from 0 to 62mph is achieved in 10.7 seconds going on to a top speed of 109mph.

We haven't spent too much time at the pumps with our car either as, despite its increase in size, this Yaris returns a very healthy 62.8 mpg in the combined cycle. The Toyota's 1.4-litre D-4D also has exemplary green credentials, emitting only 119g/km of CO2. We went for the standard five-speed manual gearbox on our car but we could have chosen Toyota's MultiMode transmission featuring automatic or sequential gear selection.

Despite its 11cm growth in overall length, the Yaris is still shorter than the latest generation of larger superminis such as the Fiat Grande Punto and the Renault Clio. Part of the reason why these cars are so large is compliance with pedestrian impact legislation which is adding a few centimetres to the nose of many models like these. The Yaris gets round this one by arcing the bonnet high over the unyielding mechanicals to provide a deformable surface.

This means that despite being shorter on the outside, the Yaris is competitive in terms of interior space and easy to park at the same time. Fold the EasyFlat rear seats down and you're treated to the largest stowage area of any supermini. This system allows the rear bench to be split 60:40 and both sections to slide independently. Therefore it's possible to transport long, bulky items without impinging on a rear passenger's legroom allowance. With the rear seats in place though, the boot space is tiny.

There's only so much money that can be thrown at a car where margins are this tight and there are plenty of unlined cubbies and hard plastics on display. This is somewhat disappointing for something otherwise so well built. The seats, though lightweight and comfortable, seem rather insubstantial too, Toyota realising that big seats are the enemy of packaging in a small car. Thinner buyers will probably find them OK, but tip the scales at sixteen stone and you'll probably grumble after an hour or so.

On the road, the Yaris 1.4-litre D-4D is a competent if not an exhilarating drive. There is plenty of low-end torque to make town driving a breeze and the steering is light and responsive. Visibility is good all round, except for the large 'A' pillars which you have to peer around on tight bends.

Overall, our first impressions are that the Yaris remains a strong contender in the very competitive supermini sector. You could imagine running this car without problem for ten years: it feels that well built and designed. Believe me, that's not something you could say about many small cars. We're looking forward in the coming months to finding out whether our little Toyota can live up to such high expectations. I'd put money down that it will.

TOP 4 YARIS DEALS

The results below show the top YARIS deals on buyacar

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