The all-new Toyota Yaris Hybrid is surprisingly roomy for small car and super efficient when it comes to using fuel, but it’s missing a certain… je ne sais quoi.
The new Yaris Hybrid really took me by surprise. No, really, it did. Before I first saw it parked up neatly outside the Toyota Ireland offices, I assumed it would look like a car that your mother, and only your mother, would drive. I was wrong.
Okay, so it’s not the sportiest looking machine on the market (the GT86 takes that prize hands down) but you definitely feel more comfortable driving it compared to the first and second generation Yaris’. The front end of the hybrid looks a lot more aggressive compared to the conventional Yaris and it’s been given more aerodynamically efficient front aero corner treatments.
While it is small looking on the outside, it’s surprisingly roomy inside for the driver and passenger alike. The Yaris HSD comes with plenty of legroom in the back and a nice open cockpit, so working things like the A/C and the radio is nice and easy. Overall, the electronics are simple to use so you don’t have to go decoding an enigma just to get your phone hooked up to the Bluetooth.
The only problem with the cabin is the fact that the rear seats are raised slightly higher than the front to accommodate the battery and everything else that’s needed to make this car a Hybrid. So if you’re 6’ 1” or taller then you might find yourself banging your head off the roof on bumpy roads – but hey, it is a B-segment car after all, so what do you expect.
The boot is also quite small. A set of golf clubs will squeeze into it, but you’re going to have to take the longer clubs out first.
The model I tested was the Yaris Hybrid Luxury which comes with 15” alloy wheels, partial leather seats, front fog lights with chrome surround, cruise control, Smart Start and a glove box with a cooler – which is actually pretty cool (in the temperature sense). You’ll find everything else that the conventional Yaris has to offer, but there are also a few nice touches that let you know this is a hybrid car with a personality of its own.
The gear stick is a slick sparkly pearlescent blue, as is the Toyota badge, and ‘hybrid-specific LEDs’ surround the front and rear lights.
The Yaris Hybrid gives us a first look at Toyota’s re-engineered 1.5 litre petrol unit engine combined with downsized hybrid system components. The automatic drive makes it incredibly easy to get from A to B, the but the 1,497cc, 16 valve engine does take some time to get off the line, so I wouldn’t recommend bringing it down to the 1/4 mile stretch anytime soon.
After driving the car for a week you really see the advantages of having a hybrid. With the Yaris HSD there’s no plugging the front of the car into your mains to recharge it. The electric battery recharges itself thanks to its regenerative braking system that maximises the regeneration of energy by the electric motor during deceleration and under braking.
Inside the Yaris Hybrid
The electric motor will power the car until you hit around 60kph and then the engine kicks in to do the brunt of the work. The display on the dash shows you exactly how much battery is being used and also when it’s being charged. So you may find yourself playing games trying to get the battery back up to full charge before you get home – I know I did.
After driving just over 500km in the week there was still just under half a tank of petrol left, which comes in handy when the price of the stuff is as high as it has been lately. The Yaris Hybrid Luxury will also keep the eco-mentalists happy as it only produces 85g of CO2 per 100km, while the standard Yaris Hybrid produces just 79g.
So, how much? Well the Yaris Hybrid comes in at €18,950 while the Luxury version (the one tested) comes in at €19,950. It’s a bit pricy considering the cheapest Yaris starts at €15,555, but then you have to factor in all the cool techy extras and the aggressive design that’s unique to the hybrid.
It would be a great little car for a young couple or for someone looking to reduce their carbon footprint as best they can. But there is something missing in the Yaris. It strives to be the best in its class and the hybrid aspect makes it a very ‘serious’ car; which kind of takes the fun of things.
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