We review the Toyota eco-Yaris Hybrid from price to economy and all its features
GOING green in Amsterdam usually means a night on the wacky baccy.
Toyota launched their eco-Yaris hybrid in the land of tulips and windmills this week with ownership costs that had me thinking I was hallucinating.
Dam fine ... Yaris proves hybrids can be built as superminis
It costs just £14,995 — that’s £1,000 less than the Honda Jazz hybrid, making it the cheapest hybrid ever built.
It emits just 79g/km of CO2 — 5g/km less than the previous lowest Hyundai i20 — and returns class-leading fuel consumption claimed at 80mpg.
Never mind tulips, this is the fuel sips of Amsterdam.
The Yaris is a hugely important car for Toyota and the world’s motoring industry. It proves full hybrids can be built in the supermini size for the first time — and it’s tipped to boost total Yaris sales by up to 20 per cent.
It also underlines that hybrids can be highly desirable. With a few body tweaks Toyota have given it a kick up the Yaris from dowdy to wowdy.
The 1.5litre petrol engine is combined with an electric motor to produce a total of 99bhp.
The big question was whether it would be more alluring to ride one of the famous bicycles around the Dam rather than the Yaris hybrid?
This Yaris is certainly better looking than its standard brother. The hybrid — with its new sizzling, meaty BBQ-like grille and glitzy LED daytime running lights front and rear — looks more sporty.
Toyota would privately admit this is the car they should have designed for the basic model.
The rest is a shrink-wrapped Prius — an engineering feat in itself. Crucially for a supermini, they haven’t lost cabin or boot space. The interior is a quality affair, nicely finished with a classy media/navigation system.
Once on the move, it also drives like a Prius.
It works perfectly in big cities, providing enough low-end oomph to get from A to B. But it struggled to get up to motorway speeds and, once there, the continual drone from the petrol engine was like being in a room with the vacuum cleaner left on.
I also think it would struggle to get up hills. No wonder this car was launched in Amsterdam and not San Francisco.
However it does outdo the Prius for comfort. It actually rides quite well, apart from the odd pothole.
Stats of 0-62mph in just under 12 seconds and a top speed of around 110mph won’t blow your socks off. For around-town driving it will do a very adequate job. This Yaris is all about real-world fuel consumption of around 65mpg.
The hybrid system offers three different driving modes: Normal, Eco and EV. EV allows the Yaris to run on electric power only for short bursts (something the Jazz Hybrid can’t manage).
more motors
This mode is OK while it lasts — the Yaris is whisper-quiet apart from the slight buzz of the electric motor — but if you so much as breathe on the throttle, the engine kicks back in.
Using Eco mode isn’t that inspiring. It loses far too much power and makes acceleration very slow and noisy.
So, ultimately, it’s best to leave it in Normal which delivers the best all-round drive.
This is a car that requires you to adapt your driving. You need a far more gentle style in order to justify the reason for buying it — economy.
It’s also fun to watch the graphics on the interior screen displaying how efficiently you’re driving and whether it’s the engine or electric motor/battery pack sending power to the front wheels.
It’s available in three trim levels. Entry-level T3 comes with dual-zone air-conditioning, front electric windows, seven airbags, ABS and a CVT automatic gearbox.
T4 adds 15in alloys, front fog lamps, rear LED lights, body-coloured door mirrors and handles, a rear-view camera, as well as USB and Bluetooth connectivity.
The top-of-the-range T Spirit upgrades the alloys to 16in and adds cruise control, automatic headlights and wipers, all-round electric windows, part-leather upholstery and a rear spoiler.
It’s available to order now, with first deliveries scheduled for July for that price of £14,995 — just £600 more expensive than the cheapest five-door diesel Yaris.
There’s no doubt it will save you money for around town plodding around — especially with the low CO2 meaning free road tax and no London Congestion Charge.
The Yaris Hybrid’s biggest problem is the class-leading Ford Fiesta 1.6 TDCi Econetic which boasts similar emissions and power yet far better driving ability — for just £500 more.
But the Yaris does get an auto box — which, along with 65mpg and no road tax, makes it a great buy.
It’s green motoring that will leave you on a high.