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By
EWAN KENNEDY
20 February 2006
Yaris replaced the Toyota Echo late last year and
is already doing well in the sales race. Which is pleasing to see
because it’s not as cheap as many in its class and it looks as though
many buyers are happy to pay extra for the added quality and security
offered by this little Toyota.
Toyota Yaris has a distinctive European look,
with a short nose, tall body and stylish bob-tail. Which doesn’t
come as a surprise as it was designed on that continent and is a
major seller over there.
The new Yaris is a larger car than the Echo and
can seat four adults in comfort with good legroom and head space.
In a logical world cars like the Yaris would be used as a family
car by many Australians who are currently travelling in large
six-cylinder cars. That is if they are living in cities and
suburbs because the little Yaris isn’t really all that
comfortable on bush roads. It’s fine on motorways, but the rough
stuff can tax the suspension at times.
The main drawback of Yaris as a family car is
that its boot lets it down. It’s shallow to make room for a
full-size spare tyre and can really only carry a single
medium-sized suitcase with, perhaps, some softer bags squeezed
into spaces around it. The rear seat slides forwards to increase
luggage space if you don’t need maximum legroom in the rear
seat. That seat also folds down, in a 60/40 arrangement to further
increase the people/luggage permutations.
Three- and five-door hatchback bodies are the
only Yaris imports at this stage. A four-door sedan was scheduled
for mid 2006, but we understand Toyota Australia is trying to pull
forward its introduction because of complaints about poor boot
space in the hatches. The sedan will provide a lot more boot room.
Yaris power comes from twin-cam four-cylinder
engines of 1.3- or 1.5-litre capacity. Both use variable valve
timing to give good torque across the rev range. Our week’s road
test was of the larger engine mated to a five-speed manual
gearbox. The engine has good performance and is happy to operate
just about everywhere in its rev range.
Fuel consumption was pleasingly low and most
owners would use only about seven to eight litres per hundred
kilometres in country driving. Even around town only the leadfoots
will push it much over ten litres per hundred. As mentioned, that’s
for a manual, expect a Yaris with the four-speed automatic
transmission option to consume about five to ten per cent more.
Antilock brakes, using a refined electronic
distribution system, are standard on all Toyota Yaris models. The
car also comes as standard with two airbags, but for only $750
more can buy a package consisting of side and curtain airbags, as
well as an extra ‘bag that protects the driver’s knees in a
crash. This is a real breakthrough in safety equipment in a car in
this class and it’s to be hoped that many customers will take
Toyota up on the offer of additional crash safety.
Handling is nicely balanced with the little
Yaris holding the road well and responding nicely through the
steering wheel. There's some understeer if you push the car really
hard, but there's no sign of it at sensible speeds.
Around town the Yaris has a solid, refined feel
that bodes well for durability. Rough surfaces, and we’re
talking sealed roads not dirt ones, can challenge the suspension
and the ride is fairly bumpy on occasions. Tyre/road noise sets up
quite a racket on some coarse chip surfaces, to the extent that we
suggest doing a road test on roads like that if you will be using
them very often.
Despite the larger dimensions of the Yaris
compared to the Echo, the turning circle has been reduced to 9.4
metres between kerbs so it can be slotted easily into tight
parking spots.
This latest Toyota small car has almost crept up
into the small-medium category. It has an excellent combination of
refinement, comfort and passenger space that will appeal to many
suburban buyers and sales success seems assured.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
Yaris YRS 1.5-litre three-door hatch - $16,790
Yaris YRX 1.5-litre three-door hatch - $18,290
Yaris YR 1.3-litre five-door hatch - $16,190
Yaris YRS 1.5-litre five-door hatch - $17,990
Yaris YRX 1.5-litre five-door hatch - $19,490
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard on all models
Air Conditioning: Standard on all models
Automatic Transmission: $1500 option on all models
CD Player: Standard on all models
Central Locking: Standard on all models
Cruise Control: Standard on all models
Driver Airbag: Standard on all models
Passenger Airbag: Standard on all models
Front Side Airbags: $750 option on all models
SPECIFICATIONS (Toyota Yaris YR 1.3-litre
three-door hatch)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 1.299 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.5:1
Bore/Stroke: 75.0 x 73.5mm
Maximum Power: 63kW @ 6000rpm
Maximum Torque: 121Nm @ 4200rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Five-speed
Automatic Transmission: Four-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 3.941:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 3750mm
Wheelbase: 2460mm
Width: 1695mm
Height: 1530mm
Turning Circle: 9.4 metres
Kerb Mass: 1025kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 42 litres
Towing Ability: 350kg (700kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, MacPherson struts, lower L-arms,
anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Semi-independent, trailing torsion beam, coil
springs
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Drum
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 12.1 secs
Standing 400 Metres: 18.1 secs
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
City Cycle: 8.7 L/100km
Highway Cycle: 6.4 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000km
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Marque Publishing Company
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