Category: Superminis 
Price Range: £9,305 to £13,785
Lots of space, terrific dashboard design and instruments, much crisper to drive than old model, looks cool.
Smallest-engine version has a clunky ride, rear shelf is cheap and nasty.
The Yaris is one of the most practical, usable superminis of all, and characterful with it.
Toyota always does well in quality and reliability surveys, which bodes well for the Yaris. But it's one thing to be dependable, durable and well-built, quite another to ooze perceived quality.
This Yaris is a step ahead of the old one, with interior mouldings that fit together more snugly; there's some padding on the tops of the door trims, but most of the plastic surfaces are still hard. The "technical" texture is preferable to the former leathergrain, though.
The doors close neatly but a bit insubstantially and the rear shelf is a very cheapskate production - as are the "hammocks" bridging the gap between shelf and sliding rear seat, anchored by nothing more than Velcro. There are no rattles or squeaks, and the structure feels very solid - it's 50% stiffer than before.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Toyota Yaris
wrote on 27 02 2009
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