Toyota Yaris (2006-) Review

On the road

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The Yaris is good to drive, but it won't blow you away. You sit high, and the blue graphics of the instruments are easy to read. The screen is located far enough away from the mirror, in which the driver sees the graphics, to make it easy to focus on the image - very useful if you're long-sighted. All except the base model get reach adjustment for the steering wheel in addition to the rake adjustment, and a comfortable driving position is easy to contrive.

You'd expect a car with Japanese genes to be easy to drive - and the Yaris is, with a light, positive gear change and well-judged weighting for the brakes. The optional MMT (Multi-Mode Transmission) sequential gearbox makes things easier still, but the shifts can be abrupt in the faster-shifting Sport mode because there's less chance to smooth them with judicious accelerator movements. The MMT-equipped diesel is also annoyingly prone to shifting, unbidden, down to first when you would have kept it in second, given the choice.

As before, the steering is electrically assisted but the feel is more natural now, with consistent weighting, credible road feel and crisp response. The Yaris doesn't have the most driver-involving suspension set-up around, but it's taut and precise enough to be quite fun and there's just enough tightening of the cornering line, if you lift off the accelerator, to help point you into the corner you might have just misjudged.

Clearly, the 1.8-litre petrol is the most powerful with 131bhp and 128lb-ft of torque, giving a 0-62mph time of 9.3secs and a 121mph top speed.

For most drivers however, the 1.4-litre diesel will give more than enough performance for the road. It has a healthy 88bhp and 140lb-ft of torque - it manages 109mph and reaches 62mph in 10.7 seconds. The 1.3-litre petrol is tardier (106mph, 11.5 seconds) but claws back points by being smoother, sweeter, quieter and much revvier.

And the 1.0? A Yaris weighs more than an Aygo (although the 1.0-litre one stills snicks under the one-tonne watershed in three-door form) so you'd expect an entry-level Yaris to be quite sluggish. The figures bear that out - it posts a 96mph top speed and a 15.7-second 0-62mph time - but the relaxed, low-pitched, three-cylinder note makes you think the engine is working less hard than it really is. Consequently you're less aware of its limitations, but loading the Yaris with five people would probably kill its performance completely.

It's interesting that the acceleration figures are significantly worse with an MMT transmission, reflecting its relatively tardy getaway and shift speed.