Category: Superminis 
Price Range: £9,325 to £13,805
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.
This is going to be a very cheap car to run. The 1.3, manages 47.1mpg on the official combined test cycle, while the 1.0 achieves 52.3mpg and the D4-D an impressive 62.8mpg. The 1.8-litre manages just 39.2mpg.
Servicing is an annual event and residual values are likely to be strong if the previous Yaris is any guide. Servicing times are lower than those for the old - by 38% in the D4-D's case - and that big nose moulding covers components that are designed to be cheap and easy to replace. The radiator and air-con condenser, for example, are designed to slide back on impact so they escape damage.
Insurance is cheap, too - Group 1E for the 1.0-litre and 1.3-litre petrol cars, 2E for the diesel and 7E for the 1.8-litre SR.
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wrote on 27 02 2009
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