Toyota Yaris 2018 Review

Photo Courtesy:TOYOTA India

Toyota Yaris is first of its kind in India which has been available in other countries for long. They have launched only the sedan model of Yaris in India and there's no clue of the launch of the hatchback version any soon; which looks better though.

Looks and Design

In terms of looks, I don't like it. Doesn't matter in which angle I look at it, it doesn’t appeal to me as attractive. Some find it pretty and cool but, in my eyes, it is below average.

At the front, it has a snake-like face, a bit pointy, actually, with all thing pointing at the centre. From sides it's neither bad nor good but, with the small wheels, it looks a bit odd but, going to the back it manages to look ok.

She has good length and height but when it comes to width, it is small which for me feels like a bit bad proportion. From inside, it gets better; nice seats with good seating position not just in the front but also at the back, still when you look on the dashboard with their new design, what they are calling waterfall design; from some angle it looks good but from few other angles, it's not so good.

The quality of the interior could have been improved, everything is plastic and it doesn't give a good feel to touch. There is one great idea used in the cabin roof mount air vents, because of which there is no congestion for air vents below giving much better rear space. It has got a 4.5 inch TFT screen which is next to speedometer giving all information about car plus they have also given it a nice Yaris welcome logo. It has got a nice big touchscreen infotainment system with hand gesture control and Dolby system. It lacks apple car play and android auto. It has got front and rear parking sensor with rearview camera. It has got HSEA(IR cut) Acoustic and vibration control glasses giving the cabin cool and less noisy environment.

Photo Courtesy:TOYOTA India

Safety

In this segment, this is the first car to be concentrating so much on the safety. It has got 7 airbags as standard and with all 4 wheels having disc brakes, which is a great thing as in India people don’t care much about safety, I don’t know why. It’s not just airbags, but also the ABS is standard. There is also EBD+BA which helps in breaking distributing different breaking at different wheels so that transfer of car weight can be proper without putting weight on just one side of wheels giving better stopping control. There is also tyre pressure sensing system which gives a warning if the tyre pressure is not right for all 4 wheels. It has got one more add-on which is VSC which is called as vehicle stability control system which helps in better controlling so that the car won’t lose control.

Photo Courtesy: TOYOTA India

Specification

Engine & Transmission

Variants	J	G	V	VX
Model	2NR FE, 4 Cylinder Inline, 16 Valve Dual VVT-i
Displacement	1496 cm 3 (cc)
Fuel Supply System	Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI)
Fuel Type	Gasoline
Max. Power	79 kW (107 PS) @ 6000 rpm
Max. Torque	140 (Nm) @ 4200 rpm
Fuel Efficiency (kmpl)	17.1 (MT) / 17.8 (CVT-i)
No. of Gears	6 Speed Manual / 7 Speed Super CVT-i

Photo Courtesy:TOYOTA India

Performance

Let’s talk about the performance. It has only 1.5l petrol engine for version launched in India, producing 107 HP @ 6000 RPM and 140 NM of torque @ 4200 RPM which might sound good enough but it is not, in the competition it has lowest power output.

It has got nice low and mid-range power but she likes to be in nice steady pace, if you would try to push her hard you can even hear that roaring sound that says she doesn’t like it and she is underpowered. If you drive it nice with gentle throttle there are no issues and you will enjoy the refinement. In terms of dynamics, the chassis balance is nice and it can handle corners well. Still, the steering feedback is not that good. Breaking powers is good because of the help of all techs in the car. The ride quality is something you can feel and it is really good, and with body role controlled so well gives you confidence and high-speed stability.

Price: 9,85,000-16,25,000INR (on road price)

Photo Courtesy:TOYOTA India

Final verdict:

Looks and design: 6/10

Specs & features: 9/10

Dynamics & performance: 7/10

Safety & quality: 9/10

If you’re looking for safety, ride quality and tech, this is the car you should go for. It's really good on-road manners with all the safety features. But if you like rash driving and you love more horsepower and stunning looks, this is not the car for you. 

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