Toyota Yaris: More Safety, Style, Comfort And Performance

KEY POINTS

• Yaris range upgraded with improvements in safety equipment, styling, handling and engines
• New specification grades T2, T3 and T Spirit replacing S, GS, GLS, CDX and SR
• Flagship T Sport model now available in five door body style
• On sale in UK from 1 May, priced on the road from £6,995 to £12,495
• Low cost of ownership across complete range with insurance groups from 2E (1.0-litre) to 7E (1.5-litre T Sport)
• Improvements provide additional specification worth up to £500 with no increase in on the road pricing
• ABS and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution standard on all models
• Three point seatbelts provided on all three rear seats
• Passenger airbag standard on T3 grade and above
• Front side airbags standard on T3 grade and above
• Introduction of new 1.3-litre VVT-i 86bhp petrol engine
• Introduction of Multi-mode Manual Transmission (MMT) with 1.0-litre engine, offering choice of clutchless sequential gearshifts or fully automatic operation
• 1.0, 1.3 and 1.5-litre engines all comply with Euro IV emissions standards
• Enhanced body styling with new-look front bumper, mesh grille and ‘teardrop’ headlights; rear bumper and lamp clusters also revised
• New range of body colours and wheel designs
• Quality interior ambience with new fabrics, trim and colours and restyled facia and controls
• Yaris production at Toyota’s Valenciennes factory passes 200,000; now running at one car every minute
• New-look model to build on record 212,618 Yaris sales in Europe in 2002 (33,313 in the UK)

MAKING THE BEST EVEN BETTER

In 1999-2000 the Toyota Yaris made motoring history as the first model to be named both European and Japanese Car of the Year in the same year. Now Toyota has taken the exceptional qualities of its supermini to new levels with a series of changes designed to deliver improved safety and handling, greater economy, more style and better equipment levels all round.

The new-look Yaris goes on sale in the UK on 1 May. The revised range adopts the new Toyota specification grading system, with T2, T3 and T Spirit replacing the previous S, GS, GLS, CDX and SR designations. The T Sport grade continues, but now includes a five as well as three door body style.

On the road prices start at £6,995 for the 1.0-litre T2 and rise to £12,495 for the five door 1.5 VVT-i T Sport. Changes to the Yaris have introduced additional specification worth up to £500, yet there has been no increase in price over the equivalent, previous models.

SETTING STANDARDS IN SAFETY

The Yaris set a new benchmark in car safety in the supermini sector when it was launched, awarded four stars in Euro-NCAP testing and achieving the highest score in its class. Moreover, its performance in side impact crash tests has only been bettered by more recent models, in spite of the fact the 1999 Yaris was not equipped with side airbags.

Toyota is not prepared simply to sit on its laurels; it has made significant safety improvements to the Yaris. Under the skin these include further reinforcement of the impact-absorbing body structure in the front pillars, rockers and the floor. Strengthening the body has also enhanced the Yaris’s ride quality and dynamics and helps reduce levels of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) to levels more usually associated with larger, heavier cars.

In the cabin, driver airbags are standard; a front passenger airbag is provided on all but the entry-level T2 grade models; front side airbags are standard on T3 grade and higher. Three point seatbelts are now provided for all three rear seats.

Special attention has been paid to development of the braking system and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and ABS are fitted to all models in the range.

The restyled headlamps are not just pretty to look at: the larger reflectors project light further ahead and wider, both on dipped and high beam.

NEW AND IMPROVED POWERTRAINS

An all-new 1.3-litre (86bhp) VVT-i engine has joined the Yaris range, alongside upgraded versions of the 1.0 and 1.5-litre VVT-i petrol units. All comply with the Euro IV emissions standards, due to come into force in 2005.

The new 1.3-litre engine has been developed from the 1.0-litre block and is more powerful than the unit it replaces. Both maximum power and maximum torque (122Nm) are achieved at lower engine speeds, providing more flexible driving characteristics and better fuel economy. With manual transmission, the engine can return 50.4mpg in combined cycle driving. Top speed, where permitted, is 109mph (auto 103) and nought to 62mph acceleration takes 12.1 seconds (auto 13.1). Its carbon dioxide emissions level is rated at 133g/km for all except T Spirit grades, T Spirit is rated at 138g/km (auto 150), placing it in band A for Vehicle Excise Duty.

Completing the engine line-up is the 1.4-litre D-4D common rail diesel engine. Using second generation high-pressure common rail technology, the turbocharged unit offers an excellent balance of power, torque and low fuel consumption. Offering 64.2mpg in combined cycle driving, the Yaris D-4D is Toyota’s most fuel-efficient production vehicle.

The 1.5-litre VVT-i petrol engine gives the T Sport performance worthy of its badging: nought to 62mph in nine seconds and a top speed (where permitted) of 118mph.

Another innovation for the new Yaris is Multi-mode Manual Transmission (MMT). Available only as an option with the 1.0-litre petrol engine, it offers the choice of two driving modes: Automatic (E) and Manual (M). Selecting M mode, the driver can enjoy a more dynamic driving experience with clutchless manual gear selection. In E mode the gear changes are fully automatic.

MMT’s electronic sensors and ‘drive-by-wire’ throttle permit optimum gear selection at all times. This means the car is more fuel efficient in automatic mode than the 1.0-litre model with conventional manual transmission.

GRADING STRUCTURE AND EQUIPMENT

The Yaris comes into line with other core Toyota models by adopting the logical ‘T’ grading system.

The entry-level T2 grade specification includes ABS, EBD, ISO-FIX child seat mountings and driver’s airbag. Power steering, a tilt-adjustable steering column, trip computer, 13-inch steel wheels and a radio and cassette audio system with twin speakers are also part of the package. The T2 features body colour-matched door handles and part-coloured bumpers.

Over and above the T2 specification, the T3 grade offers front passenger and side airbags, central double locking with remote activation, electric front windows, 14-inch steel wheels and a four-speaker sound system with radio and CD player.

The T Spirit places the emphasis firmly on comfort and ease of use, offering both manual air conditioning and sunroof, electrically adjustable door mirrors, electric rear windows, front fog lamps and a leather-trimmed steering wheel. Additional audio controls are mounted on the steering wheel. Externally the T Spirit is distinguished by its 14-inch alloy wheels and full body coloured bumpers.

The top-of-the-range T Sport stands out with a body styling kit, 15-inch alloy wheels, sports bumpers, analogue instruments and dedicated red T Sport badging. The vehicle is protected by an integral alarm system.

The grading structure is aligned to a simple price walk system. Five door models are priced at a £500 premium over three door models; moving from the 1.0 to the 1.3-litre engine adds £300; and the 1.4-litre D-4D costs £700 more than the 1.3 petrol. Choosing the new MMT transmission adds £400 to the price of the 1.0-litre manual models, while the automatic gearbox for the 1.3 versions costs an extra £800.

FRESH STYLING

The challenge to the design team was to freshen the Yaris’s appearance without diluting its intrinsic styling values or compromising the benefits of its ‘tall but compact’ profile.

The result is a car that is unmistakably a Yaris, but with fresh detailing, influenced by the Yaris Cabrio concept car presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2000. At the front the bumper and radiator grille have been re-styled and the headlights have a new ‘teardrop’ shape that extends into the top line of the bumper. The inner surface of the headlamps has been given a chrome finish and the radiator grille has a mesh finish, adding to the boldness of the Yaris’s new appearance.

At the rear the theme continues with a new bumper and more sharply styled light clusters, finished in an all-over red tone.

Four new exterior colours are offered: Crystal Silver, Severn Green, Balearic Blue and Ice Blue. Body-coloured door mirrors are also available.

In the cabin materials and colours have been upgraded, boosting the already high-perceived quality of the Yaris. The steering wheel has been redesigned and a new, sleeker looking facia moulding has been introduced in a darker plastic to reduce the level of reflection in the windscreen. Bright metallic detailing on some grades adds to the perception of quality and modern design.

T Sport models now feature a geometric dot pattern on the heater control panel and electric window switch surround. The gearlever has a leather gaiter and a new metallic insert in the knob. The scuff plates are inscribed with the T Sport logo.

PIONEERING PRODUCTION METHODS

The Valenciennes factory in northern France is the European base for Yaris production. The advanced plant showcases the benefits of Toyota’s Global Body Line production process, a flexible system which can adapt to fluctuations in customer demand and so reduce the number of unsold vehicles held in stock.

GBL also makes it easier to switch production to new models, or ramp up production without the need for complex re-engineering. Elements of the production process have been designed so that they can be operated by both robots and people, according to circumstances.

Since production began at Valenciennes in January 2001, more than 200,000 cars have been built. The current production rate is around one per minute.

PRICING AND COST OF OWNERSHIP

The excellent value for money qualities of the Yaris have been strengthened with prices for the new models no more expensive than the equivalent cars they replace and in some cases are considerably cheaper. That is in spite of the fact they benefit from extra specification features worth up to £500.

For example, the new five door 1.4-litre D-4D T Spirit at £11,195 on the road is £700 cheaper than the previous 1.4 D-4D CDX, even though its additional specification is worth £500. The entry-level 1.0-litre VVT-i three door T2 model costs the same as the previous
1.0 S model, even though it now benefits from power steering.

At the other end of the scale the Yaris T Sport retains its £11,995 price for the three door, while the new five door costs £12,495.

In cost of ownership terms, the new Yaris is a strong performer, too. Insurance groupings are highly competitive, ranging from 2E for the 1.0-litre models to 7E for the T Sport versions.

Thanks to advanced engine technology, the Yaris doesn’t require a first 1,000-mile service. Full services are only required every 20,000 miles or two years, whichever is sooner. Every 10,000 miles or 12 months, Toyota recommends a ‘Health and Safety’ check. This takes just 30 minutes and includes an oil and oil filter change and condition check on the air filter, brake pads, discs and rear shoes, tyres and lights.

The new Yaris comes with Toyota’s three year/60,000 miles manufacturer warranty with three year paint and 12 year anti-perforation warranties.

2003 YARIS TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• 15.8secs when MMT is in automatic mode

ENDS