12:01pm Thursday 11th June 2009
The Yaris has long been regarded as one of the classier and more stylish superminis.
And it’s enjoyed Toyota’s great reputation for reliability which has made it popular as a family’s second car and, indeed, as a young person’s first set of wheels.
In fact, the only thing the Yaris has really lacked is a good sporty model. Until now, that is.
Here is the SR, a model designed to add a bit of verve into the range and appeal even more to younger drivers.
It has a more purposeful, edgy style and is both capable and a good-looker. Like many sporty hatchbacks, it isn’t an out-and-out performance model. Insurance considerations mean that it has been created more as a warm-hatch than a hot-hatch, as it’s 0-60mph time of 11.7 seconds testifies.
The Yaris is the bestselling Toyota in Europe. Originally launched in 1999, it was restyled in 2003. Last year saw the launch of the second generation Yaris, and from April, the 1.8-litre SR, Toyota’s flagship model went on sale here.
The key for Toyota’s development team was to create a refined, compact sports hatch, with fun-to-drive qualities to appeal to younger buyers, but also with high equipment levels and comfort appropriate for both day-to-day driving and longer trips.
Toyota’s designers have, in part, fulfilled their brief. The sports styling is pronounced. At the front, the SR has a deepened bumper with integrated fog lights, and a large black honeycomb mesh grille.
The rear bumper is also different to the other Yaris models, with a chrome-finish sports exhaust pipe and fog lights.
The body gains 17in alloy wheels, a rear roof spoiler to give it a more aerodynamic look and deep side skirts to emphasise its lower stance. This is afforded by its new suspension, which has been lowered by 8mm.
The sporting and refined look is successfully continued inside – albeit with the odd exception. If this car has a weak point, it is that the dash is a little less classy than you might expect from a Toyota.
That said, comfortable new sports seats welcome both driver and passenger, while a leather-covered steering wheel and gearshift, and clear dials and displays with a warm orange glow, all look the part.
As with the other Yaris models, there is also plenty of space and storage areas.
Things are less comfortable in the back for adult passengers, despite reclinable rear seats, but children are easily catered for. Meanwhile, Toyota’s versatile rear flat-folding system compensates for the small boot space typical of cars in this segment.
But it’s on the road where this warm-hatch should shine, and it does. The 0-60mph time doesn’t sound great (11.7 seconds), but it feels faster.
The 1.3 litre VVT-i engine is a fine specimen. The retuned suspension has improved its stability at higher speeds and body roll has also been reduced, so it does offer improved handling and a firmer ride than the other Yaris models. But Toyota is right; overall, the drive is distinctly unsporty.
The electric power steering dampens the driver’s senses so that traction and stability control buttons start flashing before you can say ‘grip’ on a slightly challenging surface, and it takes real guts, on the driver’s part, to attempt to overtake on high speed stretches of road.
However, Toyota’s Yaris has a long-established reputation as an ideal city car, which is a clue to the Yaris SR’s true identity and purpose.
Why would you give a city car sports performance? It would be wasted in sluggish urban traffic. But, when stuck in a traffic jam, looking the business will please many customers, and the SR’s exterior is bound to turn more than a few heads.
From the inside, the SR has been afforded the highest standard levels of equipment. Here too, the SR is a winner, as superior levels of comfort and refinement do help to keep stress levels to a minimum on long or frustrating journeys.
What the engine also delivers is both lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, while Toyota’s safety and reliability checklist means running costs should be minimal and the SR should sit in a decent insurance grouping, too.
In fact, if you are not anticipating a sporty car from the SR, this model isn’t half bad. More suited to the mature, sophisticated customer than the younger male, it offers a package of solid, reliable performance, enhanced levels of safety and comfort, and plenty of style – inside and out.
PRICE: £11,785. Part of a range costing from £8,995.
ENGINE: A 1,329cc, four cylinder unit generating 100bhp.
PERFORMANCE: Top speed 109mph and 0-60mph in 11.7 seconds.
COSTS: Average 55.4mpg.
EMISSIONS: 120g/km.
INSURANCE: Group 4E.
WARRANTY: Three years/60,000miles.
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