2015 Toyota Yaris ZR Automatic Review: Now With An Extra Dollop Of Appeal
What’s Hot: Fresh and fun styling, easy to use touchscreen, standard reversing camera.
What’s Not: Auto isn’t up to scratch, too thirsty for its size.
X-FACTOR: Small, spunky and plenty of appeal for younger city drivers, the new Yaris is a big improvement on its ho-hum predecessor.
Vehicle Style: Five-door light hatch
Price: $21,490 (plus on-roads)
Engine/trans: 80kW/141Nm 4cyl petrol | 4spd auto
Fuel Economy claimed: 6.3 l/100km | tested: 8.0 l/100km
OVERVIEW
A nip here, a tuck there, and Toyota’s refreshed Yaris range is ready to compete against the updated Polo, the all-new Mazda2, and the essentially unchanged i20 that keeps beating it in the sales race.
With changes limited to a new front end, some additional safety and convenience technology, and a simplified model range, the new Yaris doesn’t exactly tear up the rulebook.
It does, however, offer solid value with some very desirable features.
The streamlined range sees three-door models discontinued. The range-topping ZR now comes as a five-door, and takes the place of the previous YRX model.
And all in the Yaris hatch range now feature a touchscreen display with reversing camera as standard (something the Mazda2 lacks). The ZR also picks up standard LED headlamps, still a rarity at this end of the market.
We last tested the Yaris ZR in 2012 (as a three-door manual) and we like where Toyota is heading with this updated model. That said, we discovered there may still be a chink or two in the Yaris’ armour.
THE INTERIOR | RATING: 3.5/5
Quality: With the 2015 update the Yaris gets a heavily-revised interior.
It may not look too much different on the surface, but there’s been an intensive re-work of the car’s finishes, textures and materials.
Dash plastics are still hard-finished, but the decor panels across the dash wear a cool new metallic finish and the passenger side hides a second glovebox.
There’s padding in the front doors but none in the rear.
When subjected to some rough-road testing, the well-assembled interior was impressively free of rattles and creaks and feels solid enough to cope with some rough handling.
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