Toyota: Yaris just what the customers ordered

The Toyota Yaris. Photo / Supplied

The previous Toyota Yaris defied interior-design convention. The main cabin controls were arranged in a vertical stack, rather than across the dashboard. The instruments were mounted in the centre of the car, not in front of the driver. It might have been a standard-size supermini, but there was a touch of people-mover in the way the rear seats could slide, or fold completely flat for a hugely practical load area.

So while the previous Yaris defied convention the all-new model, launched last week, positively embraces it. The instruments are in front of the driver. The main controls are arranged across the dashboard. The trick rear seats are gone, replaced by fixed units with more legroom and a bigger boot. The 60/40 split rear seats do still fold - however, they don't quite go flat.

All of this is in response to global customer feedback, says Toyota. Buyers of the previous model were apparently not keen on the expanse of grey plastic in front of the front-seat occupants that came hand-in-hand with that central instrument panel. They wanted clear analogue dials, not digital readouts. They were happy to forgo the clever-but-complex rear seating/cargo arrangement if it meant a bit more space and a bigger boot.

In short, Yaris owners wanted their supermini to be a bit more like everybody else's, and that's exactly what they've got with the new model.

This is a no-surprises car, but that's not to say the new Yaris hasn't moved forward. Lament the carryover powertrains and lack of design innovation if you must, but the Yaris is now bolder looking, more spacious and a generation ahead of the old car in dynamics and safety.

Compactness is still a virtue at just 3855mm in length, but the wheelbase has been stretched 50mm, the cabin is 60mm wider and new-design front seats have liberated extra leg room for rear-seat passengers. Yaris now comfortably holds four adults - and the boot has grown to 286 litres (up 14). The dashboard gives the impression of higher quality through an interesting range of textures and colours.

The powertrains remain the most underwhelming aspect of the new car. The 63kW/121Nm 1.3-litre and 80kW/141Nm 1.5-litre are adequate in isolation, but performance is dampened by a four-speed automatic gearbox, putting Yaris at a disadvantage compared with rivals that have five (Honda Jazz), six (Ford Fiesta) or seven-speed (Volkswagen Polo) automatic gearboxes.

But after a brief drive, it's easy to see how the car's steering, dynamics and refinement have improved.

Toyota New Zealand has responded to the sharp pricing and elevated specification level of successful new entrants in this segment such as Suzuki Swift and Ford Fiesta. The entry Yaris 1.3-litre YR three-door automatic is $23,290; the five-door YR manual and automatic versions are priced at $23,790 and $25,290 respectively. The top 1.5-litre YRS is automatic-only and $27,490.

All Yaris models have stability control, nine airbags, a multi-information display, Bluetooth cellphone connectivity and steering-wheel-mounted controls. The YRS adds cruise control, alloy wheels and upgraded audio.

Yaris does have one truly innovative feature. Toyota has engineered what it claims is a world-first, wet-arm-style windscreen wiper system with washer fluid sprayed along the single wiper blade, instead of into the driver's field of vision.