Toyota Yaris Hybrid - Europe's only small hybrid car shines in city traffic

What do cars have in common with good wine? Both get better with age. Wines because of the ageing, cars because of eradicated teething problems and improvements that the manufacturer is gradually implementing. The Japanese carmaker has been offering the third-generation Toyota Yaris in Europe since the end of 2011. A first facelift followed in 2014, and Toyota has been selling the last revision in Germany since April 2017.

What sets the Toyota Yaris apart from other small cars from the Far East: Toyota has been the only manufacturer to rely on hybrid drive in this segment since summer 2012. Consequently, the diesel was dropped from the engine range in 2017.

In 2020, a new Yaris is to replace the aging small car. Because not everything about the car gets better with age. Especially when it comes to infotainment and assistance technology, the Yaris cannot hide the fact that it is conceptually outdated. Soon the Yaris with the code XP13 will only be available second-hand. Reason enough for us to ask the small car to be tested again in its last full year of production.

Dimensions, space, body

There is already a bit of time travel in the Yaris. Back to a time when dashboards and center consoles still had to subordinate themselves to the space available. With an exterior length of 3.94 meters, the Toyota Yaris is now one of the shorter small cars on the market. In the course of its construction period, it even grew by five centimeters. It's all just a facelift, the centimeters are mainly stuck in the nose. Positive: In terms of overview, the Yaris puts many a fresh competitor in its pocket.

Inside, the small Japanese impresses with a lot of space (measured by the segment). Four normal-sized Europeans can fold their bodies in without any problems and comfortably survive longer journeys. You sit a little higher and more upright in the Toyota Yaris than in other small cars, which have a lower roofline for a sportier look.

You shouldn't expect miracles of variability in the Yaris, but it can do small car standard: The backrest can be folded down in a 60:40 ratio, then a trekking bike with the front wheel removed disappears into the trunk if necessary. The trunk itself is standard for the class with a capacity of 286 liters. There are smaller competitors (Ford Fiesta: 225 l, Peugeot 208: 265 l), but also larger competitors (Nissan Micra: 300 l, VW Polo: 351 l). In any case, the Yaris is enough for everyday use, and for a holiday trip for two as well.

Bizarre effect: Toyota integrates the washer nozzles for the windshield into the single-arm wiper. When they are activated, a powerful jet of water sprays to the right side. This can be used to refresh a cyclist at the traffic lights.

Interior, workmanship, materials

An optimal seating position behind the steering wheel is a bit of a matter of luck: the steering column can be adjusted in length, but not very far. Over two facelifts, Toyota has modernized the Yaris economically but effectively and made the originally somewhat crude hard plastic desert softer and more colorful. On the doors and dashboard of the last Yaris, there are some soft-touch surfaces, also colorful for an extra charge – even the gear knob can be individually configured. The textile armrest in the door is very comfortable.

Overall, the cockpit nevertheless radiates the brittle, sober character of past Toyota series. There is not much for the eye. However, this has advantages: overview and ergonomics do not hold any surprises. There is no nonsense in the Yaris interior. In everyday life, we especially like the manual handbrake. For safety reasons, Toyota will probably also plan for this in the successor. In terms of workmanship, Toyota has caught up significantly: The internals fit well together and are carefully fitted. That was different with the first model years. Avoidable mistake: In the test car, the passenger seat rumbles on cobblestones when no one is sitting on it.

Infotainment, radio, connectivity

There are now contemporary and convincing infotainment packages in the Toyota Group, but not in the Yaris. There is not even a radio in the dashboard in the base. The touchscreen planned there is graphically reminiscent of an old Nintendo game, the integrated navigation system looks very old-fashioned and is cumbersome to use. The best thing about the system are the physical buttons for channel search. The "small" navigation system costs 590 euros extra, a better equipped system with live updates and other online functions 780 euros.

Not having the navigation system would basically be bearable, since the small navigation system can do nothing better, but much worse than your own smartphone. However, the smartphone interface called "Toyota Touch Connect" cannot be combined with the cheaper equipment lines. This clearly shows the age of the Yaris.

Assistance systems and safety

Very good: Toyota has installed the most important safety assistants in every Yaris since the 2017 facelift. The "Safety Sense" package with emergency brake assist, lane departure warning, high beam assist and rain sensor costs no extra charge. However, there is not much more for money: traffic sign recognition, a reversing camera, parking beepers and simple cruise control can be ordered additionally. In the Toyota small car, you have to do without assistance that is now customary in the class, such as blind spot warning, co-steering parking assistance or semi-autonomous functions.

Drive, motor, gearbox

Toyota did not touch the hybrid train of the Yaris much for the last facelift in 2017, the last major adjustment of the control electronics was already made in the 2014 update. With stricter emission standards, the clean, economical drive has no problems anyway.

The difference between early and current Yaris Hybrid is clear. The strengths of the drive are all noticeably better mastered by the last expansion stage: saving fuel, noise comfort, driving comfort. However, the weaknesses have not disappeared: In motorway operation, the Atkinson petrol engine still organs at high revs.

In city traffic, the wide spread between Eco and Normal mode is striking. In economy mode, the electric motor works much more frequently and noticeably, for example completely maintaining the driving speed over long distances. The mode seems a bit tough in acceleration, the air conditioning a bit too restrained in summer. On the other hand, the consumption is right: even on routes of less than 10 kilometres, an average consumption of around 4 l/100 km can easily be achieved in city traffic. However, we can only go much further down if we completely dispense with air conditioning and traffic light stops.

In normal mode, the Yaris Hybrid hangs much better on the throttle, reacts more spontaneously and even sounds a bit gritty. The electric motor takes over less often. In dense city traffic, consumption is then a good half litre higher.

Toyota has once again optimized the noise behavior of the hybrid train with the last facelift. There is probably no other combustion engine that drives through the city more quietly and stress-free – apart from short acceleration phases, in which the Yaris with its continuously variable transmission sometimes leaves a powerful sedan behind that still sorts its gears at the traffic lights. Toyota has now mitigated the so-called "rubber band effect" to such an extent that it is basically no longer considered a serious point of criticism. In the next generation of the drive, however, a CVT transmission with rigid start-up ratio will probably be used.

Handling, chassis, steering

Does the comfort-oriented drive system include a comfort-oriented chassis? In any case, the Yaris vote does not invite you to dynamic adventures. The small car irons potholes and bumps acceptably smooth, in curves it may dive a bit hard at the front and tends to push over the front axle. Clearly, the engineers did not put as much effort into the chassis as they did on tuning the drive.

However, this is usually meaningless in city traffic. At best, it's all about scurrying through quickly, and the wooden moments of the chassis don't bother you. The smooth steering helps with this. It offers little feedback, but works with sufficient precision for the narrow alley between the curb and the truck.

Equipment, prices, conclusion

In 2013, a Yaris Hybrid cost from 16,950 euros according to the price list, today it is 18,240 euros. Toyota can no longer keep the promise of "cheaper than diesel" because there is no longer a diesel Yaris. Standard on board: Toyota's safety package, as well as rear disc brakes, xenon, heated exterior mirrors and automatic climate control in the hybrid model. At mobile.de, some dealers are already offering new Yaris Hybrids for less than 16,000 euros. Then, however, there is an ugly plastic cover in the place of the touchscreen – a radio costs 450 euros extra.

Therefore, at least the Comfort equipment (list price: 19,590 euros) with touchscreen, reversing camera, Bluetooth streaming, hands-free system, USB port, traffic sign recognition and remote-controlled central locking makes sense. Unfortunately, Alus are still not included, and there is also a lack of connectivity. If you want to use your smartphone sensibly in the car, you have to go for a special model or higher-quality equipment.

If you are looking for a used Yaris Hybrid, we recommend a model after the 2014 facelift, preferably not in the basic configuration and with a five-digit mileage. Retailers on mobile.de are currently still charging around 11,000 euros for this. In many major cities such as Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, the offer is thin and the offer prices are significantly higher: At the latest since the driving ban debates, hybrid has been in demand in the metropolises.

Toyota Yaris Hybrid: Technical data

• Petrol engine: 1.5 l displacement, 54 kW (73 hp), 111 Nm
• Electric motor: 45 kW (61 hp), 169 Nm
• System power: 100 hp
• Transmission: continuously variable automatic transmission
• 0-100 km/h: 11.8 s
• Top speed: 165 km/h
• Standard consumption: 4.0-3.7 l/100 km
• Test consumption: 4.2 l/100 km
• CO2: 91.84 g/km
• Emission standard: Euro 6d-Temp EVAP-ISC
• Length: 3,945 mm
• Width: 1,695 mm
• Height: 1,510 mm
• Wheelbase: 2,510 mm
• Trunk: 286 l
• Curb weight: 1,055-1,115 kg
• Base price: 18,240 euros
• Base price Toyota Yaris: 12,790 euros