2019 Toyota Yaris: First impression

After many months of waiting patiently, the all-new Toyota Yaris has finally been launched in Malaysia. As most of us know by now, the Yaris is the hatchback equivalent of the popular Vios B-segment sedan. Apart from the addition of the rear trunk, the two cars are remarkably similar in almost all aspects.

One of the closest rivals of the new Toyota Yaris in the Malaysian market is the Honda Jazz. However, unlike the spanking new Yaris, the Jazz is now almost two years old. The 2019 Yaris promises to be a well-packaged, well-made, decently styled, and an incredibly reliable family hatchback; after all, it’s a Toyota. So, let’s try and find out if it could, at the least, come close to delivering those promises.

Exterior design

The 2019 Toyota Yaris takes much of its styling cues from the pre-existing Vios sedan, except at the rear. This means, as far as its design is concerned, there aren’t a million differences between the two. Again, that’s discounting the rear. So if you think you like the way its sedan cousin looks, you will most probably take a liking to the new Yaris as well. The front fascia is by far and large the most styled area of the Yaris. It is interesting and looks exceedingly Japanese, almost like a Samurai, of sorts. The long bonnet features sharp ridges on which it gets a muscular appearance, while large headlamp units wrap around the front and also house projector low-beam units. Meanwhile, the narrow grille incorporates a large plastic piece in the middle which wears the Toyota emblem.

The front bumper is perhaps the single largest and most over-stylised piece of bodywork on the entire car. It has so many cuts, curves, creases, and plastic garnish that it’s almost impossible to point out every one of them. However, it does hold the LED DRLs, halogen foglights, and a couple of air intakes. The most notable details along the sides include 16-inch alloy wheels, chrome door handles, and a sloping roofline. The distinctive backend of the Yaris gets a roof-mounted spoiler, a large back window with wiper, and just as with the front, you’ve large taillights with a ‘wrap-around’ design, though the almost blunt bumper looks bland. Of course, you can add more personality to the Yaris with the optional aero package, which reels inside skirts, plus a sporty front & rear bumper. The 2019 Toyota Yaris measures 4,145 mm X 1,730 mm X 1,500 mm in length, width, and height, respectively. Its wheelbase comes in at 2,550 mm, while the total boot volume is just below 290 litres.

Interior

As promised, the interior of the new Toyota Yaris is worthy of a few mentions: - it’s well thought-out, well put-together, and has reasonably good features on offer. The quality of materials is nothing to write home about, but they aren’t atrocious, either. The seats are quite decent as well, while there’s just enough space to carry five people.

The top-spec 1.5 G trim of the Yaris gets automatic climate control, leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear lever, power-folding door mirrors, a 360-degree surround-view monitor & digital video recorder, drive mode selector, a colour multi-information display, and a 6.8-inch touchscreen multimedia system with six speakers. It may not be the most beautiful of interiors, but it’s definitely a safe one. The new Yaris was awarded a five-star safety rating by ASEAN NCAP, which means you get seven airbags, ABS, EBD and EBA, speed-sensing door locks, vehicle stability control, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert.

Engine and performance

Just like its Vios sibling, the 2019 Toyota Yaris is also powered by the same 1.5-litre, naturally-aspirated four-popper. Here too, it develops an identical 105 hp and 140 Nm of peak torque that comes in at 4,200 rpm. A 7-speed CVT then takes charge of moderating the power from the engine to the front wheels. Sizzling performance isn’t one of Toyota’s strengths, as it takes the Yaris 11 seconds to touch the tonne-mark, and the engine runs out of breath by the time it reaches 175 kmph. What’s absolutely great, however, is the over 19 kmpl that the new Yaris can achieve. And for a practical family hatchback, that’s a far more important number than just acceleration and top speed.

Costing between RM 70,888 and RM 83,888, the new Toyota Yaris is definitely not a cheap purchase. However, the Yaris tries and justifies its price by managing to stick by its promises, which the hatch more or less accomplishes. Of course, there’s also its frugal powertrain which is always a big positive.