Toyota has poured £68m and 576,000 hours of reseach and development into its Yaris hatchback in order to help it compete in the increasingly competitive and style-conscious compact car market.
Over 1000 new parts have made their way into the 2014 Yaris, with the chief changes comprising a heavily restyled interior, more modern and distinctive exterior styling and a host of ride and refinement tweaks.
Alessandro Massimino, Toyota’s European product manager, said: “The Yaris was always extremely strong in its rational dimensions. What we wanted to achieve was to connect the model not only with our customers’ brains, but also with their hearts.”
“We identified that the Yaris delivered on the packaging, durability and cost of ownership front, but wanted to make the car more engaging and emotionally connected.”
Externally the main changes comprise the adoption of the more distinctive cross-shaped front-end styling that recently debuted on the new Aygo. The rear has also received some attention, in the form of a redesigned bumper with an integral diffuser, LED light clusters and a reshaped registration plate surround.
The Toyota's interior has also received substantial revisions, comprising a redesigned dash and door panels that grant it a sleeker look, higher-quality materials and a larger display for the integrated 'Touch 2' multimedia system.
Minor tweaks like satin chrome trim where there would have previously been plain chrome further serve to give the cabin a more refined look, while refinement upgrades including a wind deflector integrated in the cowl and more silencing materials to quell road, engine and wind noise.
Toyota has looked to tap into the increasingly popularity of customisation too, consequently offering the new Yaris with a more distinctive range of trim levels that comprise varying colour schemes, materials and wheels.
Underneath the Yaris benefits from a new torsion-beam rear end and a modified platform. Toyota has added additional spot welds, a thicker bulkhead, new windscreen bonding material and structurally modified the tunnel, wheel tubs and rear bumper structure to stiffen the chassis.
The car's suspension has seen some upgrades too, including new springs and retuned dampers, while the electronic power steering has been recalibrated to deliver more feedback.
Efforts to bolster the Yaris' on-road engagement further include the likes of raising the interior's centre console, allowing for a 30mm reduction in length of the gear lever, reputedly improving the feel of the car's gear shift.
“In the past, the project management was done in Japan,” says Yaris senior project manager Serkan Karaman. “But this time we were in the driver’s seat. As a result, the new Yaris really incorporates European know-how and European taste.”
Engine options remain as before, comprising a 1.0- and 1.33-litre petrol, a 1.4-litre diesel and the range-topping hybrid. Claimed improvements in noise and vibration are touted for all but the most notable change is to the 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine, which is said to perform much better on all fronts while emitting 99g/km of CO2, down from 110g/km – entailing free road tax for buyers.
Despite being one of the more costly options, the hybrid still accounts around 31 per cent of Yaris sales. Minor refinements mean it now emits just 75g/km of CO2, compared to 79g/km of CO2, and Toyota claims it will average an impressive 86mpg, up from 80.7mpg.
Standard equipment for the new Yaris includes air-con and Toyota's Touch 2 multimedia system, while options include LED daytime running lights, a rear parking camera, auto-folding door mirrors, cruise control, dual-zone climate and leather seats.
The new Toyota Yaris will go on sale later this year. Official pricing is yet to be announced by is expected to remain “competitive with its rivals”.
It’s likely, as a result, that the model will continue to start at around the £10,000 mark, with prices rising to around £16,000 for the hybrid.
Read Autocar's Toyota Yaris review.
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