Toyota Yaris Cross drive by Steve Rogers
What
could be better than two Japanese giants going head to head in a car battle?
Last
week we looked at the Honda Jazz Crosstar and now it's the new Toyota Yaris
Cross, both late comers to the compact crossover league, make that very late,
but both highly regarded superminis.
Don't
like starting with a moan but I have to get this off my chest. My second trip
in Yaris Cross was at night and needed light in the back of the car. I fumbled
around but found no switch, needless to say there is no light and with a black
roof lining it is a black place to be, so for goodness sake Toyota, let's have
some light! After all this is a car costing £26k.
Hope
they get the message, now back to the business in hand.
As
the name suggests the Cross is a pumped up Yaris, 90mm taller, 20mm wider and
240mm longer. That extra length, all but 10 inches to us old 'uns, is music to
the ears of owners who think the Yaris is a tad small, which it is against most
rivals.
Interestingly
Honda did not feel the need to increase the length of Crosstar because Jazz is
already a masterpiece of packaging and the roomiest supermini on the market.
So
Yaris Cross is a whole new ball game. Forget about handling and performance,
although I will mention it later, space is the number one priority in a small
car.
For
instance, a Toyota C-HR driver is unlikely to downsize to a Yaris but the Cross
would fit the bill.
The
higher seating position serves two purposes, it's easier to get in and out, and
the driver has a commanding view. If this suggests the Cross is an old person's
car think again. Turn the clock back 40 years and I would have been happy to
show this off to my mates.
Toyota
got rid of its boring tag with the cracking looking C-HR and Yaris Cross shares
some of those sharp design cues, just the sort of shape to attract younger
eyes, and particularly a young family.
For
the driver the dashboard is pretty much a copy of the Yaris with a conventional
speedo and information box which is interchangeable by toggling a switch on the
steering wheel.
Lots
of information options but I couldn't find a digital speedometer so something
else that needs to be addressed.
Otherwise
the layout will please most owners, a central nine inch touchscreen for radio,
Bluetooth and smart phone connections but separate, easy to use switches for
the heating.
Turning
Yaris into a compact SUV has done wonders for the cabin making it a viable
family car. The big winner is boot space which has grown to almost 400 litres,
bigger than the Jazz Crosstar although the Honda still beats the Cross on rear
legroom.
No
one does hybrid better than Toyota so expect super efficiency from the Cross.
It picks and chooses when to run on electric and that can be anything up to
82mph.
The
three-cylinder engine is reasonably perky but comes into its own on economy
returning an easy 60mpg over a week's mixed driving. There is also a four wheel
drive option.
The
improvement to the Yaris's handling has filtered down to the Cross which is a
sharper
drive
than its Honda rival.
Yaris
is the reigning European Car of the Year and could easily go for the double
with Cross for the 2022 title. I like the driving position which is a bit
higher than the Honda and is a more rewarding drive than Crosstar. But what
does the wife think?
Jean
says: "This is a tight call and I would be happy with Cross or Crosstar
but my vote is going to the Honda because I preferred the driver's display with
its big digital speedo and I found the tailgate difficult to open on the Toyota.
I didn't notice any difference in the handling, that's just a bloke thing!
Fast
facts
Yaris
Cross Dynamic
£26,465
(starts £22,515)
1.5
litre petrol + electric motor 114bhp
0-62mph
11.2secs; 106mph
64.2mpg
combined
117g/km.
1st road tax £170
Insurance
group 12
Boot
397-1097 litres
