10 August 2017 · Vehicle Reviews
2017 Toyota Yaris Review | Phil Gilbert Toyota
Toyota is a vehicle manufacturer with a pretty stellar reputation across the globe for value, quality and incredible reliability. Until quite recently, when it was overtaken by a well-known German rival, Toyota was the biggest manufacturer of vehicles in the entire world and it's not out of the question it will regain that crown again pretty soon. Possibly because of our relative proximity to Japan, Toyota is even bigger to us here in Australia than it is to our friends in Europe. The entry model in the current range is the 2017 Toyota Yaris, and whether you call it a subcompact car, a small car or a city car, it's a big favourite with buyers young, old and in between.
How it looks
How a car looks is the primary factor when it comes to most buyers making their decision, but when you’re shopping at the budget end of the market other factors come close; not least the asking price and what you get for that money. But choosing the Toyota Yaris doesn’t mean compromising on style because it's a very neat-looking little car. You're out of luck if you prefer a sedan though, because that body style has now been deleted so only the four-door hatch remains. This latest model features styling tweaks that include an overtly sculpted bonnet and bumper treatment. A slightly complicated headlight design also helps set the Yaris apart from the rest of the small-car segment, while the more restrained but neat rear end definitely has hints of the larger Corolla about it.
The inside story
The inside of the latest Yaris follows a similar theme to the exterior thanks to a heavily sculpted, multi-layered dashboard design and a very flat-faced dash and console. Even such details as the design of the door cards and seats really are quite contemporary. The only design changes of any significance for this update though are restricted to the use of piano black plastics instead of some of the trim that used to be silver, and nothing else of any great note to be honest. That doesn’t matter though because the inside of the Yaris was already a pretty nice place to be.
Small but very practical
Like its main Japanese rival, the Toyota Yaris is staggeringly spacious inside for such a small car. To be fair, passengers are given preference over cargo when it comes to the allocation of that space, but we need comfort a little more than our suitcases do after all. The rear hatch offers 206 litres of cargo volume across all three versions of the Yaris, and there’s also a clever false floor that's perfect for hiding smaller belongings out of the sight of prying eyes. It also doubles up as a nicely level loading area when the 60/40 split fold seats are folded down for cargo carrying duties.
Bang for your buck
The 2017 Yaris has an RRP of $15,290 for 1.3-litre four-cylinder Ascent models with the manual gearbox, and $17,330 if you go for the manual 1.5-litre SX. Go for the optional four-speed automatic transmission and that will require some $1,530 more. The 1.5-litre ZR is an automatic-only model that costs from $22,470, and although that's an increase of $650 from last year, the additional safety features and equipment it comes with definitely justifies the uplift.
For more details and a to arrange a test drive in the 2017 Toyota Yaris, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Phil Gilbert Toyota today.
