And about time. For a brand that once renewed models every four years, with a facelift (nose, tail, dashboard) after two, nine years is a long innings for Europe’s Yaris, to be replaced by the fourth generation model in the second half of 2020.
This is a global model and Europe’s will be mostly hybrid, this time around. It’s the first model to be built on the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) GA-B modular platform for small cars, following on from other renewed TNGA-based models, such as the Corolla, C-HR and RAV4.
Go deeper with GlobalData
The latest hybrid system features a new three-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol engine and has the ability to run on electric power alone.
Counter to the trend to ever larger models, Toyota has reduced overall length by 5mm but increased wheelbase 50mm.
The GA-B platform has enabled a 40mm reduction in overall height, but headroom has not been compromised, as the driver and passengers sit lower in the car. The reduced cowl height contributes to a better forward view for the driver. Adding 50mm to the width generates more space in the front and in the rear while front and rear track width also rises.
New headlights feature LED technology and include turn indicators that alternate with daytime running lights.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataCockpit design has been developed around the concept of ‘hands on the wheel, eyes on the road’. Information is presented clearly and directly to the driver from three interlinked sources: the central touchscreen, a TFT multi-information display in the instrument binnacle and a 10-inch colour head-up display. The larger head-up display projects key driving data and warnings, such as navigation prompts and speed limits, onto the windscreen within the driver’s field of view.
The dashboard has been made slimmer and is set lower, with a wider and higher centre console. The instrument binnacle has twin digital meters flanking the TFT multi-information display and has just a shallow hood. The steering wheel size has been reduced for better visibility.
The GA-B platform allows the driver’s seat to be set lower and further back (+60mm compared to the current Yaris) towards the centre of the car, helping bring down the centre of gravity. It also creates a more engaging driving position, with improved ergonomics and greater adjustability. The steering wheel is set closer to the driver, with a six-degree increase in the tilt angle.
As in all TNGA-based models, the centre of gravity is low, around 15mm lower than on the current model, giving the car better inertia characteristics. The chassis also has a better weight balance, both front/rear and left/right, which reduces body roll and improves braking stability and stopping distances, while the body’s improved torsional rigidity contributes to the car’s agile and stable handling.
The new front MacPherson strut and rear torsion beam suspension designs include reduced friction in the front struts, softer springs and an increase in rear roll stiffness from 320 to 580Nm/deg, which further improve dynamic qualities, reducing body roll in cornering and increasing agility.
The GA-B platform has allowed for a significant increase in body rigidity, which fosters vehicle stability and ride comfort, together with lower noise and vibration levels. The platform’s architecture and the upper body have been optimised with strategic reinforcements in the cowl, rear pillar, tunnel and rear structure and the rear wheelhouse, and a stiffer dashboard panel.
Toyota’s fourth generation hybrid technology makes its debut in the principal powertrain for the new Yaris. This 1.5 hybrid system is directly derived from the larger, 2.0 and 2.5-litre systems that were introduced in the past year in the new Corolla, RAV4 and Camry models and has been developed with the same level of scrutiny of component size and weight in the quest for ever-better fuel and emissions efficiency.
The new 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine is Atkinson cycle with variable valve timing. As with I4 two and 2.5-litre counterparts, it benefits from detailed measures to reduce internal friction and mechanical losses and optimise combustion performance.
The engine has the claimed world’s fastest combustion speed, supporting high torque at low engine speeds and fuel efficiency. It is also fitted with a balance module which helps reduce engine noise and vibration.
As a result, it achieves 40% thermal efficiency, higher than comparable diesel engines, helping secure an improvement of more than 20% in fuel economy and CO2 emissions. At the same time, system output has been increased by 15% and power delivery has been refined to give a confident and natural driving feel.
The hybrid transaxle has been fully redesigned, adopting a new dual axis structure that makes it more compact (by 9%). The result is a low-loss gear train with smaller overall dimensions that improves performance and is comfortably packaged within the new GA-B platform.
The system also uses a new lithium-ion hybrid battery, giving increased output that enables quicker vehicle acceleration. As well as being more powerful, the battery is 27% lighter than the nickel metal hydride battery it replaces.
Some markets will also be offered 1.5- and one-litre three cylinder petrol powertrains.
Toyota said the new Yaris was designed to be the world’s safest compact car, featuring significant advances in both active and passive safety systems.
Advanced driver assistance systems include full speed-range intelligent adaptive cruise control and lane trace assist, as featured in the recently launched Corolla. These will be standard on all models.
Occupant protection is in line with stricter testing standards that will be applied in 2020. For example, to provide protection in the event of a side impact, Yaris will be the first car in its segment to be fitted with a centre airbag.
The fourth generation Yaris will, like its predecessors, be made in France. Over EUR300m (around GBP270m) has been spent on the plant to enable GA-B-based vehicle production.
