Quick Test Drive: Toyota Yaris Hybrid

Even though it has recently been overshadowed (and outsold) by its crossover sibling the Yaris Cross, the Yaris remains a strong seller across Europe. I had the opportunity to drive one in Broken Hill, in Outback New South Wales, Australia.

The Yaris is 3950 mm long, 1695 mm wide and 1500 mm high. This is the base Yaris Hybrid model which I rented through Sixt. Yes there are a lot of hard plastics on the dash but I guess you can’t expect the moon for this level. Instrument panel is analog. Toyota specs say the car supports wireless Apple Car Play but I wasn’t able to connect it.

City driving demonstrated the Yaris Hybrid is in electric mode for most of the time, way longer than the current generation Corolla Hybrid I test drove a few years back, which shows Toyota’s constant improvement of its pioneering technology. In fact, I was able to drive 80 km without the fuel tank indicator leaving the “Full” position. The gearbox is smooth with seamless speed change.

The 520 km return bitumen drive from Broken Hill to the remote opal mining town of White Cliffs was a great opportunity to put the Yaris to its paces. The engine is surprisingly silent even at high speeds, but there’s a pesky rolling noise present at all times. I found myself reaching 140 km/h without realising it, a testament to the performance of such a small car.

Based on the buttons on the steering wheel, it looks like adaptive cruise control is available, however I failed to enable it during the trip as it wouldn’t turn on.

Other notable things about the Yaris include the electric rear view mirrors falling back when locking the car, the solid air con (much needed in spring outback heat) and the very useful rear view camera. Also, the speed and line assist alerts were deactivated which was a relief. The boot is tiny however, I guess part of the course for the segment.

What did the local car landscape look like? The new generation Toyota Prado and Land Cruiser 70 are already well established here, as is the latest generation Toyota Land Cruiser. It was interesting to witness the spread of Chinese models, including the Tank 300, GWM Haval Jolion and GWM Cannon.