NewsOn The RoadSue Cooke

Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid

Technology keeps unlocking new possibilities in the automotive world, and I love spending an hour in my road test car discovering the delights of any new features. According to a survey of 100 car enthusiasts, future technology should include steering wheels that can monitor your heart rate, which was a higher priority than a coffee machine (28%). 55% in the Leasing.com survey prioritised safety asking for car-to-car communication to warn drivers of accidents or issues ahead, a system that is already in use in some of the cars I have road-tested.

Toyota has launched its all-new small SUV, the Yaris Cross, with a wealth of new technology. The Yaris Cross is the only compact hybrid SUV to offer an intelligent all-wheel-drive system (AWD-i). There are many other features I like about this extension of the Yaris family. Sequential turn indicators; a kick underneath the rear bumper to open the tailgate, and zero-emissions driving at speeds of up to 81mph, far more than other hybrids I have driven.
The Yaris Cross shares the same platform as the Yaris hatchback, the current European car of the year, but is 95mm taller than the hatchback so has a higher driving position with better visibility of the road ahead. The Yaris Cross is 29mm wider and 240mm longer. For easier off-roading, the model with the all-wheel-drive system has a ground clearance increase by 25mm to 170mm. And for urban driving, the B segment car will achieve a 5.3m turning circle.
Toyota has the largest hybrid electric SUV model range on the market and the hybrid version of the Yaris Cross is the second all-new SUV that the company has launched this year. At the other end of the size scale is the seven-seater Highlander hybrid.
There are four core model grades – Icon, Design, Excel, and Dynamic. The Design model I road-tested adds among other features, rear privacy glass and gorgeous light blue ambient lighting in the quality cabin. There is an almost entirely flat underfloor so the interior feels more spacious and is certainly more comfortable when accessing the rear seats.
The 397 litres of cargo space extends to 1097 litres when seats are lowered. I found it useful that I could lower part of the floor section so that I could then carry larger and taller items. There is enough room for two large suitcases or golf bags, skis, a bike, or other leisure equipment.
Following the precedent set by its hatchback sibling, the Yaris Cross adopts new and improved safety measures that can detect a wider range of common accident risks, warn the driver and initiate measures to prevent an impact, or lessen the consequences if a collision is unavoidable.
The Yaris Cross is powered by the fourth-generation self-charging hybrid electric powertrain 1.5-litre hybrid engine. In front of my vision all week was a constant digital reminder of how environmentally well I was driving. My average fuel economy was 60.9mpg which I was quite pleased with.
For the winter months, the AWD-i model with Trail and Snow mode would be advantageous but the Toyota Yaris Cross hybrid has plenty of agile features for urban driving and convenient gadgets to offer driving solutions for all seasons.
You can follow Sue Cooke on Twitter @cookecars and there are more of her reviews on novamagazine.co.uk

Facts at a Glance
Model: Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid Design FWD
Price: £24,140 otr
Engine: 1.5-litre 3 cylinder hybrid and lithium-ion battery
Performance: 0-62mph in 11.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 106mph
CO2 emissions: 102-117.2 g/km (WLTP)
Combined fuel consumption: 54.6-62.8mpg (WLTP)