[Omkar]

Mod Note: Our Yaris Report has been taken live at this link. Please continue the discussion over on the new thread. Thanks!

Big shoutout to Eddy and Vid6639 for shooting these pictures & their coverage of the Auto Expo. Thanks for sharing, guys!

Toyota has finally unveiled the Yaris sedan. After being in the rumours for almost 3 years, the car will finally make it to the Indian showrooms. The Yaris gets its name after the Greek goddess Charis and will be entering the C-segment in India. Toyota would be targeting public in the upper middle class in the age category of 30-35 years who are corporate employees or entrepreneurs. Toyota claims that the Yaris gets a few first in segment features like electric adjustment for the driver seat, 7 airbags, roof mounted air vents, TPMS, front parking sensors, all wheel disc brakes among others:


Design will not offend anyone, but it also doesn't stand out vs the Verna or the new City. This is a safe design from Toyota. The sheet metal used is of good quality and isn't tinny like the Ciaz or the City. It's closer to the Verna in this parameter. The panel gaps are even, and the finishing is also very good. Toyota Yaris comes equipped with 7 airbags and recently received a 5-star safety rating from the New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP). Toyota claims that the windshield has high solar energy absorbing (HSEA) and it also reduces the infrared (IR) radiation. The design and construction also aid in acoustic an vibration control:


A big thanks .anshuman for sharing this video of the Yaris:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCg0...ature=youtu.be

The front grille is a love it or hate it design element. The headlamps are big and prominent on the front face. In this bright red body colour, there is a lot of contrast with the black which doesn't make the front design boring:


The boot integration is overall very clean. Doesn't look like a boot attached:


The rear design is pretty sedate, and doesn't have any dual tone treatment like the front:


Body coloured lip has been placed at the bottom of the front bumper. There is a small air inlet just below the Toyota logo. The front grille is wide towards the top and has air inlet at the bottom half only. Look closely and it's still difficult to see the radiator. Vid6639 says that the radiator is almost a foot inside the bumper! No need to worry about small impacts damaging the radiator:


Front bumper grille and headlight design is possibly the only interesting styling element in the whole exterior design. LED DRLs on bumper. Projector beam for low beam no HID bulbs here:


The Yaris gets 2 front parking sensors! Even the more expensive Corolla Altis doesn't get front parking sensors. The circular fog lamps get a funky housing:


The Yaris gets rains sensing wipers:


ORVMs get integrated turn indicators. Look closely and you will see what Toyota calls the 'Aero stabilizing fins' on the black housing:


Keyless entry system on the Yaris. Request sensor placed only on the driver side door. The chrome door handles stand out on the red coloured car:


The 15" wheels seem too small for the sedan and 16" would have been better. Toyota says that the 15" wheels are more suited for the Indian road conditions. The 15" wheels are shod with 185/60 R15 Goodyear tyres. Check out the aero flap on the front wheel:


The rear wheels also get disc brakes. The wheel well also looks slightly bigger for the small sized wheels:


More on the small size of wheels, they make the rear look very bulky as seen in this image. They do very little to hide the bulk at the rear. Also check out how the wraparound tail lamps are almost reaching the fuel flap!


The rear gets 4 parking sensors at the bottom and fog lamps on both sides. The bumper doesn't have many creases:


The engine badging on the right. Toyota doesn't plan on introducing a diesel engine as of now:


The split tail lamps are LEDs and have a line guide in between. The Yaris badge has been placed on the left:


Just like the ORVMs, even the tail lamps get these aero stabilizing fins:


A look at the rear windshield and the shark fin antenna:


Even the rear wheels get those aero flaps like the front wheels. Also, from the looks of it, the Yaris seems to have a decent ground clearance as well:


Some of the other body colour options showcased at the stall:

[Omkar]

Interiors Front

The cabin is nowhere close to the Etios. The interiors feel premium though not as much as the Honda City. The dashboard looks very nice with beige and black theme along with chrome and piano black inserts. The overall design of the dashboard is also pretty good and Toyota designers say that the design mimics a waterfall. The dashboard is reminiscent of the Innova, except for the horizontal layout in the sedan vs the vertical in the MPV:


A lateral view of the dashboard. There are no soft touch plastics here, but the overall feel is very upmarket. The upper part of the dashboard has a stitched pattern, but it's not real. It's just a fake design element in the plastic mould:


The front door opens wide, and the ingress and egress are good as well:


Beige coloured seats have superb bolstering which provide fantastic support. Vid6639 says they are even better than his Corolla! The headrests are tall, and you even get a small center armrest:


The front driver seat is 8-way electrically adjustable. Nice touch Toyota :


The doorpad carries the dual tone theme. The prominent beige colour feels premium. Piano black and chrome has been tastefully added:


A closer look at the window and ORVM controls. Only the driver side window gets auto up/down. The mirrors auto fold when locking (this is programmable of course):


The steering wheel is just like the one in the Altis. It's adjustable for tilt and not for reach:


Optitron meter with colour MID screen looks very nice. The display of the MID is also of high resolution. The steering gets paddle shifters as well with the 7-speed CVT:


The 4.2’’ MID displays a whole load of information. Apart from the usual driving information, the MID also shows cost calculator in rupees like Innova. You can even see the average fuel efficiency for the last 1 year!


Two stalks stick out of the instrument cluster which can be used to adjust the clock of the car. Separate stalks for the hour and minute adjustment. Look closely to see the traction control lights just above the stalks:


The wiper and headlamp stalks feel chunky and durable. The Yaris gets auto wipers as well as auto headlamps:


The cruise control stalk has been placed behind the steering wheel:


The engine start / stop button is placed on the right-hand side of the driver. It gets a nice chrome border as well. Buttons for traction control, parking sensors and headlamp leveller are placed below:


The suspended pedals are well spaced out in the footwell:


The boot and fuel flap release buttons placed on the floor:


The touchscreen infotainment systems can be operated with air gestures. It supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The touch sensitivity is good, but it's not quick to respond. The Ford SYNC3 system is way better. The central AC vents look boring and plain Jane. The chrome buttons for AC vents at the bottom look premium but are small and narrow. They might not be so easy to operate while driving. On the other hand, the Yaris gets automatic climate control:


Two cupholders ahead of the gear-lever. The transmission options on the Yaris include a 7-speed CVT or 6-speed MT:


There is a slot to keep your mobile phone beside the handbrake lever. A 12V power socket has also been provided just below the slot:


No auto dimming IRVM. Come on Toyota!


The side air vents look much better than the central air vents. Also check out the fake stitching on the dashboard. The wide glovebox gets nice contours...


... and has enough space as well. It is cooled:


The front seatbelts are adjustable to height:


A look at the cabin lamps and the sunglass holder at the front:


The passenger sun visor gets a vanity mirror:


Pretty basic looking keyfob. The Hyundai Verna has a better key (reference image):


The Yaris is equipped with 7 SRS airbags in total:


A remote control for the infotainment system is rarely seen in cars these days:

[Omkar]

Interior Rear

The rear seats are good enough to accommodate 3 passengers comfortably. The recline angle is also comfortable and the seats offer good support. They are a tad bit low for the taller folks and it's good to see that even the middle passenger gets an adjustable headrest:


No floor hump! Flat floor is a Toyota trademark. The legroom isn't as much as the Honda City, but certainly better than the Verna. Also look at how much the front central armrest eats into the space at the back. Will be of discomfort for the middle passenger:


2 charging ports provided for the rear passengers:


The center armrest is wide enough and has 2 separate cupholders:


No rear AC vent on the centre console, but Toyota has a made for India roof mounted blower! You can adjust the blower speed using the buttons and it even shows the speed on LCD display. It has a blue ambient light like the Innova. Must say, the whole setup is quite unique:


The blower is very slim but throws good amount of air onto rear passengers' face. You can adjust these flaps to direct the air downward. The blower makes noise while operating:


The mounting could have been better:


The Yaris gets 60:40 split folding rear seats:


Here's the button to fold down the rear seats:


You even get a manual rolling sun shade at the back:


ISOFIX tether points at the top and bottom:



The boot opening is wide, although the lip is slightly high. The gooseneck hinges will eat into the cabin space:


The spare is a full-size steel wheel:


The boot lid gets a full cladding:


A look inside and you will see that the top part is bare. Sharp plastic screws on the top might not be too good for your luggage:

[Omkar]

Engine

Currently, only a petrol engine is on the books for India. The 1.5L Dual VVT-i engine makes close to 108 BHP. More details on the performance of the engine will be revealed at the launch. The petrol engine will be available with a 7-speed CVT or a 6-speed manual transmission.

The silver engine cover looks nice when you pop open the hood:


The 7 speed CVT-i is carried forward from the Altis and comes with paddle shifters:


The exhaust manifold is on the front side:


The air-filter box on the right side below the battery:


At idle, the NVH inside the cabin was pretty good. The under-hood insulation helps in this case:

[Rehaan]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[swami69]

I have driven a Toyota Yaris in South Africa way back in 2008. It is a good family mid size car and the Automatic was pretty good. The Grey, Silver and White, all looks good on this car from the Side profile photographed. But, somehow, i do not like the Dashboard design and the interiors of this car, it looks too plasticky and out of shape, i.e., a black T shaped top and the glove box in biege..so so. Too pronouncing !

Toyota calling it a waterfall design - does not do justice. I think XUV500 centre console area is also called Waterfall design, but that makes more sense as it fits that description better.

If they price it competitive, the badge will help to sell and it would definetely be a very good quality car from all other aspects. No doubt.

Swami

[GTO]

Since 20 years, Toyota has primarily been a seller of utility vehicles (Innova, Fortuner) & commercial vehicles (Etios taxis) in India. That's going to change with the Yaris, IF Toyota prices it well.

One would've thought that the C2-sedan segment is already crowded with the formidable trio of the Honda City, Maruti Ciaz & Hyundai Verna taking up a majority of sales. But the Yaris with its seemingly practical nature & features (7 airbags & front parking sensors ) has the potential to take sales away from the others. Over & above the car, Toyota isn't exactly a brand you can push over.

Just don't goof this up Toyota. Keep the price real.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by GTO

Just don't goof this up Toyota. Keep the price real.

They should realize that the City is not a pushover. It has built a reputation of over 20 years and is a formidable brand as valuable as Honda itself, in the Indian context.

The pricing of the new City has left enough room for Toyota to play around. They should just be realistic and go for the kill.

As a product - Yaris looks every bit a competitor that the Etios never could be. The target is clearly the City itself as is seen from the missing diesel option - priority being given to the petrol which the Honda excels in. The specifications are right too, and the brand pull is certainly there. The only real missing element could be the fun to drive factor of that VTEC motor, but that wont really differentiate much in terms of sales.

Looks like the C segment is gradually maturing into a more clearly defined upper (City and Yaris) and lower (Ciaz) with the Verna trying to bridge the gap between these two.

[Rajeevraj]

This is going to get Maruti, Hyundai and Honda really worried. A feature loaded well priced 'TOYOTA' has the capability to blow away the competition. Whether it is the Corolla, Innova, Fortuner and even the Camry- Inspite of having very competent competitors, none of them have been able to come close in terms of numbers.

It would also be fair to assume that it will be a well put together car. In spite of being a cheap looking and flimsy feeling car, the Etios passed the NCAP tests with flying colors and also ages really well (have a 110,000km run Etios in immediate family). Expect the Yaris to easily do the same. It is a pretty nice to drive engine too.

Pricing is the key, expect Toyota to price it at a premium. At least Honda City levels (I hope they price it slightly lower-runaway hit assured)

[invidious]

Excellent preview. It strikes me as an updated version of the Toyota Echo that I briefly drove 15 odd years ago. If priced sensibly, it can definitely be a key product in the Toyota portfolio for years to come.

[Nav-i-gator]

It's pretty clear what Yaris is aimed at - the City. Honda is a brand, city even more so, in India. And Toyota is much better known than any other brand for it's solid reliability. Plus, Honda has shown in recent years that it is vulnerable while Toyota has been minting money with all the offerings it has in India, including the "best Taxi" on road (ask any cab driver/owner).

Price it on par with city, spread the features and gizmos evenly across variants (rather than loading up the pricey top variant with everything possible and making the lower variants bare-bone) and this car can easily top the charts in it's segment (if the competition is evenly spread, like the case with City, Ciaz and Verna, it is easier to compete than against ones like Dzire, for example).

[sukhoi30]

Excellent Preview!! Anyone know when this is going to be launched in India?

[jpcoolguy]

With only a Petrol motor at the launch, Yaris could give tough time to both City and Ciaz as the sales for both are predominantly Petrol biased, while Verna sells more of the Diesel. However, all this can only be possible if they price it sensibly, that is below City, since City still has that snob value in Indian Car market and is one of the spacious sedan on offer and also the interiors are surely better than Yaris. Hope better sense prevails at Toyota Headquarters in India.

[bhavik.1991]

What a time it would be for C segment sedan buyers after the arrival of Yaris & 1.5L Ciaz diesel. There would be not one or two but four competent sedans to choose from.

While compact pseudo suvs are selling like hot cakes, I find more value for money in these sedans. I feel for Hyundai, Verna was earlier impacted by absurd tax slabs & Yaris will make further dent in its sales. Unfortunately, Verna will start seeing <1000 number once again after Yaris & Ciaz with newer engine go on sale.

[sharktale]

I believe it fulfils the Hindi proverb - " Der aaye, durust aaye"

I am honestly reminded of my Corolla Altis days, with its good ride quality and exceptional reliability.
Toyota's has ticked all the right boxes in my opinion as a layman. Adding my 2 cents of the bits I really liked.

1. 2 front parking sensors are a boon in our bump-friendly nation.

2. The plastic housing going to the end of the front bumper shall prevent the minor scratches which are cars sometimes face in the corners. It shall definitely prevent those often-ugly rubber beadings in the corner of cars.

3. The top mounted blower shall make it much easier for the air to reach the head of the rear passengers, and cool their minds further. :P
Many of the sub 10 lac cars don't have a powered blower at the rear (like in my Grand i10), which makes it extremely difficult for my dad to enjoy the direct air.

I hope it's sedately priced and not exorbitantly like its SUV/MPV siblings. Looks like a potential killer of the reign of the City!