Remember the Toyota Yaris which was launched and sold by UMW Toyota a few years ago to compete with the popular Honda Jazz? Well it did not sell well here due to its high price and low specifications. This left UMW Toyota to concentrate their sales strategy on the Vios and they instead released lower spec versions of the Vios (J spec) to capture an increasing demand from the lower to middle car buyer. Now comes a next generation Toyota Yaris (3rd version) which was unveiled recently in the domestic Japan market.
The new model will have two petrol motors namely a 1.0 with 68 bhp and 68 lb ft as well as a 1.33 with 93 bhp and 89 lb ft. A start-stop functionality available for the larger engine is touted to improve fuel economy to 75 mpg. For Japanese models a CVT gearbox is offered. This new Yaris is 100 mm longer than the current one with 50 mm added to its wheelbase. Width is the same at 1695 mm, but is lower by 20 mm at 1500 mm. Also, the new version weighs 1000 kg which is 30 kg lighter that the previous Yaris thereby contributing to both performance and fuel efficiency.
Meanwhile, rear passengers get 35 mm of extra legroom. Revised styling features include protruding headlights, edgier side profile and pronounced bumpers. Furthermore, it incorporates a new type of glass to filter out 99 percent of UV radiation. This allows owners to save money by ignoring fake tinting (tint window film) which is very common in Malaysia.
