Toyota Yaris Hybrid: Hybrid for the price of diesel

The hybrid comes in the B segment thanks to Toyota for presenting in Amsterdam the new Yaris Hybrid. The little genius joins the ecologist fight and enlarges the range of full hybrid models of the Japanese company promising mileage records and low emissions of CO2. The proposal for the same price of the diesel comes in a variant version in the Lounge for 17,500 Euros. It is proposed to the public and not as a real alternative to expensive diesel cars.

Aesthetically it does not change much compared to the Toyota Yaris that we know, only the LED daytime running lights at the front, the thin front grille and the trapezoidal big mouth, combined with the blue present in the Toyota emblem – it has more refined aerodynamics that distinguish it from the model with the only internal combustion engine. There are plenty of ID badges and tailgates on the side. Inside stands the blue and white instrumentation and the exclusive Ice Grey color that distinguishes the elements of the soft-touch dashboard and door trims. Apart from these details and some additional buttons, the environment has remained the same and it is usually rational from the latest generation of the Yaris with the large touch screen in the centre of the dashboard. It has an unchanged trunk thanks to a compact battery compartment with only 120 cells, housed under the rear seats.

Under the bonnet there is a 4-cylinder engine – a 1.5-liter that is combined with a newly developed electric motor, develops a total power of 100 hp, enough to ensure a maximum speed of 165 km / h and acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h in 11.8 seconds. The attention to detail has led Toyota technicians to carry out the winding of the coils with flat-shaped cable rather than round ones. It has also improved the cooling efficiency of the drive unit with zero emissions despite a reduction of its size.

Thanks to an E-CVT transmission which makes it more compact and thanks to the smaller size of the electric motor, the differential has been reduced by 6% saving up to 11 kg compared to the transmission of the Auris Hybrid. With this technology, the Yaris Hybrid promises mileage record, an astounding 3.1 l/100 km in the urban cycle and a level of CO2 emissions of just 79 g / km.

We loved the noise while guiding the streets around Amsterdam, the ability to immediately resume speed when traveling in traffic and a stability test novice driver is good point of this car. It is available in three versions; the new Yaris Hybrid will be launched in 10 days and will arrive in dealerships by September. For now, the Japanese manufacturer has disclosed only the price of access, which is € 17,500 on the Lounge version – which has a budget with a lot of important dual-zone automatic climate controls and a rear view camera. This is the same price as the diesel version in the same level of equipment: how to tell the challenge has just begun and I wonder if the hybrid will be able to excel thanks to the reduced maintenance costs and the benefits for the circulation in large cities?