New Toyota Yaris Hybrid - The UKs Cheapest Hybrid
Published Date: 29th May 2013
Toyota is a pioneer of the of hybrid cars with the Prius being the UK’s favourite Hybrid to date and the Yaris Hybrid further strengthens Toyota’s presence in the hybrid sector with the Yaris tag of the UK’s cheapest Hybrid. With demand for supermini’s outselling any other car sector by a significant amount the Yaris opens up the Hybrid option to a much larger audience.
The Yaris offers the benefits you would expect from a Hybrid with superb fuel efficiency and a low impact on the environment but with excellent performance for a Hybrid it is ideally suited for around town driving. Official figures from Toyota suggest you can get a fuel economy of up to 81mpg (combined) depending on the model you choose with CO2 emissions as low as 79g/km plus it offers the ability to operate in full electric EV mode and tests carried out by Toyota show that a large proportion of urban journeys can be achieved in full electric mode. The Yaris also benefits from Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive technology to maximise it’s efficiency. There’s a stop/start system to save fuel when the vehicle comes to a stand-still, while in low efficiency conditions, such as at start-up and at low to mid-range speeds, the vehicle runs in full electric mode, eliminating CO2 emissions and reducing fuel consumption. In normal sriving conditions the allocation between use of petrol and electric power is being adjusted as you drive to achieve best balance between performance and efficiency.
The low emissions put the Toyota Yaris Hybrid well below the UK VED threshold for car road tax exemption and with some experts predicting the government could reduce road tax exemption limits to 85g/km by 2016 if you’re planning ahead it could be a very good choice if you in the market for a small economical and eco-friendly vehicle.
The down-sized version of Toyota’s Hybrid Powertrain in the Yaris Hybrid means it has the same space inside for driver and passengers and the same boot capacity as the standard petrol and diesel models. Plus the Yaris has a more aerodynamic design that makes the car more eye-catching than previous Yaris models.
As you’d expect from a Toyota you’ll get an excellent build quality and levels of equipment are generous across the range of new Toyota Yaris Hybrid T3, T4 and T Spirit models.
The new Toyota Yaris Hybrid T3 features:
- Aero front grille
- Black exterior door handles
- Black, electric door mirrors with built-in indicators
- LED daytime running lights
- Standard Yaris rear combination lights
- Rear boot trim (black)
- Dual-zone automatic air-con
- A 6-speaker radio/CD audio system with USB/Aux support
- Escaro black fabric interior
- Steering wheel with audio controls
- Power door locks
- Front power electric windows
- Hybrid System and Eco-driving display
- EV/ECO buttons
- 7 Airbags
- Vehicle Stability Control
- Hill-start Assist Control
The new Yaris Hybrid T4 adds:
- 15 inch alloy wheels
- Body-coloured door handles
- Body-coloured, electric, heated door mirrors with with built-in indicators
- Rear privacy glass
- Front fog lamps
- LED rear combination lamps
- Rear chrome trim
- Villadin blue fleck fabric interior
- Leather steering wheel with blue detail stitching and Bluetooth/audio controls
- Hybrid gear shift knob, with parking brake and blue detail stitching
- Soft-touch instrument panel and upper front doors
- Chrome trim on gear knob, instrument panel and door handles
- Gunmetal trim on air vents
- Remote door locking
- Toyota Touch Multimedia system
- Rear-view camera
- Driver and passenger sun visors with mirrors
The Yaris Hybrid Spirit adds:
- 16 inch "Turbine" alloy wheels
- Rear spoiler
- Villadin blue fleck fabric interior with leather trim
- Smart Start
- Rear power electric windows
- Glovebox with cooler
- Driver and passenger sun visor with mirrors and vanity lights
- Cruise control
- Rain-sensing automatic windscreen wipers
- Driver and passenger rear pockets
- Automatic headlights