Toyota Yaris puts premium on safety with 7 airbags

The new Toyota Yaris will surely instil confidence among its users when it comes to performance and safety, says P Tharyan.

Photographs: Kind courtesy Toyota

Today all cars sold in India's sedan segment look more or less attractive, and the Toyota Yaris is no different. After all, it's in a segment where the likes of Hyundai Verna, the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, the Volkswagen Vento and the Honda City rule the roost.

Being a stickler for safety, I was completely bowled over by the fact that the company is offering seven SRS airbags along with anti-lock braking system, electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist across its variants: J, G, V and VX. An automatic transmission is offered as a choice across all the four variants.

A smart grille, projector headlamps that sport an LED line guide, turn indicator on the outside rear view mirrors (ORVMs), rear LED combination lamps with non-LED line guide and an LED high mount stop light at the rear, lend an elegant look to the vehicle. 

Photographs: Kind courtesy Toyota Kirloskar Motor

Auto headlamps, follow-me headlamps and rear defoggers are available in the top variants. A shark fin antenna on the roof gives the car a sporty look. The car sits on 185/60 R15 tyres wrapped around smart alloy wheels.

The interiors are bright and the leather seats are comfortable. The seats come with three point seat belts with the front ones having both a pretensioner and a force limiter. The rear seats are 60:40 split. The dash is made of good quality plastic and is designed as though it has been stitched on the edges.

The car also comes with a cooled glove box. The waterfall design instrument panel comes with a piano black finish. The 7-inch LED touch screen audio system comes with gesture control, a feature I felt could easily have been avoided for its impractical use. Other features include USB, aux-in, Bluetooth, remote control, SD card, MirrorLink, Miracast, HDMI and Wi-Fi. There are 12V power sockets at the rear and front too.

Photographs: Kind courtesy Toyota Kirloskar Motor

The Optitron combo meter is a combination of analogue and digital. One of the highlights of the cabin is the roof mounted air vents with ambient illumination. Seating is comfortable within. In the top end, the driver seat has power adjustment. A six feet tall passenger may find the rear seat headroom a bother.

Then there are rain sensing wipers, rear sunshade; audio, phone and MID controls on the steering wheel, electrically adjustable and foldable ORVMs, a rear armrest with a cup holder and a steering that can be adjusted for tilt but not for reach.

The car comes with tyre pressure monitoring system, parking sensors, both in the front and rear, reverse camera, speed sensing auto door lock and impact sensing door unlock. Central locking and immobiliser are also available across variants.

Photograph: Hitesh Harisinghani/Rediff.com

The car has a keyless entry and a push start/stop button. The 7-speed super CVT-i transmission (automatic) is responsive, but like all CVTs, it groans like hell. Fuel average is better in a CVT as compared to a manual.

But the moment I sacrificed the automatic mode and opted for paddle shifters, the dynamics of my drive changed for the better. The foot well does not have a dead pedal and the place where your left foot is to rest is uneven, which, in short, means that driving the automatic could be a tad uncomfortable for the driver.

Overall, the new Toyota Yaris will surely instil confidence among its users when it comes to performance and safety.

Report: Motown India; motownindia.com