It's remarkable, in retrospect, that Toyota hasn't been a player in the automotive supermini class here in South Africa, especially when you look at the huge growth that sector has enjoyed in the past half-decade.
That's all changed. Toyota SA could have introduced a competive product sooner but the company chose to hold back for the second-generation Yaris that was only unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show in September.
As a result, we were one of the first markets to get the car.
The previous Yaris was European Car of the Year in 2000 but that's not an award that will go the way of the new one: the 2005 victor was announced some weeks back (Renault's Clio) and the Yaris faired relatively poorly.
But competitions don't always reflect the true strength of a product or how well it is going to sell. Toyota SA has ambitious targets that include usurping the segment-leading VW Polo.
A multi-pronged campaign kicked off in November 2005, aimed at the "twennies" at which this funky little car is aimed.
It's a cute little number whose stubby dimensions (at 3750mm long it's one of the smallest in its class), short overhangs and wide stance (body and track widths are among the largest in class), it looks suitably combative, without being overtly aggressive.
It has plenty of presence and its curvaceous sheet metal gives visual appeal that is likely to attract buyers from both sexes. Front foglights and alloy rims set the flagship Spirit apart from lesser versions.
This the 1.3-litre Spirit is well specced and seven crash bags helped it to a five-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash test programme.
There's said to be 64 kW on offer - about the same as its main rivals - but its claimed 120Nm of torque at 4400rpm suggests it might not be that strong on driveability, especially against 1.4-litre rivals. This certainly proves to be the case.
The engine, despite being fitted with Toyota's VVTi variable valve timing , does need to be revved, and at Gauteng altitude needs be kept on the right side of 3000rpm to deliver the goods.
The 0-100 km/h comes up in a middling 14.4sec and it takes 24sec to accelerate from 60-120km/h in fourth gear, figures similar to class rivals such as the Kia Rio 1.4.
Rev the engine all the way to the 6200 limiter and it does become rather vocal. Nevertheless, it isn't a chore once you drive it appropriately, and typical buyers may like the sensory eagerness of the engine.
Our car, with 2500km on the odometer, may get better with time (we're keeping it for several months as a long-term test).
Sizeable gear gap
Despite its mass it stops eagerly, time and again with its discs front / drums rear set-up, but the Yaris has a full arsenal of stopping aids that see it return to standstill from 100km/h with reassuring consistency. Pedal feel is good and is easy to modulate despite requiring little effort.
Gear ratios are reasonably well chosen, save for a sizeable gap between first and second, and changing at the torque peak sees revs drop to a little over 2000rpm.
Gearshifting is taut and precise but finding the point at which the clutch engages is something of a hit-and-miss affair through the almost numb pedal.
The Yaris has a cab-forward look to it and the driver is immediately aware that the base of the windscreen is in the far distance. Another peculiarity is the absence of a conventional instrument cluster ahead of the steering wheel; instead, there's a digital binnacle in the middle of the fascia angled slightly towards the driver and largely hidden from the passengers.
This is handy in that it doesn't require much of a line-of-sight shift to read the information.
Speed is presented in large, almost three-dimensional, digits while engine speed is a bar of increasing length and the fuel level is indicated in a manner familiar to cellphone users.
Engine temperature is signified by a pair of lights: a blue one disappears as the engine reaches operating temperature and a red one illuminates (we assume) once things get too hot.
737 litres of load volume
The cabin can be massaged into a variety of seat/load configurations thanks to rear seats that are split 60/40 and slide fore/aft through 150mm. That's not unique but, used with Toyota's user-friendly Easy Flat seating system, it makes the Yaris as much of a micro multi-purpose vehicle as a mini hatchback.
Toyota says that if the rear seats are stowed there's 737 litres of load volume available, measured to the windowline. Only the Kia Rio beats that number.
With the rear seats moved right forward a luggage volume of 363 litres is available, handy for an average grocery haul, but in the process rear legroom is reduced to a squeeze even for pre-teens. Shift the seat backwards and legroom is more than adequate and there's plenty of space for three pairs of feet thanks to the car's low, flat floor.
The rear seatbacks recline through 10 degrees though opt for maximum passenger comfort and luggage space shrinks to 270 litres - maybe enough for a few grocery packets and a couple of school bags. The Yaris is wider than most superminis, which means it fares well as an occasional five-seater, and is strong on headroom - despite not looking especially tall.
Best in the business
Spirit buyers will find beneath the high boot floor a full-sized spare on an alloy rim and two moulded compartments to hide small but valuable items. Toyota says there's 18 litres of storage space in the fascia as well as individual lidded compartments ahead of the driver and passenger in addition to a conventional glove box.
The cupholders are perhaps the best in the business, positioned at eye level at each end of the fascia. A third is provided in the rear.
Tactile experiences in the cabin are something of a mixed bag: the stalks flanking the height and reach adjustable steering column and the buttons for the sound system on the wheel itself operate with satisfying precision, the air-conditioning controls have a pleasant chunkiness, but the hard plastics used for the fascia and the hollow thunk with which the storage compartments shut is not as rewarding as the approach taken by European rivals.
The leather-clad steering wheel on this Yaris feels good and is of a suitably small diameter but the steering is not perfect. Sure, the wheel needs only three turns lock-to-lock, which makes the Yaris feel exceptionally nimble but, like many electrically assisted systems, there's a lack of feel around the dead-ahead position.
Ride reasonably good
It feels more than satisfactory when loaded through a curve but the muteness in a straight line is disconcerting: factor in a crosswind and the Yaris can move around in a decidedly unsettling manner.
Its decent rubber lets the Yaris corner with some pace and aim itself obediently towards the apex but, as understeer sets in, it is pretty much there for the duration.
Overall ride quality is reasonably good, generally absorbing imperfections without too much vertical movement of the body. The back end can get a little fidgety on really rough surfaces but is no worse in this regard than most rivals.
SUMMARY
The Yaris is more versatile than most but doesn't move the supermini goalposts much in other ways. It does everything expected of it well, if not always exceptionally well. The engine may be a little peaky for some tastes; others might consider its character a boon.
Most shoppers in the segment will consider the fact that, being a Toyota, its real core strength lies with the stylised 'T' on the grille that reduces the worry so often part of buying a new car.