2022 Toyota Yaris ZR Hybrid review

The Toyota Yaris is part of Toyota’s long, storied history of delivering tough, popular little hatchbacks at affordable pri… Hang on. Let’s try that again.

The Toyota Yaris is part of Toyota’s long, storied history of delivering tough, safe and popular–

Nope. That’s not as true anymore either.

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The 2021 Toyota Yaris is an expensive little hatchback, packed with stuff, a frugal hybrid drivetrain and – in ZR form – costs as much, if not more, than much of its European competition.

On the surface, what was once considered an affordable and dependable if entirely dull car has now become less dull but considerably more expensive in the process.

There has to be more to it than that. Right? I mean, you can’t add a lazy ten grand to a car without making it significantly better than the car it replaces. Right?

Pricing and Features

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I’m still shaking my head at the huge jump in prices for the Yaris, even with the introduction of the Yaris Cross that sort of made some sense of the change (in that it meant Toyota could charge even more for the baby SUV).

People just aren’t buying as many light-segment hatches anymore, so if you’re going to offer one, make it worth everyone’s while, I guess.

I just can’t get my head around the fact that not only is $32,500 – before on-road costs – for the ZR Hybrid incredibly close to the Audi A1 35 TFSI but that kind of money buys you a Kia Seltos or a Hyundai i30 Sedan N-Line or, er, a Corolla Hybrid SX (with change leftover).

A Polo GTI is a few hundred bucks more and that same car’s Style spec is almost seven grand below, albeit without either the hybrid drivetrain or realistic service pricing.

Another benefit of the high price of entry is a freshly-minted five-star ANCAP rating - very tricky to get without centre airbags. Which the Yaris has

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The ZR Hybrid has 16-inch alloys, adaptive cruise control, auto wipers, keyless entry and start, climate control, fake leather steering wheel trim, auto LED headlights and wipers, sat-nav, sports front seats, head-up display and interior and exterior trim bits to distinguish it from the lowlier SX.

It also has a space-saver spare. Quite where Toyota fits the hybrid battery is anyone’s guess, but it must be tiny.

The ready-for-the-pension 7.0-inch Toyota head unit has been plonked unceremoniously onto the dash. It’s old and crusty and not very good, and like BMW on warranty coverage, Toyota can do better. At least it has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The resolution is a bit low and everything is stretched across the screen real estate while the colours look washed out. It looks low-quality but it does respond promptly.

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Another benefit of the high price of entry is a freshly-minted five-star ANCAP rating, something very tricky to get without centre airbags. Which the Yaris has.

It has a further six airbags for a total of seven, ABS, stability and traction controls, forward AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection, active cruise, intersection assist, lane-keep assist and road sign recognition. Annoyingly it has neither reverse cross-traffic alert nor reverse AEB.

Only paint is an option, with Toyota having the bare-faced cheek to stiff you $575 for all but two of the eleven available colours and if you want the two-tone option applied to this car, it’s another $450. Bringing the price awfully close to that of a Corolla ZR Hybrid.

Comfort and Space

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The old Yaris had a very nasty interior, so stepping into this one is far more of a pleasure than the old.

Up in the rarified atmosphere of the ZR, you get a lightly coloured cabin with a very nice pair of sports seats for the front. The fabric pattern reminds me of the one we laughed at when buying an early 2000s Peugeot, which in turn seemed to have stolen it from a mid-90s Hyundai Excel. The pale colours help to increase the sense of space in the cabin, though.

Disappointingly for the price, some of the plastics are very ho-hum and you get the impression that some parts were from the big bin out the back of the factory

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Disappointingly for the price of the car, some of the plastics are very ho-hum and you get the impression that some parts were fetched from the big bin out the back of the factory rather than spending any coin on making them nice for the Yaris.

The bottom half of the dash and the console looks really bare and made to fit a shifter and its surround from, well, anything they could find. There is heaps of grey plastic and a dark hole where you’ll find a 12-volt charger and a USB port.

ZR spec scores a screen for its climate control function, which replaces the Fisher-Price dials of the lower models, so there’s that.

The SX’s digital dashboard is along for the ride and it is very good, as is the inclusion of a head-up display, which again goes some way to explaining the price. There’s a Kluger/RAV4 style shelf in front of the passenger, too, but you won’t get much in there. The front doors have bottle holders and there are two cup holders up front too.

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Rear seat passengers will be reasonably comfortable for such a small car, with good leg and knee room and more than acceptable headroom. There is, however, not much else for them, with no armrest or cup holders and no USB ports. You could maybe get away with calling the square bin at the rear of the console a cup holder but that’s stretching the truth somewhat.

The boot is a handy if not expansive 270 litres. The false floor means you can have the floor flush with the load lip for easy packing and/or hiding expensive/muddy things underneath it.

On the Road

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All Yarises – including the hilarious GR Yaris – are powered by a three-cylinder engine of various designs and tunes. The ZR Hybrid has a 1.5-litre internal combustion engine delivering 67kW and 120Nm while an electric motor buried in the automatic continuously variable transmission (CVT) has 59kW and 141Nm on offer.

Toyota says that the two together come out at 85kW and…er…well, they won’t say what the combined torque figure is, which continues to be something I find irrationally irritating.

The Yaris Hybrid is very much at home in the city. The slug of torque from the electric motor means smart getaways from a standstill, so you won’t get eaten up like you used to in the old car. That gives you a more convincing impression of the car’s overall safety, too, leaving you less likely to feel you’re going to be elbowed out of the way all the time.

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It’s nicely calibrated with the otherwise ordinary CVT, but it really does feel properly peppy, which is what you want. As ever, you can also try your luck to see how far you’ll get dribbling along on electric power only, the battery only big enough to give you a few hundred metres. That’s particularly useful in heavy, creeping traffic because it means the engine won’t cut in very often, if at all, given the right weather conditions and state of the air-con.

What I really like about this Yaris is that it’s fun to drive. That used to be a thing nobody ever said about the Yaris, but it now rolls on the small version of Toyota’s TNGA platform.

While that’s all well and good and doesn’t guarantee sparkle, I can’t think of a dud car on that set of components. It’s worth pointing out that if you’ve found your way here based on the idea a ZR Yaris is closely related to the GR Yaris, I’m going to have to disappoint you – they’re not very closely related at all.

The Yaris Hybrid is very much at home in the city. The slug of torque from the electric motor means smart getaways from standstill

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But having said that, for a Yaris, the current car is a genuinely enjoyable drive, with a really nice balance between ride and handling. For a car with such a short wheelbase, the ride is close to impeccable and the chassis tolerates a moderate amount of chucking about. The hybrid isn’t really set up for it, so with a bit of paddle pulling and learning how to build momentum and hold on to it, you’ll have a laugh or two.

For the Yaris hybrid, fuel consumption is quoted at an impressively low 3.3L/100km. I sniggered when I first saw it, then got 4.1L/100km, so that’s impressively good going.

Ownership

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The Yaris comes with Toyota’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is now competitive. The company also throws in a further two years on the drivetrain if you service with one of its dealerships.

And you’d be mad not to. By contrast to the eye-watering price of entry, the first five services will only cost you $205 each, which is a dead-set bargain and the 12-month/15,000km intervals mean most owners will get the full five-year benefit. Although I do note that this price has risen by $35 since the car’s introduction…

The battery on the hybrid powertrain is also covered for ten years.

VERDICT

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The Yaris is a lot of money, there’s no getting away from it. Is it Audi money? Yes. And no. While the Audi is rather more stylish, it doesn’t have the standard safety, bargain servicing or low total cost of ownership. It is the better car to drive and its approach to a three-cylinder engine is vastly more characterful and enjoyable.

Except, of course, that’s not what Yaris buyers are looking for. This car is everything Yaris buyers want but in a much more comfortable, safe and interesting package. In a dying part of the market, we have to be pleased when there’s anything at all available. It might be a lot of money, but it does exactly what it says it will do and will put a smile on your face doing it.

2021 Toyota Yaris ZR Hybrid specifications