What's the 2014 Toyota Yaris Hybrid like to drive?
That largely depends on how you drive it. Choose to be smooth and measured with your inputs and the Yaris is a relatively refined and comfortable town car. Most of the time the 1.5-litre petrol engine and single electric motor (both borrowed from the Prius) work together in tandem, and the instant oomph from the batteries gets the Hybrid Yaris going off the line a bit quicker than its diesel rivals.
Drive really gently, and keep your speed below 40mph, and it will enter an electric-only mode, something you’re made aware of by a green symbol that lights up on the dashboard. In this mode the Yaris is fairly refined, apart from the odd bit of suspension noise on bumpy surfaces.
There’s no rev counter, which is perhaps another obvious clue that anyone in the market for a Yaris Hybrid is not the type of buyer likely to be seeking the open road any time soon. It uses a CVT automatic gearbox, which becomes problematic if you do decide to venture out of town.
Try to build up speed to join a motorway, or quickly accelerate away from a junction, and there’s a brief pause before the CVT ’box sends the engine revs soaring – filling the cabin with an intrusive and unpleasant whine. The Yaris does settle down at a steady cruise, but by then wind and road noise also invade the cabin, and you’ll soon find yourself reaching for the volume knob on the stereo.
Adding this complicated hybrid powertrain to the Yaris does increase its overall weight – only by around 75kg – but the added bulk has an effect on how the car handles. It feels unwilling to change direction quickly in tight corners, with overly light steering, and a considerable amount of body roll.
It does at least ride better than before, with speed bumps and other imperfections absorbed easily by the suspension. Sharp-edged ridges will still catch it out though, sending a jolt through the cabin.
The skinny tyres fitted to the standard 15-inch wheels also mean it has less grip than rivals such as the Renault Clio, and the regenerative brakes are quite grabby. There is little response at the top of the pedal, before they suddenly bite very hard, which makes it difficult to drive smoothly.
You should hopefully see the benefit of all these tweaks to aid fuel economy at the pumps. Our real-world range tests revealed the Yaris returning close to 60mpg, which makes it one of the most efficient small cars in this class, backing up the impressive official claims.
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