You know what I wonder about the Toyota Yaris Cross. How far can this automotive genre really go? Oh wait, the Aygo X…

And that’s a two-meaning question, like when you’re being interrogated by a suspiciously intelligent woman. Yes, they exist.

First of all, the Toyota Yaris Cross is exactly what it sounds like, with the Yaris getting proper almost-stilts and not just a Kia Rio with higher sneakers like the Kia Stonic. But why do we need a Yaris with stilts? Even worse, why do we need an Aygo with the cross-over treatment? How far will this madness go? At this rate, the Toyota cross-over scooter is coming soon.

Secondly, I wonder how far it can go in terms of price. It starts at 20600 euros, 3000 euros more than a Duster and 2000 euros more than a Vitara. And if you push all the buttons and tick all the options, including 18″ wheels, you end up with a beer over 38000 euros. On a Yaris. As a Tiguan AllSpace, if you’re from the balkans and haven’t heard of Dacia or Suzuki leftovers and the only mid-level manufacturer you know is VW.

Is it worth that kind of money for a Yaris on stilts?

Considering it’s selling so well, probably yes. But I wouldn’t spend too much money on a Yaris Cross beyond the base trim, because if we’re talking about the base model things already turn 180 like Piers Morgan’s head when he took is fist of justice from Clarkson. If you go for the cheapest hybrid and bring a clunker for the goverment incentive, you end up with a car that is fairly good value for money, especially in today’s times when everything is so expensive. So don’t be the epidermis of the male genitalia and buy the hybrid version. The regular version is not worth it.

Why?

The Toyota Yaris Cross also comes in the base trim with decent levels of features. Or Tila Tequilla. Small, but equipped. You get a urethane steering wheel and shifter, you get a 7-inch infotainment system, you get Bluetooth connectivity and many, many safety systems. But for an couple hundred euros extra you also get the hybrid engine, automatic air conditioning, automatic lights and other more or less useful things in life.

 

The 80 mpg car

Yep, you read that right. 80 mpg urban. Or 3 litres of petrol per 100 km of city driving, if you’re from the less fortunate parts of the globe. Possibly less. Seriously, the C-HR does 60 – 75 mpg in urban cycle and the Yaris Cross is even more efficient than that because it’s lighter and has a smoller engine to work with. Sure, you spend extra on the hybrid version but you get plenty of extra kit and you get your money back pretty quickly simply from the fuel economy compared to the naturally aspirated engine version. Seriously, I don’t know why they sold the NA version for, other than for those brochures and commercials which go “Toyota Yaris Cross, starting from 19.990$”.

 

Toyota Yaris Cross Engines

Petrol

1.5 M15A-FKS of 120 horsepower – The naturally aspirated, non-hybrid version is just not worth it. And it uses more petrol, has only 11 extra horsepower and has EGR and EGR cooler issues. Do some overtime at your workplace and save up for the hybrid.

Hybrid

1.5 NA + electric of 116 horsepower combined – Sure, the M15A-FXE is related to the 125 horsepower M15A-FKS, only here it has only 91 horsepower and is helped by an electric motor. It too will have EGR and EGR cooler issues, but much, much later because the electric motor will do the field work, or city work in this case. BECAUSE TOYOTA YARIS CROSS IS A CITY CAR AND NOT A LONG-DISTANCE CAR, YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO GO FROM BIRMINGHAM TO LAKE BALATON IN A YARIS CROSS. JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD.

 

Toyota Yaris Cross General Issues

  • As with any Toyota, I’ll start with the price, both new and used. New it costs roughly 20,000 euros and on the used market they are more expensive than new. But then again, the Toyota Yaris Cross is not really a small city car, it’s actually more of a Juke size-wise.
  • The Yaris Cross slightly nods back to the Mazda RX-8 in terms of rear space and the fact that those almost-full size rear door don’t open all the way. If you’re the typical clientele and have small children, the rear space and the lower accesibility is ok. But if you have elderly relatives to carry in the back, you better get them an Uber.
  • Some people complained that it doesn’t have interior lights in the back. For some it’s an anemity they’ll never use or care, for others it’s a dealbreaker in a car. Fascinating.
  • Next, I have to mention Toyota’s CVT because the Japanese can’t get enough of CVTs. Fortunately the hybrid uses a newer eCVT automagic which is lightyears above the classic CVT.

 

Toyota Yaris Cross Verdict

Honestly, it’s a car you buy just because you can and that’s it. There, I said it. I highly doubt there are people who will buy the Yaris Cross for it’s 4×4 system , which isn’t even a 4×4 built for rough terrain. And it’s not even necessarily tall, because a normal Yaris has 135mm ground clearance and the Yaris Cross has 170mm. That’s 3.5 centimetres. Sure, in a man’s world 3.5 centimetres makes the difference between victory and pulling up your pants and driving off in SHAME, but in this world, the Yaris Cross is just an accessory to show the world that you can. Because a normal Yaris does exactly the same job, but a few thousand euros cheaper and it also comes with the same 80 mpg drivetrain in the hybrid version.

 

Which engines do you recommend? Definitely the 1.5 and 116 horsepower hybrid. I don’t even understand why they sell the normal petrol as well.