Introduction
What Car? says...
With an ever increasing number of small cars turning to electricity to reduce or even eradicate tailpipe emissions, a certain Japanese car maker must be feeling pretty smug with itself for getting in on the trend early. Yes, for the best part of a decade you’ve been able to buy a hybrid version of the Toyota Yaris that emits less than 100g/km of CO2.
And this fourth-generation model well and truly grasps the prevailing small car zeitgeist. Built on Toyota’s latest small car underpinnings, it was designed from the outset to be electrified, and the hybrid 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine under its bonnet is boosted by a battery that’s smaller, lighter and yet more powerful than those in earlier generations of the Yaris Hybrid. If that seems a little meek and mild for you, there’s always the turbocharged four-wheel drive Toyota GR Yaris – the finest hot hatch currently on sale.
