04/12/08

• Price11,400
• We like...In-cabin storage
• We don't...Clattery engine

Space-efficient small car is tops for drivers who want loads of room to hide away their possessionsThe original Yaris was smaller than most of its rivals but somehow managed to work the trick of seeming almost as civilised to travel in as many far bigger cars. This latest model has grown a fair bit, as Toyota needed it to, after they’d slotted the Aygo city car beneath it as the new baby in their line-up.

Even so, it isn’t the biggest, because that honour gs to the Renault Clio and Fiat’s Grande Punto. But it is space-efficient: the boot, for instance, is the most generous you’ll encounter in the class. And Toyota has worked to ensure that it’s a full five seater. The exhaust has been shifted to ensure that the floor in the back is flat, providing valuable extra foot space for anyone perched in the middle rear seat.

The rear seats drop flat easily, too, turning the car quickly into, effectively, a small van. Up front, the dash is home to no fewer than five lidded storage boxes. Three are glovebox-sized, the other two are tiddlers set at either end. There’s also an under-dash drawer plus various trays and hidey spaces to house the clutter we all collect. There’s no other car this small that’ll store away so much.

The instruments are housed in a centrally-sited pod, where digital speedo and rev counter readouts ‘float’ in a 3d-effect. It’s big, clear and easy to take in.

For the asking price, this TR’s air conditioning, alloy wheels and seven airbags add up to a good deal. Only the slightly cheap-looking fabric on the seats and the hard, thin plastic used for the dash and control switches suggests that this Yaris has been built to a budget.

Ours had a 1.4 diesel engine that produces 89bhp. That’s a good output for an engine of this size, particularly as it promises to better 60mpg and keep exhaust emissions at 119g/km of carbon dioxide.

It is, however, clattery when revved and can’t match the smoothness of the diesel motors that push small Renaults and Peugeots along. That, and a suspension set-up that now and again allows a sharp jolt to channel from road to cabin, means the Yaris isn’t the smoothest or most restful of superminis to travel in. It’s by no means bad: just not the greatest.

Still, the diesel’s lively enough and pulls hard from low revs so that it’s best to surf it along at modest engine speeds, changing up before it becomes too raucous. That way, you’ll make quick but restful progress.

At the asking price, this Yaris is good value, not least because Toyota’s reputation for building cars well means it shouldn’t give trouble for years. But if your budget won’t stretch to a new one, never worry, because you’ll find a good choice of second-hand ones, sensibly priced.

If you’ve a lot of gear to fill it with, the Yaris is second-to-none.

View new and second-hand Yarises on motors.co.uk

• Engines1.4 D4D
• Power89bhp
• 0-60 mph10.7secs
• Economy62.8mpg
• CO2g/km119
• Insurance groups4
• EuroNCAP
• Airbags9
• Seats5

Motors.co.uk value verdict: