The 2021 Toyota Yaris is officially on sale in Australia, with pricing starting at $22,130 plus on-road costs. Now sitting on Toyota’s latest TNGA platform and with huge improvements in styling, technology and efficiency thanks to a new hybrid drivetrain, the new Yaris will be available in three specs: Ascent Sport, SX and ZR. When equipped with the hybrid drivetrain, the new Yaris is the most fuel-efficient car Toyota has ever sold here – it’s capable of just 3.3L/100km combined.

Sitting on the same TNGA platform as the Corolla, Camry, C-HR and RAV4, the new Yaris is shorter and lower than its predecessor, though emphasizing its new styling is a longer wheelbase than before. According to Toyota, the new platform allows the driver’s seat to be set lower and further back towards the centre of the car, which reportedly creates a more engaging driving position and helps to lower the car’s centre of gravity by about 15mm.

Boot space is listed at 270-litres with a two-position floor – 16L less than the current model.

A new range of powertrains are available in the 2021 Toyota Yaris are a new 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine and a new 1.5-litre four-cylinder hybrid engine. The 1.5-litre unit produces 88kW of power and 145Nm of torque and is capable of 5.4L/100km as a manual or 4.9L/100km as a CVT automatic – the latter is a 23 per cent improvement over the current 1.5-litre Yaris.

The engine in the Yaris hybrid – which replaces the Prius C – produces 67kW/120Nm on its own, while a lithium-ion battery pack feeds a 59kW/141Nm electric motor. Combined output is 85kW (just 3kW less than the petrol engine) while the Yaris hybrid can use just 3.3L/100km on a combined cycle and emit just 76g/km of CO2.

Safety equipment has been significantly improved with the new generation Yaris. Standard on all models is tech such as auto emergency braking that detects vehicles, pedestrians and even operates when turning, adaptive cruise control, auto headlights with auto high beam, speed sign recognition, lane keep assist, a reversing camera, eight airbags (including two centre airbags – a segment first) and on ZR models, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and front and rear parking sensors with auto rear braking.

The Yaris range kicks off with the $22,210 Ascent Sport (six-speed manual – the CVT auto is $23,630), which features the above safety tech as well as a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital radio, six speakers, LED daytime running lights and tailights, rear fog lights, manual air conditioning, auto-folding mirrors and power windows.

The mid-range SX (CVT-only: $27,020) adds inbuilt satellite navigation with live traffic, climate control AC, keyless entry and start, a leather steering wheel, a digital driver’s display, a soft-touch instrument panel, rear privacy glass, 15-inch alloy wheels and LED lighting.

The top-spec ZR ($30,100) then adds 16-inch alloy wheels, a rear spoiler, a 10-inch colour heads-up display, sports front seats, blind-spot monitoring with rear traffic alert and braking and paddle shifters for the petrol engine.

The hybrid is only available in the SX ($29,020) and the ZR ($32,100) and is auto-only.

Like other Toyota models locally, the Yaris is equipped with a five-year warranty with 10 years on the hybrid’s battery. The first five annual services are capped at $170.

2021 Toyota Yaris pricing (plus on-road costs):

Ascent Sport manual: $22,130

Ascent Sport auto: $23,630

SX auto: $27,020

SX hybrid auto: $29,020

ZR auto: $30,100

ZR hybrid auto: $32,100

About The Author

Jake is the veteran automotive journalist in the DiscoverAuto team having been in the industry since 2017. His first word was Volvo, he nitpicks every piece of practical design and has an unhealthy obsession for cars that feature rain-activated headlights.

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