Toyota Yaris Cross Review 2023
The Toyota Yaris Cross is a hybrid crossover SUV that appeals to families looking for a versatile and efficient car. It comes with a bold exterior style, Toyota's renowned reliability, and a fuel-efficient hybrid engine.
Rivals to the Yaris Cross include the Ford Puma, Volkswagen T-Roc, Skoda Kamiq, and Nissan Juke.
Our Toyota Yaris Cross review covers:
- Bold exterior with modern looks
- Sensible interior that's well organised
- 400 or 320-litre boot
- 1.5-litre petrol engine paired with an electric motor
- Four trims: Icon, Design, Excel, and GR Sport
Pros:
- Good fuel efficiency
- Well-laid-out dashboard
- Easy to drive around town
Cons:
- Cabin feels cheap in places
- Not as engaging to drive as rivals
- Outdated tech
The Yaris Cross is longer and wider than the standard Yaris and looks like its older, more muscly sibling. It has a bold exterior that gives it a sporty appeal, such as a square front end and sleek LED headlights.
Moving inside, there's plenty of space in the cabin of the Yaris Cross to accommodate four six-footers. There's a lot of leg and headroom throughout the cabin, with more rear space than in the Skoda Kamiq or Volkswagen T-Roc. The only downside is that the rear doors are quite small, making it tricky for less agile people to get in.
Boot space comes in at 400 litres on the front-wheel drive version and 320 litres on the all-wheel drive. If you want to increase boot space, the Yaris Cross comes standard with a 60/40 split-folding rear bench, which is upgraded to 40/20/40 from the Design trim and above.
Everything in the cabin is laid out sensibly and feels well-built, but it's absent of any premium materials you'd find in rivals like the Nissan Juke or Mini Countryman. The seats are comfortable, and there's a nice black trim to help enhance the looks, but apart from that, it's pretty dated.
Coming as standard is an eight-inch infotainment system that has Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. Upgrade to the Excel and GR Sport trims, and the system increases to nine inches and features Toyota's latest Smart Connect Software featuring sat-nav and live road events. It's worth upgrading if you spend a lot of time on the road.
Four trims are available: Icon, Design, Excel, and GR Sport.
Icon comes with 16-inch silver alloy wheels, an eight-inch infotainment system, smart entry/push-button start, emergency steering assist, a reversing camera, full-range adaptive cruise control, automatic air conditioning, and pre-collision system with pedestrian and cyclist detection.
The design includes 17-inch alloy wheels, 40:20:40 split-folding rear seats, LED rear lights with sequential indicators, light blue ambient lighting on front doors, privacy glass, black roof rails, and LED projector headlights.
Excel has 18-inch alloy wheels, a heated steering wheel, a nine-inch infotainment system, blind spot monitoring, heated driver and passenger seats, and intelligent front and rear parking sensors.
GR Sport completes the lineup with GR Sport suspension tuning, a leather steering wheel, a meshed front grille, a black rear under-run, and GR Sport floor mats.
The Toyota Yaris Cross is a hybrid car available with a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine paired with an electric motor. You can choose between front-wheel and all-wheel drive, with the latter adding another motor to drive the rear wheels.
It comes with a power output of 116bhp, accelerates from 0-62mph in 11.2 seconds, and has a top speed of 105mph.
In terms of fuel economy, the hybrid engine returns around 60mpg, which increases to around 100mpg if cruising around town. This makes it one of the most economical small SUVs on the market, exceeding the Ford Puma, Volkswagen T-Roc, and Skoda Kamiq.
On the road, the Yaris Cross returns decent performance. It handles tidily through bends, and there's a good amount of grip, giving you confidence in adverse weather conditions. The steering is light and more than acceptable around town but still falls short of the Ford Puma, which is undoubtedly the best in the class.
It also has good ride quality, and the suspension system deals well with bumps and breaks in the road, meaning that it's never an uncomfortable journey in the Yaris Cross. It's also available in all-wheel drive, so it's more than capable on muddy tracks or slippery surfaces.
Prices for the new Toyota Yaris Cross start from £24,564.00 OTR* or to lease from £255.20 per month.
Looking to get behind the wheel of the Toyota Yaris Cross? Nationwide Vehicle Contracts is one of the UK's largest car leasing brokers and offers a range of leasing deals to suit your every need.
Leasing may be cheaper than an outright purchase, thanks to a low initial deposit and fixed monthly rentals.
*' On the road' price correct at time of publication and includes one year's road fund license, DVLA first registration fee and number plate fee. Prices are subject to change; always check with your nearest retailer.
