Toyota Yaris Hybrid 130: test and prices of the new 130 HP version

The word “restyling” is the good dress of the Italian expression “give a refresh”, a physiological fact for every car that gains touch-ups to bumpers and headlights to counteract the decline in interest, i.e. sales. What with Toyota YarisIt simply doesn’t happen. In 2023 it was a best seller with 23 thousand units marketed in Italy, 170 thousand in Europe. The first generation was launched in 1998 as a “little genius”. Now it’s a locomotive. With the new 2024 range the novelty is not about the “dress”. The aesthetics remain identical, but alongside the engine 115 HP full hybrid debuts a second with 130 HPOf fifth generation, that is, not only more powerful but with different electrical and electronic components. It also has a digitized cockpit, with a 12.3″ display behind the steering wheel and a second 10.5″ screen in the center of the dashboard. It’s a striking move. Yaris already takes on the look and user experience of city electrics, which are slow in arriving, but in the meantime it becomes more fun to drive. Yaris Hybrid 130 It has starting prices from 29,400 euroswhich drop to 25,650 with the launch contribution and a 23,900 euros in case of scrapping.

Design

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By itself, Yaris already exists born against the trend compared to the competition which has been aiming for a long time to enlarge the dimensions of the classic “B segment” city cars. Here we are still under 4 metres, 3,940 mm to be precise, with a width that reaches 1,745 mm and the distance between the front and rear wheels which measures 2,560 mm. Yaris is objectively compact, it has a large bonnet and a set back front pillar. The front is designed around the Toyota logo, with LED headlights that widen towards the front wheels and the rather muscular sides, which accompany towards the rear wheels. At the rear, the protruding light clusters mark the profile of the car and then join a frame that occupies the entire tailgate.

Interior/1

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The 2024 range doesn’t change one iota, outside. Rather the work done inside was refined, which does not want to convey the very general sensation of luxury, but aims straight towards that new generation of electric cars all based on digital involvement. They haven’t arrived yet, Yaris has.

Interior/2

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Lo is standard on all Hybrid 130 variants 12.3″ digital screen for the main instrumentation, with 12 viewing options and structured information on the left, center and right. Toyota has brought to this car an edition of software of equivalent level to that which equips the larger one Toyota CHR, with a quick response to the multifunction steering wheel controls that is really pleasing. The system is not a gadget, but it has depth and transmits grit to the car, with rather aggressive skins. In the center of the dashboard there is the 10.5″ system displayhalf an inch larger than in the past but above all with a more logical menu organization, wireless compatibility with systems Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and a new voice command interface linked to the car’s functions, starting with climate control. Trying the system as a whole, in the organization of the menus and commands, you understand how much work Toyota has done in recent years, making up for all the delays and indeed, in terms of operating stability, even gaining an advantage.

The hybrid engine

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In the official press release there was information marked by modesty, with the motorization of Yaris Hybrid 130 which “exploits the advantages of Toyota hybrid technology fifth generation“. A look at the technical data sheet is enough to discover that the weight of the car increases by 60 kg compared to the fourth generation Hybrid 115 version, which remains in place without modifications. Hybrid 130 is therefore not a tuning of the same powertrain, but uses components arriving from Toyota Corolla and precisely from its fifth generation system. That is, the 1.5 petrol is combined with a new hybrid transaxle with a more powerful electric motor-generator passing by from 79 to 84 HP (62 kW), along with changes to the software and hardware of the power control unit. The result is a 12% increase in power total system, which goes from 116 HP/85 kW to 130 HP/96 kW. An even more important factor, truly noticeable when driving, it is the driving torque that increases by 30%rising from 141 to 185 Nm. In short, there is something at stake a second Yaris, with another personality. CO2 emissions increase slightly from 87 to 95 g/km.

The test/1

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Let’s start with the comparisons. New Lexus Lbx has 136 HP of power and weighs 1,280 kg, while the Toyota Yaris Cross Hybrid 130 offers 130 HP for 1,250 kg. Both have the same engine of Yaris Hybrid 130, which however scores on the scales 1,175 kg in running order. Leaving aside the obvious gain of the first two in terms of internal habitability and space for luggage, it seems clear what the more fun on the road. Yaris Hybrid 130 maintains the habit of starting in electric mode and moving on velvet for the first few metres, but now it also does much more. You can see the benefit of a rigid platform which gives more softness to the front McPherson strut suspension and the rear torsion bar, with a controlled comfort on irregularities and at the same time a lot precision in curve insertion, with clear sensations transmitted to the steering wheel. Now there is a much more reactive effect at the touch of the right pedal, with a all new game in recovery, where you go from 80 to 120 times in 7.5 seconds. Everywhere you perceive more thrust from the electric, while only in the most extreme accelerations does the three-cylinder increase in revs much more than it actually increases the speed. However, the advantage comes at the cost of perhaps less silent operation of the three-cylinder engine as a whole.

The test/2

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The balance now definitely tips in favor of a system checked to the millimetre and which recovers even more energy when braking and releasing, reading in advance the indications coming from the satellite navigator on descents or slowdowns in traffic to recharge the battery as best as possible. This logic is the same used by the new Prius plug-in, Toyota’s most rational car ever when it comes to energy and fuel management. On Yaris Hybrid 130 i average declared consumption For 4.2 litres of petrol every 100 km are realistic, with those in the city reduced by adjustments that make restarts in traffic more fluid than ever, even if the real logic lies in a Yaris never so enjoyable when driving quickly on mixed terrain, ready when changing direction and braking and very reactive when moving.

Equipment and prices

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Toyota Yaris Hybrid 130 ha prices starting from 29,400 euros for the entry version Loungewhich drop to 25,650 with the launch contribution WeHybrid Bonus Of 3,750 euros and at 23,900 euros with WeHybrid Bonus 5,500 euros in case of scrapping. Both discounts are also available for higher levels Premiere Edition And Gr Sportsboth listed at 31,700 euros. There Premiere Edition it offers two-tone paintwork that combines the Neptune Blue color with a contrasting glossy black roof and pillars and 17″ black wheels. Blue is also the main color in the passenger compartment, present in the seat stitching and in the decorative lines on the dashboard and door panels The GR Sport version it is inspired by the cars of the Gazoo Racing sports division, with 18″ alloy wheels with red decoration, sports front seats with upholstery and stitching still in red, sports pedals, perforated leather steering wheel covering and GR badges on the seats, start button and steering wheel.The Dynamic Gray exterior color is also exclusive to the version, with GR Sport badging on the front and rear of the car, as well as the G-shaped front grille motif.

Pros and cons

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These are the results of our road test in Barcelona:

• Pleases: truly reactive engine when picking up, with the electric pushing forcefully when exiting corners, multiplying the effect of a solid set-up, comfortable on irregularities but decisive when changing trajectory;
• Do not like: some of the dashboard plastics seemed too rigid to us. The placement of the battery behind the central console and the tapered design of the rear take up space for rear passengers.

Data sheet

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These i official data communicated by Toyota Motor Italia and relating to all Hybrid 130 versions: