The 2014 Toyota Yaris has been launched to the South African media and we were there at the Cape Town launch.

The Toyota Yaris is one of the brand’s more Eurocentric offerings and I can see the appeal. Who wouldn’t like a modern, European-styled hatchback, but with legendary Toyota reliability? The Yaris has sold pretty well in SA, but has been under threat from more modern and funkier offerings from the likes of the Renault Clio and Volkswagen Polo.The Ford Fiesta also sells well and even the Koreans are getting in on the act.

The time has come then, for a revitalised Toyota Yaris to make an appearance. You can read the full specifications and changes here, but essentially there’s a new front face, a new infotainment system as well as some upgrades in terms of ride refinement and driveability. Engine options include two petrols and the hybrid.

Toyota Yaris Hybrid

After an evening press briefing and hotel stay, we awoke early for the day’s driving activities. First car to sample was the 1.5-litre Yaris HSD – a car that promises fuel economy of 3.6-litres / 100km, which sounds incredible. Start it up and you’re greeted with… nothing.If it wasn’t for the dashboard lights and gentle whir from the air-conditioner, you’d think the car was still off. Put the gearbox into Drive, drop the handbrake and the Yaris hybrid gets going in complete silence. In fact, it’ll stay in full electric mode up to 50 kph.

The car feels refined and solid on the open roads around Malmesbury, while the CVT gearbox keeping the 1.5-litre engine ticking over nicely. It’s only when you want to overtake a slower vehicle on the open road and need all power does the gearbox noise become intrusive. But when you’re getting such low economy, it’s not a bad price to pay.

Yaris Rally Experience

Usually small car launches are very low-key and forgettable events, but Toyota SA had a plan up its sleeve to keep things exciting. The route guide directed us down a dusty farm road where we met up with the Toyota SA rally team and its superstar driver Giniel de Villiers. De Villiers is currently driving a Toyota Yaris S2000 rally car which competes in the regionaloffroad championship. Aside from vaguely looking like a Yaris, there’s nothing in this car that can be found in the normal road-going version. Riding shotgun in this monster offroad was an incredible experience.

Toyota Yaris 1.3

We then headed out towards Ceres and Tulbach for the lunch stop. After lunch, I switched to the 1.3 manual Yaris. This is probably the pick of the range as it offers great fuel economy, decent specification and a good driving experience. The hybrid does offer more spec and incredible fuel economy, but at R276 900 I feel that’s a little pricey. The 1.3 Yaris engine is willing to be revved, but the gearbox was a little notchy which I’ll put down to how new the car was. I’d like to see how a test unit fares with a bit more mileage on the clocks when everything has loosened up. The best part of this 1.3 manual Yaris has to be the price as it comes in under R200 000.

New Yaris Verdict

So, the new Toyota Yaris. Is it any good? Can it steal some sales away from the rampant Volkswagen Polo and Renault Clio. I would say yes. There’s a whole host of upgrades and the car is built in France, making it feel a little European. The engine isn’t the most performance orientated, but there’s enough grunt to get about at a reasonable pace. It’s a Toyota and reliability plus resale will be commendable too.

The warranty is good. Petrol versions come with a three-year / 45 000km service plan as standard. The hybrid gets a standard four-year / 60 000 km service plan as well as an additional eight-year / 195 000km warranty on the battery in addition to the standard Toyota warranty of three years / 100 000km.