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Verdict
The New Toyota Yaris joins the fiercely competitive Supermini market with improved interior looks and plenty of kit to add to its existing strengths of reliability and a five-year warranty.

Expert rating: 3.0

Pros
• Lots of standard kit
• Great information display layout
• Five-year/100,000-mile warranty

Cons
• Hybrid not available yet
• Underwhelming engines
• A bit bland

1. Exterior: 3/5
The new Yaris offers a more youthful, more male-oriented look. It's 100mm longer and 20mm lower than the previous model, with reduced overhangs front and rear giving it a more squat and purposeful stance. The nose has been reworked with new upper and lower grilles and horizontal headlights.

2. Interior: 3/5
A more driver-focused approach sees the instruments moved behind the steering wheel from the centre console, which is now finished with a sculpted, padded section. It helps make the cabin seem more spacious, while larger quarterlight windows allow more light in.

3. Practicality: 3/5
The 286 litres of boot space is a little less than the Ford Fiesta and a little more than the Volkswagen Polo. With seats folded flat this space can be expanded to 768 litres. Slimmer seats give Toyota a claim for class-leading rear legroom, and although the car is lower, headroom remains the same. There is a good amount of interior storage while Toyota claims a class-leading turning circle of 4.7 metres. The Yaris is available in three and five-door forms.

4. Ride and handling: 3/5
The new Yaris offers a comfortable ride, with the revised suspension protecting the occupants from potholes and uneven surfaces. Toyota has also revised the steering to make it more responsive.

5. Performance: 2/5
There's a choice of two petrol engines and one diesel. The 68bhp 1-litre petrol unit is for urban drivers with its 15.3-second 0-62mph time and top speed of 96mph. The 98bhp 1.33-litre offers a top speed of 109mph and 11.7-second 0-62mph sprint while the 89bhp 1.4-litre D-4D engine offers 0-62 in 10.8 seconds. The 1-litre has a five-speed gearbox while a six-speed transmission is standard on the 1.33-litre and diesel. The 1.33-litre can also be specified with the automatic Multidrive S continuously variable transmission (CVT); manual gear changes can be made through the paddle shifts on the steering wheel or gear shift lever, but it's an acquired taste.

6. Running costs: 3/5
The diesel engine averages 72.4mpg and emits 104g/km of CO2. The 1-litre petrol engine averages 58.9mpg and emits 111g/km while the 1.33-litre engine returns 52.3mpg and emits 123g/km.

7. Reliability: 3/5
The outgoing Toyota Yaris finished fifth in the fiercely-contested supermini section of the 2011 JD Power Survey and also performs strongly in the Warrantly Direct Reliability Index.

8. Safety: 3/5
The previous Yaris achieved a five-star Euro NCAP rating and Toyota expects the new model to achieve the same. Seven airbags are standard, as are anti-lock brakes, Elecronic Brakeforce Distribution, Brake Assist and Vehicle Stability Control with Traction Control.

9. Equipment: 4/5
Trim levels start with T2, move on to the TR and finish with the SR and T Spirit. All but T2 get Toyota Touch and Go audio system with touch-screen controls, Bluetooth, USB port and rear view camera. Upgrading to Toyota Touch and Go brings sat-nav, advanced Bluetooth functions and information services. You'll also need to specify T2 or above to get alloys. TR also brings air-con, leather steering wheel and gear knob trim plus colour-coded door mirrors. SR adds 16-inch alloy wheels, rear roof spoiler, front fog lamps and part-leather upholstery. T Spirit grade includes panoramic glass roof and dual-zone climate control.

10. Why buy? 3/5
The Yaris is a spacious, reliable car well-suited to urban driving. It also offers substantial kit to tempt buyers to downsize from bigger cars.