The 2024 Toyota Yaris Hybrid gets a performance boost
Toyota Europe has detailed an improvement 2024 Yaris Hybrid Above all, a new, more powerful drive option as well as a more digitized cabin and improved assistance technologies.
The new Hybrid 130 version of Toyota’s city hatchback gets an upgraded 1.5-liter hybrid powertrain with a new gearbox featuring a larger and more powerful electric motor, resulting in a 12 percent increase in system output – 96 kW versus 85 kW.
The new electric motor offers 30 percent more torque than the existing Hybrid 115, with 185 Nm versus 141 Nm.
For more driving news and videos, visit Motoring >>
It also boasts Toyota’s fifth-generation hybrid technology, which it claims offers “more rewarding driveability,” and all of this shaves half a second (9.2 seconds) off the Yaris Hybrid’s 0-100 time.
Don’t expect that beefed-up powertrain anytime soon in Australia, though.
“The European Toyota Yaris will be manufactured at its own plant in France, while the Australian market model will be manufactured in Japan,” a Toyota spokesman told CarExpert.
“We are constantly looking for ways to enhance our local Toyota Yaris product offering, but we have nothing to announce today.”
Despite the increased power and performance, the Yaris Hybrid 130 only sees a “modest increase in CO2 emissions”, according to Toyota, with the range being rated at 96-116g/km depending on the variant.
The new powertrain variant will be standard on the new Premiere Edition and existing GR Sport models for the European market, although the company says some regions will offer the Hybrid 130 option on premium variants as well.
Speaking of which, the new Yaris Premiere Edition is the new flagship variant that “presents the full range of new features of the model”.
The Premiere Edition is characterized by the bright two-tone Neptune Blue paint scheme shown here and features new 17″ machined alloy wheels with contrasting black accents, blue interior accents on the upholstery stitching and decorative lines on the instrument and door panels.
The Yaris Premiere Edition is also offered in Platinum Pearl White and Silver Metallic paint finishes.
High-spec versions of the new Yaris – including the Premiere Edition and GR Sport classes – also feature a new digital cockpit with upgraded in-car displays of other models in the Toyota range.
A new 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster complements a new 10.5-inch flagship infotainment system, both of which are said to be “class-leading” in terms of display size.
Said virtual cluster offers various layouts and designs, including Smart, Casual, Sporty, and Tough settings. The new infotainment unit, meanwhile, offers a cloud-based navigation function with real-time updates for routes, traffic and delays.
The new-generation infotainment also includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which now enables over-the-air (OTA) software updates for the multimedia system, as well as Toyota Safety Sense assistance features.
A “Hey Toyota” virtual assistant is now offered in the Yaris, allowing you to toggle various vehicle and infotainment functions – for example, say “Hey Toyota, I’m cold” and the Yaris will automatically increase the set climate temperature.
The new Yaris adds new features to the T-Mate package of driver assistance and active safety features.
Acceleration suppression is added to the Pre-Collision AEB feature, which “intervenes to slow any sudden acceleration when it detects a risk of collision with a vehicle in front”.
The Proactive Driving Assistant helps to “avoid known accident risks when driving slowly”. This feature consists of two parts: Deceleration Assist, which “provides a smooth deceleration when the driver takes their foot off the accelerator pedal to slow down when approaching a slower vehicle ahead or entering a corner”; and Autosteer, which “senses a bend in the road ahead and adjusts steering effort to help the driver make a smooth and stable turn.”
Also new is the emergency stop system, which, when the lane departure warning system is activated, can detect whether the driver has not made any entries for a certain period of time due to being unable to drive. From there, the vehicle will emit an audible warning, and if the driver doesn’t respond, it will gently stop, turn on the hazard lights and unlock the doors.
The most important changes are rounded off by the availability of a smart digital key for a Yaris, which is available for the first time.
It is linked to the MyT smartphone app and allows up to five users access to the vehicle via a digital key. According to Toyota, users can lock, unlock or start their vehicle without having to take their phone out of their pocket.
The digital key is compatible with both Apple and Android devices and offers one year of free connection to the services included in the purchase of the vehicle. It will be standard on the new Premiere Edition and optional on the European GR Sport and Mid classes.
The Mid and Mid+ versions of the European Yaris get new alloy wheels and refreshed interior upholstery. A new color option in Juniper Blue will also add to the palette for the wider range.
The new Yaris Hybrid will be available to order online in “certain European markets” this month.
MORE: All Toyota Yaris
