Toyota Yaris Cross, with electric four-wheel-drive system, launched
What's the story
Japanese automaker Toyota has launched the new Yaris Cross compact SUV in its home country. It is the company's first compact car to adopt the TNGA platform and debut an electric four-wheel drive system. The crossover also offers a premium hi-tech cabin and a couple of nifty safety features. As for the pocket-pinch, the Yaris starts at ¥17,98,000 (Rs. 12.50 lakh). Here's our roundup.
Exteriors
Toyota Yaris Cross: At a glance
The Yaris Cross is based on the TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) modular unibody platform. It has a sporty look, featuring a blacked-out grille, a larger air dam, and sleek projector headlights. On the sides, the SUV is flanked by blacked-out B-pillars, ORVMs, squared-off wheel arches, and sharp-looking alloy wheels. The rear section features wraparound LED taillights, a blacked-out bumper, and a large fender.
Interiors
A peek inside the cabin
The Toyota Yaris Cross has a dual-tone cabin with adjustable leather seats, automatic climate control, and a power steering wheel. The compact SUV also packs a touchscreen infotainment system with support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, to ensure connectivity. On the safety front, it offers multiple airbags, ABS with EBD, and other nifty features like Steering-Assisted Vehicle Stability Control.
Key details
What is Steering-Assisted Vehicle Stability Control system?
The Yaris Cross comes with a Steering-Assisted Vehicle Stability Control (S-VSC) system that gets deployed when strong lateral winds are detected. The system prevents the vehicle from drifting to the other lane. It also gets Toyota Safety Sense which provides driver information, early warnings, steering intervention, and automatic braking. The company is also touting the GA-B vehicle platform which ensures rigidity, responsiveness, and agility.
Engine
Power and performance
The Toyota Yaris Cross draws power from a 1.5-liter, three-cylinder, petrol engine and a mild electric motor. This hybrid powertrain makes 116hp and comes mated to an automatic gearbox. It is also the first compact SUV from the company's stable to feature an electric four-wheel-drive system with options to select multiple terrain modes.
Information
What about the pricing?
In Japan, the Toyota Yaris Cross compact SUV starts at ¥17,98,000 (approximately Rs. 12.50 lakh) for the base model and goes up to ¥28,15,000 (roughly Rs. 19.60 lakh) for the top-spec hybrid electric four-wheel-drive model. However, there is no information regarding its launch in India.