Toyota PH fortifies NEV armada anew with Yaris Cross debut

After the Land Transportation Office confirmed its arrival in the country, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) has officially put the spotlight on the latest member of its lineup, the Yaris Cross.

The newest addition to the lineup expanded the leading automotive distributor’s new energy vehicle offerings as it comes with a hybrid powertrain (alongside a purely internal-combustion-engine option).

With the new nameplate's introduction to the local market, TMP has expanded its hybrid vehicle armada to seven — joining the likes of the Camry, Corolla Altis, Corolla Cross, Rav4 and the recently-launched Zenix. It is also the most affordable hybrid vehicle in the pack.

Engine

Powering the nameplate is a 1.5-liter, four-cylinder, in-line, 16-valve engine (with an electric motor for the hybrid version), matched to a continuously variable transmission with paddle shifters.

The purely-gasoline-propelled mill can deliver as much as 105 horsepower (hp) and 138 Newton-meters (Nm) of torque. On the other hand, the hybrid variant can provide 111 hp and 121 Nm. The electric motor is matched to a lithium-ion battery.

Additionally, the vehicle comes with up to four drive modes for the electrified version (eco, normal, power, EV).

Meanwhile, the five-seater crossover’s stopping power comes from the disc brakes (ventilated type in the front, solid in the rear).

Exterior

Eyed to compete with Nissan Kicks, the Toyota Yaris Cross is 4,300 millimeters (mm) long, 1,770 mm wide and 1,615 mm tall — with a wheelbase of 2,620 mm and ground clearance of 260 mm. The said dimensions make the vehicle sit in between the Toyota Raize and the Corolla Cross.

At the fore of the Toyota Yaris Cross are sharp headlamps with small, rounded foglamps (all on LED) flanking the trapezoidal gloss back grille. The aforementioned feature makes it look like a smaller version of the Corolla Cross.

Seen at the side of the stop-spec variant are the two-tone gloss black paint design and to make the sleek lines at the bottom part of the vehicle. Complementing the athletic profile are the roofliners.

Stronger lines are seen at the rear to highlight its athletic persona. The overall design is complemented by the parallelogram-shaped LED taillamps at, black rear bumper with diffuser and spoiler with third brake light at the top.

Interior

Seats of the newly-revealed model are covered with either a synthetic leather or fabric but comes with blue stitching. The driver side is eight-way power adjustable while front passenger can be moved six ways manually. In addition, rear seats can split 60:40.

Its dashboard (where the 10.1-inch floating infotainment system is seated), seven-inch digital instrument cluster are outfitted with black soft-touch material with blue trim. The audio system can be connected to a mobile device via wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto as well as Bluetooth.

To give a distinct character from the other variants, the top-of-the-line version Toyota Yaris Cross is equipped with a panoramic moonroof.

Features

Its slew of comfort assistive technologies include push start and keyless entry, follow-me-home lighting system, a wireless charging dock, Type C USB ports, a 12-volt socket and a rear air-conditioning vent

Moreover, the Toyota Safety Sense features such as the pre-collision system, automatic high beam, lane tracing assist, lane keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control are also available in the Toyota Yaris Cross’ crème-dela-crème version.

Pricing

Offered three variants, the prices for the Toyota Yaris Cross are as follows:

• G CVT: P1.199 million
• V CVT: P1.296 million
• S HEV CVT: P1.598 million

Photos from Ruben Manahan IV

Also read:

Toyota PH to launch Yaris Cross next week, price starts at P1.199-M

Here’s what to expect in the upcoming Toyota Yaris Cross

Toyota Introduces the All-New Yaris Compact SUV