Toyota Yaris Grows Up As A Clear-Cut

Yaris grows up as a clear-cut, yet still oddly complicated proposition

- Byron Mathioudakisbyron Mathioudakis

The YARIS has grown so sophisticated it sparked a philosophical debate about pricing versus value. Just in case you missed the big news, the base grade now costs $7000 more than before at $22,130, while the flagship ZR is now nearly $10K heavier on your wallet.

Buyers are already voting with their feet. By the end of 2020, sales had halved. Toyota’s response is that – with Yaris adopting the Corolla’s TNGA platform technologies for dramatic advances between the third and fourth generations – price hikes are unavoidable.

From a COTY perspective, surely this would kill it on value grounds alone? Even a new Volkswagen Polo or Suzuki Swift cost $3K less. Time to dig a little deeper.

Yes, Yaris is now substantially more expensive. Adjusted for inflation, the Ascent Sport costs $3300 more than the then-new third-gen five-door equivalent did in 2011.

Yet, besides being usefully roomier, today’s model brings eight airbags (including a segment-first front-row centre SRS), AEB with pedestrian/cyclist detection, secondary collision braking, adaptive cruise, auto high beam, road-sign recognition, active lane-keep and cornering, a central touchscreen with reverse camera, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and digital radio. Specify a Polo accordingly and watch its pricing lead go poof!