CROSS PURPOSES (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Toyota further improved Yaris Cross continues to be a strong offering from for this Japanese maker in the class for small SUVs, thinks Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Reviewword count: 64

In the Yaris Cross, Toyota has a credible truly class-competitive supermini-sized SUV and the car looks more up-to-date in this further improved form. It continues to fill an important gap in the company's Crossover line-up, just below the C-HR, and offers the full-Hybrid powerplant that remains relatively unusual in this segment. The AWD powertrain option is still rare to find in this class too.

Backgroundword count: 154

Toyota's strong-selling Yaris Cross small Hybrid SUV gets a further update, this time with a sharper look. Despite being announced at the worst possible time (back in 2020 in the middle of Covid), the Yaris Cross has gone on to be a big success story for Toyota. It was launched in 2021, then usefully updated in 2024 and in its first four years of sale sold over 200,000 units across Europe, over 76,000 of them in the UK. Prior to the introduction of this further improved version in Spring 2026. Nothing much has changed as part of what Toyota calls its process of 'kaizen' (continuous improvement) visited upon this model, which continues to be basically a more versatile, higher-riding version of the Yaris Hybrid supermini. Today though, it sells in Toyota showrooms alongside a similarly-sized full-electric small SUV, the Urban Cruiser. It'll be interesting to see how the sales of the two models compare.

Driving Experienceword count: 253

Toyota hasn't made any engineering changes here but it has standardised the more powerful of the two versions of the 1.5-litre full-Hybrid self-charging petrol/electric powerplant this car has long had - so you now have to have your Yaris Cross in 129bhp form. This has 185Nm of torque and makes 62mph in 10.7s. All Yaris Cross models continue with the same e-CVT auto gearbox. And the Hybrid engine continues with its pleasing preference for reverting to battery power in urban driving whenever possible. As a result, the company expects that over 80% of urban journeys in this car will be able to be completed under electric power alone. Toyota says it put a lot of work into reducing noise and vibration with this model, with thick windscreen glass, plenty of sound deadening and a dynamic damper added to the left-side engine mount. As before, along with the front-driven drivetrain bolted to the Yaris model line's stiff TNGA platform, there's something unusual in this class - the option of 4WD (as an option on 'Excel' trim). The 'Intelligent All-Wheel Drive' system in question is, as you'd expect, of the electric rather than the mechanical kind and operates in front wheel drive most of the time, sending drive to the rear wheels only when tractional needs really require it to. The AWD-i version gets a more sophisticated double-wishbone rear suspension set-up too, compared to the front wheel drive car's more basic torsion beam arrangement. Top 'GR Sport' trim gets you retuned suspension for sharper handling.

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