Independent Reviews of Toyota New and Used Cars

The GR Yaris hot hatch shows Toyota’s extreme side. Jonathan Crouch takes a look…

Could this car be any better? Of course, it could be faster, grippier, quieter and of better quality inside. But we wouldn’t really want it to be. All of those things would dilute the very qualities that make this GT86 what it is. Sportscars always used to be this way, light, low powered and modestly rubbered. We had fun in them then and we can have fun in this one now. The chassis is excellent, the controls are brilliant, the driving position nigh-on perfect and the engine, if not aurally exciting, is revvy and fun. As for the changes made to this revised model, well, they were welcome but if you didn’t like this car previously, they won’t be enough to make you desire it any more. For the record though, when we tested this updated version, we liked the steering even more than we did before and felt that the cabin no longer looked and felt quite so low-rent, so that was progress of a sort. Overall, what we have here is something to savour; one of those rare machines that involves you so much that you don’t need to be travelling at three figure speeds to have fantastic fun. Factor in the affordable running costs and high residuals and this becomes a very tempting proposition indeed. In years to come, it’ll be seen as a landmark car for Toyota.

With the Mirai, Toyota pioneered hydrogen fuel cell motoring. Can this MK2 model further develop it? Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Though opinion may be divided as to whether the Toyota RAV4 invented the soft roading segment, no one doubts that, more than any other, this model defined it. In some ways, it continues to do just that, for this car still sums up most of what a model of this kind should be all about. Smart, wieldy, reasonably spacious, affordable to run and with just enough SUV-ness about it to get you to the places you tend to dream about but will probably never go. This improved version of the fifth generation model won’t convince you if you didn’t already want a RAV4, but if you did, it’s smarter looks and cabin finish might be deciding factors - timely improvements, even if there are still other rivals that better this car either on or off road. Few though, provide a stronger compromise between the two and none can better the unimpeachable build quality and strong residuals that have become a RAV4 trademark.

It’s usually the case that the more you spend on a supermini, the more comprehensively you’ve missed the point. These things are supposed to be cheap and cheerful cars that you don’t get too precious about. In the case of this Yaris Hybrid though, we think you’d be willing to make an exception to that rule. It’s not some premium, soft touch, leather-lined piece of ostentation. Instead it’s a really satisfying, smart, and genuinely useful small hatch - and is very affordable in this facelifted MK3 2014-2017-era form. A car you could see yourself downsizing into from something a bit bigger and not feeling hard done by. Clever and cheaper than other conventional hybrids, this Yaris may not be very exciting but it’s devastatingly effective at fulfilling its urban-minded eco remit. And at the end of the day, you can’t ask for much more than that.