Toyota Yaris ZR

In our last edition, we took a trip in the fleet friendly Toyota Yaris GX Hybrid. This time around, the green gloves came off – sort of – and we wore down the tyres on the hot model, the ZR.

I say the green gloves ‘sort of’ came off because although this little pocket rocket isn’t a miserly hybrid but rather the full noise plaything, its still justifiable as a pool car.

I suspect it would be the pool car that goes home over the weekends though!

This is not the hottest Yaris either, that one, the GR, is currently out of stock and was snapped up in next to no time. So, for now, this IS the hottest Yaris you can get!

And how hot is it? Well, this is an 88kw /145Nm, 1.5 litre, three-cylinder engine with direct injection, and if you can recall how much fun we had with the 67kw/120nm hybrid model, the question should answer itself.

The petrol Yaris models have the same engine stats, which means there is no performance difference between the frontwheel-drive ZR and the GX models, but damn, if it doesn’t feel like there’s more scoot in the ZRS.

The transmissions are the same too, a direct shift continuously variable transmission – though the ZR as you might expect – gains paddle shifters to access a 10-step mode.

What then, are the differences? It’s all in the spec, oh and the tyres – 16-inch as opposed to 15’s – and the dashboard, which is considerably sportier in its design and appearance.

It may seem a little odd, but the ZR really has it all over the lesser models in terms of safety.

All Yaris models are five-star ANCAP rated, so you needn’t feel you are short-changed, but the ZR models have a few bits and pieces, which the shrewder readers out there might have assumed essential to ANCAP’S highest rating.

Things like blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic auto brake, parking support brake with intelligent clearance sonar, four parking sensors at the front AND the back.

All of these are in addition to the Toyota Safety Sense suite (see below) and the allspeed dynamic radar cruise control.

ZR models also come with smart entry and push button start systems, heads up display, genuine leather steering wheel, sports seats with sport fabric, heated mirrors, alloy wheels, LED headlights, rear privacy glass and satellite navigation with SUNA traffic updates.

All Yaris come with active cornering assist,

ABS brakes, with brake assist, drive start control, electronic brake force distribution, traction control, vehicle stability assist, hill start assist, and a secondary collision braking system.

So, would your fleet be OK with a Yaris wearing the ZR badge? Sure it would.

The ZR Yaris returns 4.9 litres per 100km for 114gm/km of CO2. It’s five-star ANCAP rated, so it ticks a great many boxes. The one consideration which has only been mentioned in passing is the fun factor, which comes with all Yaris models, but is most prominent in t he ZR.

You do pay a premium for the privilege of all the extra kit the ZR spec provides, but a few weekends at home with the new pool car, and I’m sure you’ll feel the price is justified.

Toyota Safety Sense

• Pre collision system.

• Autonomous emergency braking.

• Pedestrian and cyclist detection.

• Intersection Turn Assist.

• Automatic high beams.

• Lane Tracing Assist.

• Road Sign Assist.