What’s it look like?

The new Yaris is shorter and lower than its predecessor, but wider and longer in the wheelbase. With these quite different proportions, the latest model has a much more planted look compared to the somewhat upright vehicle it has replaced.

Aptly christened ‘‘the aphid’’ by a visiting friend, the GX test car stood out from the crowd in part due to its vivid lime green paint scheme. A largely unadorned aphid too, sitting on 15inch steel wheels and sensible 185/60 tyres, but an attractive basemodel compact hatchback even so.

Flanked by bibeam halogen headlights, the broad, expressive nose is the most distinctive aspect of the GX’s styling. Lightly bulged wheel arches are prominent, and a scalloped sculpting line running forward from the leading edge of the taillights adds further dynamism to the vehicle’s flanks. The integration of those rear lights into a single styling strip that runs across the base of the hatchback glass is another nice touch. interesting curves to the dash and a distinctive duel dial setup within the main instrument cluster.

A preponderance of hard plastic surfacing is not unexpected at entry level, but the GX would benefit from rubberised surfaces for its various storage cubbies to prevent loose items sliding about when on the move. The seveninch centre touchscreen is prominent on the centre of the dash, while the GX’s instrument cluster takes an additional digital display