From Yaris,

Paul Acres finds out if Toyota’s revised Yaris deserves a place on the top table

If you’d just forked out £76m on a facelift you’d expect a little more than just a nip and tuck. That is precisely the figure that Toyota have invested in the revised Yaris and, sure enough, the changes are more than just skin deep.

The cosmetic changes to the front and rear are just one small part of a comprehensive overhaul that saw the introduction of 900 new parts.

The front has, perhaps, received the most dramatic redesign. The deeply sculpted bonnet meets with the trapezoidal grille surround to form a prominent X. It’s a styling cue that has made its way across the Toyota range.

The rear mirrors the front with the same strong catamaran architecture flowing from the new bumper into the tailgate. Large light clusters wrap around the wings and onto the bootlid, enhancing the width, while reducing the perception of height.

At the bottom of what is a relatively small the pile sits Active trim with 15 inch steel wheels and a CD player while at the other end of the spectrum you’ll find the Bi-tone which, as well as its unique two-tone finish, gets front and rear LED lights and a honeycomb grille treatment.

There’s no three-door version this time and a choice of three engines – 1.5-litre petrol and hybrid models, and a 1.0-litre petrol – with all but the hybrid version, which gets a CVT transmission, coming equipped with a six-speed manual.

The four-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol unit in my test car proved a competent, quiet little engine. It needs to be worked quite hard to get the best out of it but it’s happy either trundling around town or out