Super TestCar reviews - Toyota - Yaris - hatch rangeToyota modelsResearch Toyota OverviewToyota's new Yaris is bigger, quicker, safer and more frugal than its Echo forebear28 Oct 2005 TOYOTA wants to rule the automotive cosmos and will stop at nothing to achieve this goal. In Australia’s light-car segment it is already king even with the most senior car on offer, the six-year old Echo. So imagine how the competition must feel now that the next-generation model is here, promising every-which-way improvements in a newer and more stylish package? Now known as the Yaris, it is already off to a great start simply because of its parentage. But this littlest of Toyotas has some class giants to contend with. Model release date: 1 November 2005 to 1 September 2011 All car reviewsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chevrolet Chery Citroen Chrysler Dodge Cupra Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton GWM Great Wall Holden Haval HSV Honda Hyundai Hummer Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Peugeot Opel Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen Previous modelARGUABLY the most radical mass-market Toyota passenger car ever, the Echo’s transformation from wallflower Starlet vies with Olivia Newton John’s Sandy in Grease. Futuristic styling inside and out clothed a cleverly designed and packaged hatchback that succeeded against the best its European rivals had to offer. In fact so good was the Echo that it took another Japanese carmaker – Honda – to better it with the similarly themed Jazz. A fast, efficient and unburstable 63kW 1.3-litre twin-cam 16-valve four-cylinder engine powered both three and five-door models, while the Japanese designed Echo sedan – surely the antithesis of what made the Echo funky – featured an 80kW 1.5-litre version. Sales were initially slow until Toyota dropped the prices, added essentials like power steering, air-con and keyless entry, and cranked up its all-conquering marketing machine. |
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