January 26, 2025

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New 2021 Toyota Yaris Cross: small SUV arrives to take on the Nissan Juke

This is the brand new Toyota Yaris Cross, a compact SUV that will give the Japanese brand a suitable rival for the likes of the Nissan Juke, Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008 and Skoda Kamiq when it arrives in the Uk in 2021.

It will be developed at Toyota’s French production facility in Valenciennes, and in major quantities too: close to one hundred fifty,000 a yr in accordance to Toyota’s own estimations, which would give the brand a sizeable market share in the European B-SUV market, if it have been to promote just about every 1. 

The Yaris Cross is the firm’s second product in Europe to be dependent on the smallest variation of Toyota’s New Worldwide Architecture (TNGA) system. This is a prevalent set of chassis sections that underpin everything from the Yaris and Corolla to the RAV4 and American saloons. Importantly, it indicates that the Yaris Cross will provide hybrid powertrain know-how to the compact SUV market from its launch, simply because TNGA is engineered for electrification correct from the off.

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Exposed currently by using an on the net presentation, the Yaris Cross is clearly developed to complement the present compact SUV in Toyota’s line-up, the C-HR. That design-concentrated product sits somewhere in between what is identified as the B-segment – superminis – and the C-segment for relatives autos. As these, Toyota has not desired to drive the Yaris Cross into becoming a ‘small relatives car’ like Skoda has carried out with the Kamiq, and as Renault has tried to attain with the most recent Captur.

While the newcomer’s name indicates that it is a member of the Yaris relatives, it sits aside from its Ford Fiesta-rivalling sibling with a search of its own, motivated by some of the much larger SUVs in Toyota’s line-up, specifically the RAV4.

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“Clearly, we want the car to be instantly perceived as a SUV, so we emphasised a bigger ground clearance, a sturdy horizontal axis supplying a terrific balance and poise, major squared wheel arches and of system major wheels,” describes Lance Scott, style and design supervisor at Toyota’s European Layout Improvement studio. 

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“The face was also a quite important aspect for us. We wanted to preserve the sturdy DNA of Toyota’s SUV line-up but at the exact same time give Yaris Cross an identification of its own.”

The grille and headlights are distinct to the ones of Toyota’s supermini, although the surfacing down the sides is supplied a rugged twist with significant, difficult searching wheel arches and a new C-pillar. Close to the back it receives a new rear fascia, too, although the hatch lid is ability operated on some versions. Toyota has not confirmed a boot measurement just yet, but it will practically unquestionably be a far more simple car than the Yaris, although attributes these as an adjustable boot floor, underfloor storage and Toyota’s Belt Flex system for securing merchandise are all available. 

The Yaris Cross actions only 6mm shorter than a Ford Puma but its wheelbase is a far more major 28mm shorter. Compared to the Nissan Juke, it can be 45mm for a longer period overall with a 30mm for a longer period wheelbase. The Cross shares its wheelbase with the Yaris supermini, but it can be 240mm for a longer period overall and 90mm taller. With 30mm of additional ground clearance, we would count on there to be a good quantity of additional headroom inside of.

While the style and design is a departure from the Yaris hatchback, the powertrain employed by the Yaris Cross is the specific exact same. It’s a hybrid system making use of a 1.five-litre, a few-cylinder petrol engine making some drive ability but also charging the battery feeding the car’s electric motor. In the Yaris, this motor is fed by a new lithium-ion battery, which is lighter than the outdated nickel hydride models employed in the past generation Yaris Hybrid. Travel is sent to the wheels by using a CVT transmission, and overall system ability stands at 114bhp. 

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Toyota claims sturdy fuel financial system and low emissions for the new powertrain, but so far has only uncovered provisional CO2 figures. Beneath WLTP, count on a determine underneath 120g/km for front-wheel-drive variations of the Yaris Cross, with the all-wheel-drive variations geared up with Toyota’s AWD-i system underneath 135g/km. Four-wheel-drive variations come with no practicality penalty, and it gains far more subtle double-wishbone suspension at the rear, too, in contrast with the front-wheel-drive car’s torsion beam set up.

No other engine specifics have been confirmed, but the new Yaris will finally be available with common petrol drivetrains with handbook gearboxes, and we’d count on the Yaris Cross to abide by fit. In specified European markets a non-hybrid, 1.five-litre petrol engine will get there, but we never yet know if the Uk is 1 of these markets. 

While the exterior style and design is a departure from what the new Yaris has established, the Yaris Cross shares its inside panel for panel with the supermini, correct down to the door moulds. A new steering wheel, new instrumentation, and a significant central touchscreen are the focal points, although beneath the switchgear there is a major storage place. However the car is 200mm shorter than the C-HR, Toyota claims that there is far more place in the smaller sized Yaris Cross, generally many thanks to packaging gains above its much larger, far more rakish sibling. 

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Whole requirements and technological specifics will be available closer to the car’s market launch in Europe, in early 2021.

Rivals: what the new Yaris Cross has to conquer

Renault Captur

Value from: £17,995

The second generation of Renault’s compact SUV has borrowed intensely from the most recent Clio, and that’s a good thing. The Captur’s cabin is now correct up there with the ideal in class, and the boot is simple ample to rival several relatives hatchbacks, permit on your own smaller sized SUV rivals.

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The Renault’s star turn could well be plug-in electrification. The E-Tech variation is a suitable PHEV, with a major ample battery to handle journeys of up to 30 miles on electricity on your own.

Ford Puma

Value from: £20,710

Hybrid badging on Ford’s exceptional compact SUV demonstrates how muddied the waters are now getting to be in this area. In contrast to the Yaris and Captur, Ford’s offering is a mild hybrid – in outcome, with a belt-pushed starter-generator that harnesses braking electrical power and then makes use of it to assist acceleration and conserve fuel.

Still, the Puma manages some strong financial system figures – with up to 50mpg possible in the true environment – and it is likely the ideal-driving of all the compact SUVs.

Peugeot e-2008

Value from: £31,665

Most current variation of Peugeot’s compact SUV has maybe the widest selection of powertrains of all – with consumers becoming supplied petrol ability, diesel
ability and even the option of a completely electric version.

The e-2008 has a 50kWh battery that offers a range of close to a hundred ninety miles. A clever system structure indicates there is no fewer place than in the e-2008’s conventionally powered siblings, but its price places it correct at the best of the compact SUV market on rate.

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