Toyota Yaris launched at Rs 8.75 lakh in India, deliveries to begin from May 2018

Toyota Kirloskar Motor has launched the Yaris sedan in India at Rs 8.75 lakh, ex-showroom. Toyota has also mentioned that these prices are introductory prices and will remain uniform across showrooms in the country. The premium sedan was first showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo where Toyota had clearly stated that the Yaris will be positioned in the B high segment. The Toyota Yaris mainly competes with the likes of the Honda City and the Hyundai Verna in India. While the bookings have already begun, the deliveries of the Toyota Yaris will begin from May 2018.[caption id="attachment_4445241" align="alignleft" width="380"] Toyota Yaris. Image Credits: Overdrive[/caption]The all-new Toyota Yaris sedan wears a sharper design theme that is in line with the new Corolla and Camry. This comes courtesy of sleek headlights and taillights, a wide grille and a pinched roofline. The cabin looks quite youthful with a large instrumentation featuring analogue clocks and a 4.2-inch MID, a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment unit in the dash with gesture control, a bolstered steering wheel and sleek air-conditioning vents. It will be interesting to see if Toyota goes with a sporty all-black layout for the cabin, or chooses a more popular black and beige combination for the India-spec Yaris sedan. The features list also includes a tyre pressure monitoring system, adjustable neck restraints. In terms of safety, the Yaris will come equipped with seven airbags, ABS, EBS, ESP and Hill-Start Assist.[caption id="attachment_4445225" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Toyota Yaris.[/caption]For now Toyota is only offering the Yaris with a 1.5-litre VVT-i petrol engine generating 107 PS and 140 Nm of torque. Most of its rivals have the option of both petrol and diesel engines, so the Yaris may lose out because of this. The fact that its petrol unit is less powerful than the ones in the Hyundai Verna (1.6 L and 125 PS) and Honda City (1.5 L and 120PS), will also not aid matters much. The petrol engine in the Toyota Yaris is not the most rev-happy one around and beyond 4000 rpm it gets quite vocal and intrusive too. For rapid motoring, you have to push the motor really hard and speedy overtaking requires downshifting. In fact, you need to work the gears and keep the engine on the boil constantly if you want some speedy progress. The fact that there is so little power in reserve means you are frequently giving the engine and transmission a proper workout. More details in our first drive review.