I have often said on these pages previously that colour is a hugely important factor when buying a new car. I suppose the same applies to press cars; if a driver likes the colour of the car they are given on a Monday morning, it’s always a good start.
Well, last week I got off to a very good start when I was presented with the keys of the Toyota Cross at Toyota’s Irish head offices on Killeen Road. Officially the colour was yellow, but most people who admired the car, reckoned it had a gold look to it.
Yes gold with black wheel arches, black trim at the bottom of the doors and a black roof. That ‘stand-out’ colour was topped off with 18-inch bi-tone dark grey and machined-face alloys, which certainly complimented the overall colour design.
After too many weeks of testing electric vehicles it was so relaxing to drive a petrol hybrid where there was no range anxiety or worrying if there will be a queue of cars waiting to be charged at the next charging point. My wife was also very happy. After struggling to cope with climbing on board some very high-set motors in recent weeks she said that the Yaris Cross is the first car in a long time that was so easy to access and that the seats were ever so comfortable.
Toyota no longer produce diesel-engine cars and all new models are either petrol-hybrid or plug-in hybrid with only one car the bZ4X fully electric.
The Yaris Cross was due to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 2020, but Covid spoiled that debut. The car went on sale in Japan in September 2020, Australia in November 2020 and in Europe in mid-2021.
The Cross is 160mm taller than the Toyota Corolla hatchback, but still 90mm shorter than the Toyota RAV4. It sits between the Corolla and the Yaris and that probably why it’s so popular with Irish drivers.
It’s a beauty and a delight to drive and travel and no visibility issues back, front or side. It has a 1.5-litre hybrid drivetrain that it shares with the supermini of the same name. Fuel consumption was very impressive at approx. 4.5 litres per 100km.
Gorgeous to look at externally and it’s also a looker inside. As usual with most new cars an infotainment screen dominates the dash, but in this case it’s a very neat screen. You get solid old-style buttons to control the air conditioning. At first I thought the buttons were for the radio controls, but a list of stations pop up on the screen and the volume controls are on the side of the screen and also on the slave controls on the steering wheel.
The interior is a bit dark, but there are some nice designs on the front seats and the roofline is grey, which helps to brighten the décor. In the back seat there is plenty of room for two adults; getting three adults in there would be bit of a squeeze.
In the boot, which is a decent size, there are two levels and I was pleasantly surprised to find a full-size spare wheel under the second level. Spare wheels in new cars are certainly a luxury nowadays. The rear seat is easy to fold down if extra luggage space is required.
Prices start at €30,640 for the Luna version or €237 per month. Naturally the Luna Sport, Sol and GR Sport versions will cost a little more. The Sol version I drove will cost you €26,830. Road tax is €190.
I really enjoyed my time in the Yaris Cross and my wife said that if I ever ‘fully’ retire we should consider purchasing a Lunar or Sol version.
