The unveiling of the new Yaris Cross, a new-model compact SUV, was made on 31st August 2020 in Japan.
With all the commotions online: photos, videos, articles and blogs posted on various social media platforms about this upcoming new model, it is confirmed that the Yaris Cross will be coming to Singapore.
Here’s a brief introduction on what the new Yaris Cross will be bringing to us!
This high riding, soft-road version of the Yaris hatchback has been designed with overseas (non-Japanese) markets in mind, specially for Europe. It is an authentic SUV, with a higher driving position and the option of an intelligent all-wheel drive system (AWD-i).
This new model delivers the high-riding quality of an SUV, but on a scale tailored to suit urban areas whilst still having a genuine emphasis on its environmental performance. Along with it being in the Yaris series, it is also Toyota’s first compact vehicle to adopt the TNGA platform (GA-B).
Sales in right-hand drive markets such as the UK and Australia will be made available in 2021.
Fret not, for all anticipating Toyota automotive enthusiasts, the Yaris Cross will be making its way into the Singapore market in early next year – pre orders available here.
Now, let’s look further into what the new Yaris Cross has for us.
Taking a first look at the Yaris Cross, its huge front grill certainly stands out and from the designers’ inspiration of ‘nimble diamond’, the car definitely has a diamond shape combined with the 4 bold fenders that gave out an energetic shape which was both strong and sophisticated.
Its vertically designed LED daytime running lights gives it a futuristic look that will definitely suit our local urban routes. The vehicle’s signal lights have also been positioned specially so that the front fascia will be offered a maximum space for the consumer’s customisation needs.
Comparing it to the CH-R, the Cross is expected to be smaller in both width and length, but taller in terms of height. Its advantage in height also benefits the internal dimensions, giving it a much better headroom as compared to the CHR. Even though there is a significant difference in length, Yaris Cross’s internal legroom is somehow still very similar to as of the CHR. Additionally, it also offers a much larger boot space. Evoking the class qualities of SUVs, the Cross has a ground clearance of 160mm alongside a standard 16” rims, giving it a higher body and larger wheels which helps to communicate strength and purpose.
What about the back view?
From the rear view, you can see that there is a hint of a mixture between the rear view of the Harrier and RAV4. The new Yaris Cross rear view design takes on the Harrier’s rear horizontal tail lamp that is connected from one side to the other alongside RAV4’s wider and more squared tailgate. This gives it an overall good stance vibe, making the ‘ass’ looks exceptionally appealing.
Wait.. so many different colors to choose from?!
With the signature color of Yaris Cross being Gold, Toyota hopes to tag on the trend for growing tendency for gold and other precious metals, thus offering colors that are more natural and urban. Besides that, there are also three body kits for everyone to choose from. The bodykits available are Modellista – Advance Robust Style, Modellista – Elegant Ice Style and Modellista – GR Parts, as shown respectively below.
For its interior, the Yaris Cross brings with it a youthful modern design with roomy boot capacity despite its compact exterior dimensions.
While the interior is very similar to the Yaris Hatchback, some of the front interior features such as the multi-information display and digital meter makes the new model functional.
Furthermore, when lowering the deck board, the Cross has a luggage capacity of 390L, which is top-class among compact SUVs. It is one of the first compact SUVs by Toyota to utilise the 40/20/40 split rear seat and the 60/40 split adjustable deck board.
Ample space for your groceries!
Additionally, its boot space consists of a utility hook and flex belt to help restrict luggage from moving around. This thus makes it possible for consumers to diversely arrange their luggages according to their own needs, making it suitable for people with an active lifestyle. The luggage room boasts both better heights and wider width, making it suitable to store a variety of stuff.
What are some of the interior features included per standard?
The new Yaris Cross have standard features offered such as the Smart Entry Key and Push Start button. You can unlock and start your ride without having the need to touch your key, simply keep it in your pockets and you are good to go.
In summary for the exterior look and interior features, the Yaris Cross is designed accordingly as to what Toyota visioned. It give its customers the higher driving position, practicality and interior spaciousness, they desire in a car with compact dimensions that make it well-suited to urban driving.
The Toyota Safety Sense comes as an optional feature.
The Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 consists of the pre-collision system, low-speed acceleration control, emergency steering assist, adaptive cruise control, and adaptive high beam, etc. The Yaris Cross is also Toyota’s first SUV to come with the automated parking assist.
Moreover, it has a complement of eight airbags, including two between the front passengers. Though the Yaris Cross was yet to be assessed by ANCAP, it’s base model (the Toyota Yaris) scored a maximum five-star safety rating despite a tougher testing regime for 2020. Therefore, we will not be surprised to see the Yaris Cross scoring well across the board in the near future.
There will be two types of models that will be available in Singapore, Petrol and Hybrid.
For the Yaris Cross petrol models, they are mainly equipped with 1.5-litre electronic injector DOHC Dynamic Force 3-cylinder in-line engine coupled with an automatic direct continuously variable transmission (D-CVT-A), producing 120 Horsepower and 145 Nm of Torque.
In addition to powerful, seamless driving, one thing that stands out for this new model Yaris Cross is it’s world-class, superior fuel consumption of 20.2 km/L (WLTC) that surpasses what is the typical performance for an SUV. Additionally, its full tank capacity of 42L can go up to a total of 848.4 mileage.
For the hybrid model, the Yaris Cross will have an additional Toyota’s 1.5 hybrid system on top of the Dynamic Force Engine. The Yaris and Yaris Cross are the first models to use Toyota’s latest 1.5 hybrid system, developed directly from the larger 2.0 and 2.5-litre powertrains used by recent new models such as the Corolla, C-HR, RAV4 and Camry.
This features a new 1.5-litre, three-cylinder Atkinson-cycle petrol engine, precision-engineered to reduce friction and mechanical losses and optimise combustion speed. The result is high torque at low engine speeds and excellent fuel efficiency. The engine’s thermal efficiency is rated at 40%, which is greater than comparable diesel engines and ensures strong fuel economy and low CO2 emissions.
The hybrid model will have a fuel consumption of 30.8 km/L (WLTC). Together with the petrol Dynamic Force Engine, the combined Horsepower for the hybrid models has amounted to 116 with 120Nm of Torque.
In conclusion, the new Yaris Cross is definitely a winner amongst SUVs for affordability and quality. We are looking forward to this car as we foresee it taking the baton from the Honda Vezel being the next hottest selling car, mainly due to its price point and practicality. Furthermore, with a variety of colors to choose from, who doesn’t want the freedom to customise a car that suits their own design taste?
We will be having a launch of the new Yaris Cross in early 2021, stay tuned to our social media pages to know more updates.
Additionally, here at Carle, we offer customization with limitless choices (for colors, rims, leather colors and many more!) which is not offered elsewhere. Be sure to contact us if you’re interested in getting your own Dualtone of the new Yaris Cross!
Do head down to our interactive showroom located at 8 Ubi Road 2, Zervex #01-07/08, S408438.
We’ve made it our mission to take the pain out of the car buying/selling by replacing it with a hassle-free experience focused squarely on serving the interests of our customers.
