8 February 2011
New car report: Red hot hatch
Those magic letters "RS" conjure up thoughts of some of the most aspirational sporty cars of our time. Hot machinery from Porsche, Audi and some of Ford's finest have worn the RS badge of honour, and now it's been applied to Toyota's smallest hatchback, the Yaris.
Designed and built in Europe and available here as a Limited Edition offering, the Yaris RS is fitted with Toyota's 1.8 litre VVT-i (Variable Valve Timing - intelligent) engine, robbed from the Corolla, producing a couple of kilowatts shy of 100.
Suspension has been given the sports treatment, being tuned to complement the extra power and enhance the sporty characteristic of the RS.
A slick 6 speed manual 'box drives the front wheels and disc brakes are fitted on all 4 corners.
The handsome looking little Yaris has been given some sporty cosmetic treatment with colour coded mirrors and door handles, sports bumpers, side skirts and a sports styled front grille. Front fog lights are standard and the package is capped off with stylish 17 inch alloy wheels which are clad in 205/45 Yokohama tyres.
The interior hasn't escaped some sporty mods either. Sports styled front seats are installed, along with a leather-clad 3 spoke sports steering wheel and a leather gear shift lever. An analogue speedo and rev counter are mounted in the centre of the dash and interior door handles are chrome plated.
The Yaris RS has a user-friendly smart key entry system, providing convenient operation of locking and unlocking, as well as engine starting with the push of a dash-mounted button.
The RS comes with a single disc MP3/WMA CD player with auxiliary jack input. There is a choice of four body colour options, Silver Lining, Graphite, Cherry and Caribbean Blue. The rear side windows are fitted with tinted glass.
The transformation from the standard Yaris to the RS is quite incredible. The RS sits firmly on the road, power is more than adequate and steering is accurate and responsive.
Summary
The RS is an unbelievably good package, especially at this price. It is a joy to drive, easy to park, small and nippy around town and with enough of a sporty feel to enjoy an enthusiastic blast on the open road.
If we're being really picky, although the front seats are comfortable and supportive, they are not sport seats in the true sense and are no match for the likes of Recaro's found in more upmarket sports cars. But Toyota have described them as being "sports styled" which is an accurate description.
Keeping within the context of a mid $20k's hatch, the RS badge is well-deserved.
Safety
The Yaris RS is fitted with an impressive array of safety features. Active safety features include TRC (Traction Control), VSC (Vehicle Stability Control), EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution), BA (Brake Assist) and ABS Braking.
No other Yaris currently offered in our market has Stability Control and we applaud Toyota for throwing it in on the sporty RS.
Driver and passenger airbags, side airbags, driver's knee and front/rear curtain airbags are all part of the standard passive safety package. The passenger airbag has an on/off switch making it safer for children or the fitting of child seats.
Pricing
This is the best bit. We thought Toyota had make a mistake when they told us the Recommended Selling Price for the Yaris RS was only $25,990 as that's $2,000 cheaper than their 1.5 litre sedan. But no, that's not a mistake, $25,990 is the money - and it's worth every cent.
Technical
The RS is powered by a 16 valve, 4 cylinder 1.8 litre DOHC engine with dual Variable Valve Timing. It produces 98kW @ 6000rpm and 173Nm of torque @ 4,400rpm. A 6 speed manual gearbox is the only transmission on offer. Fuel consumption is quoted at 7.2 L/100km.
Driving Tips
Like other European sourced Japanese cars we've driven recently, the Yaris RS has the indicator stalk on the left hand side of the column, just to remind you that this is no ordinary Yaris.
Being centre-mounted, the speedometer and instruments are out of the driver's direct line of sight, but this applies to the entire Yaris range as well as a few other makes and models.