Auto Driven: Toyota Yaris SR

Toyota’s supermini now boasts a flagship “warm hatch” model.

The Yaris SR, will be in UK showrooms from April 2007 but we drove one out at the model’s launch in Majorca. Web Editor Adrian Higgins got behind the wheel.

Some hot hatches shout: “LOOK AT ME!”.

Think the Ford Focus ST’s signature orange livery – or its smaller sibling the Fiesta’s racing stripes.

But there is an alternative to regular models and the full-fat hot hatch, somewhere between the two.

Externally The Yaris SR lives up to its manufacturer’s billing as a “warm hatch” with subtle non-shouty changes to the existing model.

Deep front and rear bumpers, a lower body, 17-inch alloys, side skirts, a chrome sports exhaust and a roof spoiler which Toyota describes as “discreet” set it apart from the existing range.

These sit well together and add to the Yaris’s good looks – building on the high forward-tilted waistband angled which already gave it a sense of purpose.

Get inside and the changes become more subtle. There are no SR badges to give away the car’s identity.

But there are sports seats, a different door trim, leather-covered steering wheel and gear knob as well as chrome-highlighted air vents.

Being a Yaris the interior space is impressive, with headroom no issue for most and legroom acceptable for rear passengers on short or medium journeys.

Before setting off we managed to stow two overnight cases and a pair of laptops in the boot which can swallow 363-litres of luggage when loaded to the roof.

Remove the deckboard, lower the rear seats and, once again, load to the roof and there’s a whopping 1086 to play with.

Both three and five door models are available with buyers also able to choose between 1.8-litre and 1.3-litre petrol engines plus a 1.4-litre diesel.

We drove the top of the range bigger-engined petrol model powered by Toyota’s new 131bhp 1.8-litre Dual VVT-i engine.

Boasting a 0-62mph (0-100kmh) time of 9.2 seconds it will power on through its manual five-speed gearbox to a top speed of 121mph, while a combination of city driving and cruising will see it return a smidge under 40mpg.

The Yaris SR achieves greatest pulling power at 6000rpm and on our drive it produced an impressive roar as we cycled through the gears while negotiating Majorca’s fun, twisting roads.

We were able to attack corners with gusto, confident in the knowledge drivers’ aids -  vehicle stability control and traction control (standard on all the Yaris SR range) - were there to keep the driving safe as well as fun.

Toyotas are safe and the Yaris SR is no exception, boasting nine airbags and a maximum five-star EuroNCAP adult crash protection racing.

However, there was body roll and we’d have liked it if those sports seats had been a little more snug to hold us in position.

I’d also have preferred less travel in the clutch and though the Yaris driving position is good it doesn’t really lend itself to warm or hot hatch driving.

Unusually for a sporty hatch, the ride is comfortable with the Yaris soaking up a lot of the Spanish roads’ bumps and lumps during our trip.

And when it comes to price, Toyota point at competitor sport models from VW, Vauxhall, Renault and Peugeot which are more expensive or fitted out with fewer accessories.

As Toyota is the first to admit, this is no hot-hatch version of its rightfully-lauded supermini.

And if you’re looking for liveable warm-hatch fun we reckon you’ll like the car’s subtly sporty looks.

But we reckon a few improvements are needed to turn the Toyota SR into a real winner.

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