Yaris or Yaris Cross ?

[TonyHSD]

Hey guys, 

has anyone been in front of a dilemma: Yaris or Yaris cross? 
Both cars based on the same platform and shared the same drive trains but one slightly bigger and taller how different both models perform as drivability comfort quietness and efficiency on longer motorway journeys? Has anyone tried both models or owns one of each and has build up some experience and would like to share with us? Is the cross more refined of the lot or the Yaris is quieter than it’s big sister? Also how both models compare to Corolla 1.8 as refinement while cruising at 65mph on motorway? 
Thanks to all replies 👍

[Stopeter44]

I went to the dealer with the full intention to buy the Yaris Cross, but the dealer insisted I try Yaris and the Yaris Cross. I bought the Yaris. Two main reasons :

• The Yaris Cross transmitted road imperfections more than the Yaris and on rough surfaces gave a sensation akin to oscillating in all three planes, think small boat on bouncing over small waves
• I'm used to the B category and the extra bonnet on the Yaris Cross gave me the impression I was driving a much bigger car.

Couldn't say anything about the comparison vs Corolla, 65 mph is my usual autoroute speed and it's fine for me at that speed, but then I haven't ever been used to Mercedes S class levels of comfort.

Edited March 7, 2022 by Stopeter44
better grammar

[TonyHSD]

1 hour ago, Stopeter44 said:

I went to the dealer with the full intention to buy the Yaris Cross, but the dealer insisted I try Yaris and the Yaris Cross. I bought the Yaris. Two main reasons :

• The Yaris Cross transmitted road imperfections more than the Yaris and on rough surfaces gave a sensation akin to oscillating in all three planes, think small boat on bouncing over small waves
• I'm used to the B category and the extra bonnet on the Yaris Cross gave me the impression I was driving a much bigger car.

Couldn't say anything about the comparison vs Corolla, 65 mph is my usual autoroute speed and it's fine for me at that speed, but then I haven't never got used to Mercedes S class levels of comfort.

Thank you Peter 👍 

[Starensis]

Had a test drive for over an hour in a Cross, then had a Yaris loan car for the day a few weeks later. 

Cross is a decent car with nice boot space and higher driving position, but I found the road noise very intrusive and cabin pretty average. Drive just didn’t excite me.

The Yaris drove fantastically and handled very well. Road noise was not noticeable, plus dash on Design spec was adequate. It bought a smile to the face when driving……plus 60mpg minimum. Cross is around 52mpg.
 

Needless to say, we ordered a Yaris.

[Red_Corolla]

Crossover/SUV benefits are practicality for loading equipment or small children, slightly higher vantage point for drivers who need that for confidence and, last but not least, trendiness (although this baffles me because they're all extremely ugly to my eye).

In all other respects, a conventional body shape is superior and eminently more suited to the role of general purpose car, IMO.

 

[Big_D]

I looked at the Yaris Cross before settling on the C-HR. The Yaris Cross just didn't do it for me. My wife also looked at the Yaris Cross, but eventually settled on the Yaris Excel.

She liked the height of the Yaris Cross, but overall the Yaris was more of the cat for her.

[Bernard Foy]

Yes it’s a bit of a dilemma for the choice of Yaris or Yaris Cross, I suppose it’s the age old question, what is the main usage that you want the car for???. I recently traded in my 2021 Yaris for a new 2022 Yaris Hybrid. But I considered the Yaris Cross. Then I asked myself why would I pay a load more money for what is basically the same car with the same platform, the same engine, that is not as good on the road, not as good 0-60, not as good mpg, and has to haul a bigger body around than I will seldom utilize and the wee Yaris won the argument by a long margin. So that was my method of deciding which one to buy TonyHSD. Hope my thoughts help.

[TonyHSD]

Thank you guys all🙏 I like both models actually and the cross looks very capable off roader if it was equipped with proper awd system, it does have the dimensions of a real 4x4 , even looks very ragged to me but hybrid awd it’s simply no go. Yaris seems like a better option for motorway cruises., although Corolla 1.8 I believe it will be even better. I hope I will have at least another year or two before I move on therefore plenty of time to research and learn. Thanks again 👌👍

[Spo2]

Imo, Corolla would be a better bet. Generally a car from the above the class even in lowest trim is better than a car from the class below with higher trim with respect to built quality. So Corolla's interior material, fit and finish, road and wind noise isolation etc will be better, however it may not come with all the tech kits that you would get in higher trim version of the class-below car. 

[Big_D]

Like my grandfather always said; Buy the best tool you can afford, for the job you're going to do.

[Cyker]

Corolla might be better for your long journeys if only because it doesn't have The World's Most Uncomfortable Seats like my Mk4 Excel does, but the Yaris is such a hoot to drive and gets such ridiculous mpg I don't mind having to use my patented Spinal Support Towel  

If you want an SUV, better off looking at the RAV4 (Or maybe the Corolla Cross if it really does have the 40HP rear electric motor and not the pointless 5HP one in the Yaris Cross). The fact that they made SUV versions of the Yaris and Aygo just make me 

I obviously would recommend the Yaris but that's just because I despise all SUVS

I will say it's more efficient than the Corolla on the motorway, but you definitely notice the better sound deadening in the Corolla as the Yaris still has Yaris-levels of road noise at speed.

 

[Bernard Foy]

15 hours ago, Big_D said:

Like my grandfather always said; Buy the best tool you can afford, for the job you're going to do.

 

15 hours ago, Big_D said:

Like my grandfather always said; Buy the best tool you can afford, for the job you're going to do.

Granda’s advice was always worth listening to, I wish I had listened more often 😂🤣

[Kental]

As a Yaris owner who test drove a Corolla 1.8 Excel before placing our order, driving at motorway speeds it was quieter than our Yaris even with the 18" wheels shod with Falkens compared to our Yaris Design with 16" wheels and Cross Climate 2 tyres (quieter than the factory Continentals).

However the 1.8 Excel appears to have an under bonnet mat that is not present on lower trims.  I don't know if there is any other additional sound deadening.  When our Corolla 1.8 Design HB turns up I can comment on if there is any detriment to the sound deadening.

[trashman1965]

Corolla Vs Yaris (cant speak to cross)  - I bought a 2.0 Corolla Excel with JBL, but Partner bought a Mk4 Yaris Excel with Tech Pack 6 months earlier. I have driven it a fair bit and honestly I would have been just as happy with the Yaris vs the Corolla.

Yaris plus points: BSM, RCTA, HUD (tech pack) and more room in rear - seats are way better than Mk3, nearly as good as Corolla, general feel, handling and performance way better than the Mk 3 and the 2 Auris I had previously

Corolla plus points: full "leather" (and at the time) Sat Nav onboard as well as Android Auto, IPA (which actually doesn't work well on the Corolla vs earlier Auris), Bi-LED lights (which aren't really that much better than Yaris LED), quieter on Motorway than Auris due to the glass on windows. Bigger boot space.

Honestly you need to get into the nitty gritty for me to say one over the other - kids are grown up and moved out so rear leg space not an issue, I like the 2.0 as its a sportier drive, but the Yaris Mk4 is a great car performance wise. The BSM was not a deal do miss not having the hud - the Corolla has no HSI "meter" like the Auris had, but the HUD on the Yaris means the HSI display that is available can be right in your eyeline.

If I had to choose over with hindsight, I might go Corolla GT Sport (for the HUD) ....or Yaris Mk4.

 

So there you go, no help at all in choosing 😁

But I would definitely go Mk4 Yaris over 1.8 Corolla

[TonyHSD]

5 minutes ago, trashman1965 said:

Corolla Vs Yaris (cant speak to cross)  - I bought a 2.0 Corolla Excel with JBL, but Partner bought a Mk4 Yaris Excel with Tech Pack 6 months earlier. I have driven it a fair bit and honestly I would have been just as happy with the Yaris vs the Corolla.

Yaris plus points: BSM, RCTA, HUD (tech pack) and more room in rear - seats are way better than Mk3, nearly as good as Corolla, general feel, handling and performance way better than the Mk 3 and the 2 Auris I had previously

Corolla plus points: full "leather" (and at the time) Sat Nav onboard as well as Android Auto, IPA (which actually doesn't work well on the Corolla vs earlier Auris), Bi-LED lights (which aren't really that much better than Yaris LED), quieter on Motorway than Auris due to the glass on windows. Bigger boot space.

Honestly you need to get into the nitty gritty for me to say one over the other - kids are grown up and moved out so rear leg space not an issue, I like the 2.0 as its a sportier drive, but the Yaris Mk4 is a great car performance wise. The BSM was not a deal do miss not having the hud - the Corolla has no HSI "meter" like the Auris had, but the HUD on the Yaris means the HSI display that is available can be right in your eyeline.

If I had to choose over with hindsight, I might go Corolla GT Sport (for the HUD) ....or Yaris Mk4.

 

So there you go, no help at all in choosing 😁

 

Actually very interesting information, thanks a lot for sharing your experience. 👍

[TonyHSD]

1 hour ago, Kental said:

As a Yaris owner who test drove a Corolla 1.8 Excel before placing our order, driving at motorway speeds it was quieter than our Yaris even with the 18" wheels shod with Falkens compared to our Yaris Design with 16" wheels and Cross Climate 2 tyres (quieter than the factory Continentals).

However the 1.8 Excel appears to have an under bonnet mat that is not present on lower trims.  I don't know if there is any other additional sound deadening.  When our Corolla 1.8 Design HB turns up I can comment on if there is any detriment to the sound deadening.

Thanks for sharing 👌 I have plenty of time to decide, test drive etc before I buy my next car, but watching the used car prices currently I am only worried if something happens to my current car and I need a quick replacement, more info I have about these models easier will be. 👍

[Cyker]

Good man! I do the same, i.e. keep an eye on the market to see potential future upgrade paths - It's always good to do it well in advance so when they come onto the 2nd hand market you have an idea of what's good and what's not.

A lot of people thought I'd lost my marbles when I 'impulse bought' the Mk4 when the Mk2 broke, but there were many months of research before hand that allowed me to do that with full confidence! (And I'm glad I did all that, and test drove one well before, so I already knew how to drive it, or I'd probably still be stuck in the dealer carpark trying to start it after the sales agent just sodded off and left me there after giving me the keys and showing me where it was!)

It was that same research that stopped me getting a Mk3 (The real-world mpg and test drive I had years ago put me off), or 'impulse-buying' a Kona Electric when it came out, as at first it seemed like everything I wanted from an electric car (Aside from being a *spit* stupid SUV!), but the more I looked into it, the less suitable it looked.

It also saved me from making a horrible mistake of getting a Bluemotion Polo back in the day instead of the Mk1 Yaris D4D (Which is a bazillion times better car - Was only when I tried the Polo for a laugh years later I realised how big a bullet I'd dodged in avoiding it!  ), and helped my brother avoid the Skyactiv-X Mazda (It had so much promise, but the real world efficiency of that engine is still far worse than an equivalent diesel and not even close to the TNGA Hybrids. Still hoping they can combine it with Toyota's Atkinson/Miller-cycle tech and use it in a hybrid so the research isn't wasted, but seems unlikely now...)

 

[Chrisnufc]

What’s the real world mpg on the Yaris 1.5 hybrid? Do they struggle for fuel economy on the motorway?

[drobb]

We just did a Canterbury to Thurrock journey and the mpg was 61 mpg 60 to 70 mph all the way except for a slow down at the Dartford tunnel... Yaris cross

[Cyker]

Very good. Pretty much obliterates any other petrol car for motorway mpg. Hard to say exact figures, but my indicated tank average is currently 70.4mpg and that's a roughly 50-50 mix of town and motorway driving.

For straight motorway driving, if I behave and stay around 56-63 it doesn't change much; If I stay at 70mph for long periods it does drop - I went on a 2 hour drive up the M1 to my bro's on a fresh tank of V-Power petrol and indicated average was 65mpg on arrival, so still pretty good (But this was probably helped by the obnoxious 50/60mph zone around Milton Keynes but also impeded when I overtook several cars on the A5 at full beans  . The way you can instantly launch this thing at almost any speed is so satisfying  ).

I had it up to 72mpg by the time I got home doing the return journey at night at a more sedate pace (Mostly following lorries and letting the car drive itself with the cruise control and auto steer  )

I have to say, short bursts of 70mph for overtaking seems to have very little effect on the mpg, but doing it a lot or staying at high speed does drop it noticeably.

Still, I'm pretty sure this is easily the most efficient petrol car on a motorway currently in existence - The only vehicles I've seen in the same ballpark are diesels!

Also, this is now - It gets even more efficient in summer!   And unlike a normal petrol car, you can use the AC all summer without the fuel gauge taking a swan-dive!

[Kental]

11 hours ago, Chrisnufc said:

What’s the real world mpg on the Yaris 1.5 hybrid? Do they struggle for fuel economy on the motorway?

Not at all. Above 75 (where legal obviously) it drops off a bit as it won’t run in EV mode.
 

Where we are is quite hilly and the majority of journeys are straight onto 70 mph dual carriageway as it is a mile from home. The car is kept on drive so suffers with cold mornings as we got end of September. We are also running Cross Climate tyres rather than the standard eco tyres. Currently averaging just under 60mpg when not driven at all with maximum economy in mind. We are more than happy with that.

[Kental]

One comment re Corolla v Yaris specifications, Yaris models below the Excel loose a lot of specification.

In our case of Design v Design: ignoring the bigger boot & refinement.

Yaris gains: spare wheel & HSD gauge.

Corolla 1.8 HB gains: keyless entry and start (safe key from my22), front & rear sensors with auto park, Smart connect with nav, folding mirrors, auto dipping mirror, part pleather heated seats, driver’s lumberadjustment, passenger seat height adjustment and only a little thing but very annoying not in Yaris a light for the rear seat area.

[Stopeter44]

3 hours ago, Kental said:

One comment re Corolla v Yaris specifications, Yaris models below the Excel loose a lot of specification.

In our case of Design v Design: ignoring the bigger boot & refinement.

Yaris gains: spare wheel & HSD gauge.

Corolla 1.8 HB gains: keyless entry and start (safe key from my22), front & rear sensors with auto park, Smart connect with nav, folding mirrors, auto dipping mirror, part pleather heated seats, driver’s lumberadjustment, passenger seat height adjustment and only a little thing but very annoying not in Yaris a light for the rear seat area.

Interesting the difference between markets. French spec Yaris design has the keyless entry and start and auto dipping mirror. For an additional 800€ over base price you can have front and rear sensors, folding mirrors, passenger seat height adjustments and Blind Spot Monitor. For 700€ over that you get the Satnav option (with Touch 2).

[TonyHSD]

3 hours ago, Kental said:

One comment re Corolla v Yaris specifications, Yaris models below the Excel loose a lot of specification.

In our case of Design v Design: ignoring the bigger boot & refinement.

Yaris gains: spare wheel & HSD gauge.

Corolla 1.8 HB gains: keyless entry and start (safe key from my22), front & rear sensors with auto park, Smart connect with nav, folding mirrors, auto dipping mirror, part pleather heated seats, driver’s lumberadjustment, passenger seat height adjustment and only a little thing but very annoying not in Yaris a light for the rear seat area.

Corolla design or GR sport will be for me most likely then. The extras I can not live without: smart entry and push start button, folding door mirrors, auto dimming rear view mirror, reversing camera and fog lights, parking sensors are good addition although not necessary if there is a camera. One touch seat recliner, all Toyotas are like that currently and I hope they never change that. 👍

[Kental]

1 hour ago, Stopeter44 said:

Interesting the difference between markets. French spec Yaris design has the keyless entry and start and auto dipping mirror. For an additional 800€ over base price you can have front and rear sensors, folding mirrors, passenger seat height adjustments and Blind Spot Monitor. For 700€ over that you get the Satnav option (with Touch 2).

From my22 Yaris Design will have the option of parking sensors £395 and nav £495