Toyota extends crossover family, reveals 2018 Yaris Cross

MANILA: Introduced as a hatch, Toyota Yaris is now spreading its virtue over other segments. It was only a week or two ago that Toyota unveiled Yaris base sedan in India at the 2018 Auto Expo. And now the Japanese auto giant is all set to bring the Yaris Cross - an aggressive cross sibling with higher power and enhanced feature on the auto shores.

Being true to the crossover DNA, the Yaris Cross has SUV like detailing on a hatch like structure. On the exterior front, the car has a muscular styling complemented by rugged features like roof rail, alloy wheels, faux skid plate, black cladding on wheel arches and metal skid plate. Its dimension spec displays a hiked ground clearance, a feature that remains common across the segment and helps in smooth manoeuvring on lousy road conditions.

Stepping inside the cabin, the Yaris Cross offers more or less the same look and feel as its hatch sibling. It is, however, the higher trim where most updates are found, the list includes leather upholstery, HD instrument cluster, contrasting red stitch highlights on the gear knob and steering wheel, automatic climate control, steering mounted audio controls and improved sound system with two additional speakers.

Talking about Yaris Cross safety kit, Toyota has fitted standard features like ABS, ESP, all-wheel disc brakes and hill start assist. However, the top-spec model is packed with a total of seven airbags including curtain airbag, side airbags and driver's side knee airbag, and stability control.

As for under the hood configuration, the 2018 Yaris Cross features the same 1.5-litre mill as its new sedan sibling. The said engine is mated to either a CVT automatic or five-speed manual transmission and churns a maximum power output of 108 PS along with a peak torque of 140 Nm.

Toyota Philippines has not announced anything yet in regard to Yaris Cross launch, but if it does, we’ll have a new competitor to go against Nissan Kicks, Honda HR-V, Ford Ecosport, and Chevrolet Trax.