BS6-compliant Toyota Yaris 1.5 petrol to be launched soon

With a little over three months left for the BS6 regulations to kick in, most automakers have started the process of making the switch to the cleaner emission norms and the latest model to join the fray is the Yaris. Toyota will upgrade the mid-size sedan for BS6 compliance soon and we have got the complete details about what to expect from the updated model.

In BS6 guise, the Yaris will use a tweaked iteration of its current 1.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine. Though a drop in performance is generally expected with the switch to the cleaner technology, Toyota seems to have overcome the limitation as the powertrain will continue to put out 107hp at 6000rpm, the same as the BS4-spec mill. Moreover, transmission options including the 6-speed manual and 7-step CVT auto will also continue unchanged. The current petrol engine returns an ARAI-rated mileage of 17.1kpl in the manual version and 17.8kpl in the CVT version. It remains to be seen if these figures see a drop with the upgrade, as is generally the case.

Toyota recently refreshed the Yaris with new feature additions and the same can be expected to continue. As such, the BS6 mid-size sedan will be offered in the same four trim levels as before. The base J variant will cover the essentials such as projector headlamps, height adjustable driver’s seat, remote locking, all four power windows, power adjustable wing mirrors, rear arm rest, seven airbags, ABS, parking sensors, seatbelt reminder and high speed alert system. Moving to the next G variant will add automatic air conditioning, roof mounted air vents, keyless entry/go, power foldable wing mirrors, rear defogger and front and rear fog lamps.

The high-spec V trim will bring along all-round disc brakes, 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, cruise control, front parking sensors, rear parking camera and automatic headlamps. Features like diamond cut alloy wheels, LED DRLs, leatherette seat upholstery, power adjustable driver’s seat, rain-sensing wipers, rear sunshade, paddle shifters (only on CVT auto model), hill start assist, vehicle stability control and tyre pressure monitoring system will be reserved for the range topping VX variant as standard.

The current BS4 Yaris commands a price of Rs 8.76-14.18 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) and with the shift to BS6, a mark-up of Rs 10,000-15,000 can be expected. The Toyota sedan will continue to rival the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Hyundai Verna, Honda City, Volkswagen Vento and Skoda Rapid in our market.

In addition to upgrading its current model line-up, the Japanese automaker will also launch the premium Vellfire MPV in the coming weeks.