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Toyota Yaris SR: Test Drive
Date: 07 June 2007 | Author: John Mahoney
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Membership to the hot hatch brigade has never been tougher. Just 120 of your finest horses sufficed back in the filofax eighties, now 170PS is only just adequate in the iPod naughties.
So where does the 133PS flagship Yaris SR stand?
In fleet eyes quite firmly. It looks the part, especially in glossy black, sitting tautly on larger 17-inch alloys, and with a subtle bodykit and rear chrome pipe. It's enough to stand out from the lesser cars, but not enough to draw attention or rope you in with the chav cap-wearing town centre terrorists.
Even the costs don't strike as exorbitant with a 25.4ppm, £12,860 P11D and an average 39.2mpg. Sounds like some serious, but sensible, grown-up fun, but it isn't.
The SR isn't a disaster but it isn't that quick. Sure, the engine is flexible, but it needs horsewhipping to get anywhere near the 9.3secs 0-60mph. The steering doesn't have that much feel, either, and the stiffened ride crashes over bumps. The poor little SR doesn't even sound the part despite the chromium protuberance - no rowdy exhaust antics here.
The final SR failing is the existence of the Mini Cooper. More fuel-efficient, a lower cost-per-mile, a better drive and most of more fun to boot - now that's hot.
Verdict: SR is a little too grown up and not enough fun
VerdictSR is a little too grown up and not enough fun |
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