Dojo Duel

Updated for improved performance and efficiency, the Toyota Yaris faces a fresh challenge from a high-fl ying compatriot

- Steve Smith

LIKE a pop star toiling to repeat the success of a breakthrough first album, the second-generation Toyota Yaris to arrive in South Africa has, since its 2012 introduction, struggled to replicate chart successes achieved by its debut offering.

Not that that model, marketed in 2005 as the spiritual successor to the much-loved Conquest, had things its own way, either. However, with that first attempt, Toyota seemed to deliver a more favourable B-segment balance between quirky styling, solid perceived quality and peppy performance.

Much like the youth-oriented music industry, this equally popular automotive segment has proven to be a particularly slippery slope for those who fail to maintain the correct balance through generations; just ask the likes of the Nissan Micra and Opel Corsa.

Likely a source of frustration for Toyota, particularly in a traditionally favourable market such as South Africa, the shortcomings of the current-generation Yaris against better-selling rivals like the Volkswagen Polo and Ford Fiesta (and, more recently, the Korean duo of i20 and Rio) have not been accepted lying down. The car’s 2014 midlife facelift, for example, introduced not only a more youthful “X-face” grille design, but also focused heavily on interior updates, notably improved quality. A more recent, second facelift (changing the name to Yaris Pulse) builds on this momentum with further updates to the exterior styling. These include revised head- and taillamp shapes, modifications to the aforementioned grille and a selection of new paint finishes, as well as an even greater focus on cabin ambience and the introduction of a new engine option.