Toyota updates Yaris and Yaris Cross

TOYOTA has upgraded its Yaris hatch and Yaris Cross light SUV lines with an improved range of driver assistance technologies and a more environmentally friendly climate control refrigerant it says underlines its commitment to continuous improvement of its product range.

The minor updates arrive in concert with Yaris hybrid price increases of up to $490, the deletion of the petrol-powered range seeing an almost $3000 increase on the entry point to the Yaris range, now from $28,990 plus on-road costs.

In countering the price increase, we note that all Yaris five-door hatch grades are now powered exclusively by an 85kW 1.5-litre petrol-electric hybrid driveline.

Relatedly, all grades – Ascent Sport, SX, and ZR – gain a low-speed acoustic alert system to warn other road users and pedestrians of its presence when moving under electric power only.

The base grade further adds a parking support brake that “automatically applies braking when reversing if a crossing vehicle, object, or pedestrian is detected and there is a risk of a collision”, while the mid-tier Yaris SX gains larger 16-inch alloy wheels shared with the range-topping ZR grade.

Similarly for the Yaris Cross range, we find updated and uniform driver assistance safety technologies across all grades, the GX grade gaining parking support brake and a blind spot monitor with safe exit assist alongside wing mirror heating.

As with the Yaris hatch, the all-hybrid Yaris Cross range further includes a low-speed acoustic alert system and more environmentally friendly R1234yf air-conditioning refrigerant.

The front-wheel drive Yaris Cross is powered by the same hybrid system as the Yaris hatch that combines a 67kW/120Nm 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with a 59kW/141Nm front motor generator producing a combined maximum power of 85kW.

All-wheel drive (AWD) versions of the Yaris Cross feature an additional 3.9kW/52Nm rear electric motor/generator to provide “additional traction in slippery conditions”.

Pricing for the Yaris Cross range rises by as much as $890, now beginning from $31,790 + ORC.

“Safety remains one of our highest priorities when developing, designing and engineering Toyota vehicles and it’s a continuous process so when new technologies are developed, we make them available for customers as soon as possible,” said Toyota Australia president of sales, marketing, and franchise operations Sean Hanley.

“These latest upgrades for the Yaris hatch and Yaris Cross SUV are an example of that and while the changes are incremental, every new technology contributes to the safety of all road users.”

Year-to-date sales data shows Toyota has sold 980 examples of the Yaris light-segment hatch, placing it well behind entrants including the MG 3 (3649 unit sales YTD), Mazda 2 (1855), and Suzuki Swift (1275).

Conversely, sales of the Yaris Cross are the second highest in the SUV Light segment at 3849 units YTD.

The Yaris Cross is topped only by the Mazda CX-3 (5390 unit sales YTD), and leads the off-road focused Suzuki Jimny (2910), budget-friendly Hyundai Venue (2457), Kia Stonic (2041), and seven other entrants (all with sales of less than 600 units YTD).

2025 Toyota Yaris pricing*:

2025 Toyota Yaris Cross pricing*:

*Pricing excludes on-road costs.