Currently reading: New Toyota Yaris 1.5-litre features advanced exhaust cooling system
Four-cylinder will replace the 1.33-litre unit, and it could spawn the basis for a turbocharged version to power the hot Gazoo model

The Toyota Yaris has gained a new 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine that will offer better performance and fuel economy than the 1.33-litre it will replace. It could also form the base for a more powerful turbocharged unit that will feature in a Toyota Gazoo hot hatch.

The four-cylinder engine produces up to 110bhp and 100lb ft of torque, which is 12bhp and 30lb ft more than the outgoing motor. This added potency enables a 1.5-litre Yaris to accelerate from 0-62mph in 11sec, which is 0.8sec quicker than the 1.33-litre car. It can also power from 50-75mph in 17.6sec – the old model took 18.8sec.

No fuel consumption figures have been released, but Toyota’s claim for a 12% improvement equates to an average economy figure of about 64.5mpg. The old 1.33-litre offered 57.6mpg.

Toyota’s new engine meets Euro6 emissions standards and has been engineered to achieve a 38.5% thermal efficiency value, which ranks it at the sharp end of its class. The unit’s high 13.5:1 compression ratio, cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system and extended variable valve timing operation, which can switch it from the Otto to the Atkinson cycle, are listed as significant contributions to the boosted efficiency.

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The engine is also connected to Toyota’s first water-cooled exhaust manifold system, which is said to boost efficiency when cruising at motorway speeds. The technology reduces exhaust gas temperature, enabling the engine to run with a reduced fuel mixture, reducing combustion temperature and improving both fuel consumption and exhaust emissions.

The Japanese brand has refrained from revealing whether a more potent version of the 1.5-litre will be produced at a later stage, but sources close to Autocar have suggested it will form the base for the turbocharged four-cylinder unit that will power an upcoming Gazoo Yaris hot hatch.

The front-drive car, which will be a rival to the Ford Fiesta ST and Renault Sport Clio, will make its debut at the Geneva motor show and is said to have more than 210bhp.

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The original Toyota Yaris was a landmark car, since then it has lost ground to more talented rivals. Can it regain its crown from the formidable and long in the tooth Ford Fiesta?

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Andrew 61 24 January 2017

performance figure

seems to suggest the car has been hobbled with interstellar gearing. It might work on a test rig but does nothing for MPG in real world driving.
artill 24 January 2017

Its a bizarre world where a

Its a bizarre world where a Yaris comes with a 1.5 4 pot, and a Mondeo comes with a 1.0 3 pot. Is this new engine related to the Yaris Hybrid powerplant, just without the electrics?

Anyway, it sounds interesting technology, even if it still leaves the yaris being rather slow. I doubt anyone who buys a standard Yaris will mind or notice though.

xxxx 24 January 2017

Progress??

How can such a small light car with a 1.5 litre engine take so long to get from 50-75mph, 17.6 secs. That's basically means changing down a gear every time a lorry moves over for you on a dual carriageway.