Toyota Yaris 1.4

Football's a funny old game, according to the cliché. But I wasn’t smiling when I realised I faced an 1,110-mile round trip to see my boyhood team Montrose in the Scottish Third Division play-offs at the start of May.

For the uninitiated, Montrose lies on the coast of Angus, between Aberdeen and Dundee, in the north-east corner of the country. As I live in north London, every trip home is a nine-hour marathon.

It’s a journey I’ve done many times in the past, in luxury saloons, MPVs and even off-roaders. But given the current trend for downsizing, I thought I’d give our Toyota Yaris a go this time around.

So would it leave me over the moon, or as sick as a parrot? Well, cost-wise, it certainly came up trumps. With promised economy of 62.8mpg, mammoth fuel bills weren’t a particular concern.

And the little Toyota didn’t let me down. Over the course of the trip, it delivered nearly 60mpg, which meant I had to shell out around £100 in fuel – still a cheaper option than flying up to Aberdeen and hiring a car once there, the only feasible alternative.

Of course, there’s more to motoring than simply saving pennies, and I have to confess to being apprehensive as to just how comfortable I might be in a supermini for such a long drive.

But again, the Yaris proved spot-on. There’s no denying that a bit of noise filters into the cabin on the motorway, yet with the sound system blasting out, it wasn’t a major issue. Plus, handy steering wheel controls for the CD player meant I could easily crank the volume up to 11!

More important for me was just how comfortable I could get at the wheel. I’m six-foot plus, and cross-border excursions have occasionally ended in severe backache and cramp in the past. Not this time. I can honestly say the Yaris was as good as anything I’ve ever driven up to Scotland in this respect.

Performance? More than adequate. The 1.4 D-4D is perfectly reasonable at the legal limit, although I’d have liked a little more juice now and again when overtaking. But that’s a trade-off I’m happy to make if I’m not constantly forced to fork out at the pumps.

All in all, a success then. But I wasn’t the only one impressed. My mum and dad own a Ford Focus, yet like many others across the country are mulling over whether a smaller motor would be a better option.

Fears over lack of space are their major concern. Yet they were amazed at how much room the rear of the Yaris affords. Carrying four adults is no problem, and just goes to show how well packaged this car is.

So is the Yaris a good long-distance companion? Absolutely! Although nipping around town is where it excels, on extended trips it’s proved a winner, too. I just wish I could say the same about my team. Montrose lost 4-1 on aggregate to Stranraer, condemning them to another season in the Third Division...

Extra Info

Second opinion:
There's nothing particularly memorable about the Yaris, but that doesn’t stop it being a great little car – and so it deserved its place in our Unsung Heroes test (Issue 1,009). I drove the Toyota to the Midlands track where this took place, and agree with Graham – it’s a surprisingly good motorway companion. I don’t think it matches a Renault Clio for style, but the bright paint gets it noticed. Looks like the Yaris could be a surprise choice for those with some miles to munch.