It’s a Yaris Jim, but not as we know it. Again.

Hot on the heels of the “quite frankly it’s a bit bonkers” GR is the Yaris Cross. The latest addition to the Yaris family is a compact SUV and is significantly less highly-strung than the rally special.

However, while it shares much with the hatchback it is longer, wider and, unsurprisingly, taller than the car upon which it is based. Its external dimensions do, in fact, match those of the Nissan Juke quite closely.

Competition is fierce in this particular sector, so the Yaris Cross needs to bring its A-game to see off its rivals that include the Vauxhall Mokka, Renault Captur, Skoda Kamiq, and the brilliant Ford Puma.

Has it got what it takes to grab a significant share of the compact SUV market? Let’s find out.

Climb aboard and you’ll immediately appreciate the excellent view of your surroundings – out the front anyway – that the Cross offers thanks to its high seating position and relatively narrow windscreen pillars.

The view out of the back isn’t quite as generous because the rear pillars are as wide as the fronts are slim. Toyota do fit a rear-view camera as standard on all models, though, which is a significant aid to manoeuvring in tight spaces. Excel trim adds front and rear parking sensors to the mix.

It’s easy to get yourself comfortable. There’s plenty of adjustment – of the manual variety – to the steering wheel and driver’s seat. There’s no adjustable lumbar support unless you opt for one of the two most expensive trims – Dynamic and Premiere Edition – which is a bit disappointing as I consider it one of life’s barest of necessities.

In-car entertainment is served up via an eight-inch touchscreen in Icon and Design trim while more expensive versions are fitted with a fractionally bigger nine-inch screens that also add sat-nav.

The smaller screen does come with a couple of physical buttons that make navigating through the menus a little easier, but Toyota operating system can be a little sluggish but that won’t matter if you take advantage of the smartphone mirroring that’s included across the range and switch to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

The fit and finish is excellent, with mostly pleasantly tactile materials spread throughout the passenger space. As with any car across this price point, if you delve deep enough, you’ll find some fewer forgiving plastics, but they are generally hidden away, out of sight and out of mind.

The controls are laid out in a logical fashion and there are physical controls for the air con which makes it easy to adjust the cabin temperature on the move.

There’s ample space in the front with enough headroom for six-footers to get comfortable. There’s a decent amount of shoulder-room too, so you won’t often find yourself banging elbows with fellow front-seat passengers.

Those same two six-footers will fit in the back, but it will feel like a bit of a squeeze. The rear doors are quite small too, which can make it a little awkward for the less agile among us to climb in.

There’s a pair of cupholders, a tray ahead of the gear selector that will hold a wallet and keys and another cubby below the infotainment system that will accommodate a mobile phone. The door pockets are, though, on the small side with room for a small bottle and little else.

Unusually for this class, and with the exception on the entry-level trim, the Yaris Cross comes with 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats. Boot space is decent, with a Skoda Kamiq-matching 400 litres on offer with the rear seats in place.

You do get a useful two-piece adjustable height-adjustable boot floor that, when in its highest position, almost completely eradicates any evidence of a loading lip.

As Henry Ford famously never said: You can have any engine as long as it’s a 1.5-litre 3-cylinder petrol combined with a hybrid system to improve performance and efficiency.

It isn’t a particularly quick car with 0-62mph taking 11.2 seconds but it’s spritely enough to accelerate to motorway cruising speeds with very little fuss. The electric motor provides plenty of thrust from a standing start and, if you go easy on the accelerator, it’s entirely possible to potter around using battery power alone.

It’s very quiet, of course, until the petrol engine kicks in and then things get significantly louder. Once again, the blame for much of the increase in volume lies with the CVT automatic gearbox which, while responsive, holds the revs near the redline if you’re accelerating or climbing a hill.

It does quieten down again once you’re up to speed and there’s very little wind noise too. There is, though, a fair amount of tyre roar.

It may not be a proper off-roader but, while most models in the range are front-wheel drive, Dynamic and Premiere Edition trims do come with the option of sending power to all four wheels. That’s rare in this class and will let you tackle the odd muddy trail, but you shouldn’t get carried away, this is no Wrangler.

The ride is quite firm and can be a bit fidgety on motorways with the occasional thud from the suspension when you hit a pothole. It’s never uncomfortable though.

That stiffer suspension does help reduce body roll and, combined with a decent level of grip and accurate steering that connects you in a meaningful way to the road, means that the little SUV is quite good fun to drive.

Like the hatchback upon which it is based, the Yaris Cross does more than enough to get itself noticed in a highly competitive marketplace. Space is a little lacking in the rear, and it can get noisy in the cabin under acceleration, but the hybrid set-up offers excellent efficiency, the handling is composed and reassuring, and you’ll enjoy the lofty driving position that buyers in this sector crave.

Yaris Cross Dynamic 1.5 Hybrid Automatic FWD + JBL

Price (from): £27,680

Engine: 1.5-litre 3-cylinder hybrid

Transmission: e-CVT

Max power (engine): 90bhp

Max power (hybrid system): 114bhp

Max torque (engine): 120Nm @ 3,600 – 4,800rpm

Motor/generator

Max power: 59kW

Max torque: 141Nm

Rear motor (AWD models)

Max power: 3.9kW

Max torque: 52Nm

Max speed: 106mph

0-62mph: 11.2sec (FWD)

Fuel consumption: 54.6 - 56.5mpg (combined cycle)

Emissions (CO2): 112 – 117.2g/km (combined cycle)

For more information visit www.toyota.co.uk

Gallery1