Category: Uncategorized

Toyota GR Yaris: The most anticipated hot hatch of the year?

It wasn’t that long ago that Toyota had a reputation for making rather forgetful vehicles, and with the surge of electrification and hybrid technology, enthusiast derived performance cars have been put on the back foot – until now!

The GR Yaris is Toyota’s flagship hot hatchback and with the recent hattrick of victories from WRC, WEC and BTCC, Toyota are on a role with motorsport. It makes sense then for the company to give us the customers a little taste of the race/rally track. GR Yaris is an homologation special, which for many will know that this is a rule set by manufacturers’ to sell a certain amount of road going versions of the rally/race spec car. Cars like the Lancia Delta Integrale and Ford Escort RS Cosworth were all examples of what I mean – they gave the customer a rally car for the road.

GR stands for ‘Gazoo Racing’ and for the keen Toyota enthusiasts out there, this badge means business. GR branded cars first came over to Europe in 2018 with the extremely exciting yet very exclusive Yaris GRMN. Followed by this was the Yaris and Corolla GR Sport, which were normal version of the popular hatchbacks with sports suspension and some cosmetic tweaks. In 2019 a comeback from one of the most famous names in the Japanese car fan book was reborn – the GR Supra, which had been off sale for over two decades in the UK.

GR Yaris in Pure white with optional Circuit pack £33,495

So, what does this mean machine have to offer? Well, it comes equipped with a 1.6-litre three cylinder turbocharged engine that produces a rather healthy 257bhp. 0-62mph in 5.5 seconds and a electronic top speed of 143mph. Toyota claim that this new engine is the worlds lightest and most powerful three cylinder engine (engine name G16E-GTS).

What lurks beneath that wild body makes you forget that this is still a Toyota Yaris. Four-wheel-drive, dual exhausts and a limited-slip differential make the GR Yaris behave very much like its rallying father and will give the driver full reassurance and confidence in the slipperier trouser clenching moments!

The GR Yaris is Toyota’s first mass-produced hot hatchback in over a decade.

When the car is released, there will be two versions – GR Yaris and GR Yaris Circuit pack. The standard car starts at £29,995 and comes with, auto lights and wipers, auto dimming rear view mirror, electric heated and folding mirrors, keyless entry and push-button start, dual-zone climate control, sat-nav, Bluetooth, Apple carplay and Android auto, DAB radio, USB, rear-view camera and a selection of solid, pearlescent and metallic paints (Pure white (Solid) shown in pictures), Platinum white pearl, Scarlet flare and Precious black).

The Circuit pack is a bit more costly at £33,495 and adds 18 inch forged lightweight alloy wheels, Michelin pilot sport 4s tyres, two torsen limited-slip differentials, red brake callipers and GR circuit suspension – this version will attract the track day enthusiast.

As this is pre-production I couldn’t drive it, but after spending a good hour with the car I can tell you that this is going to be Toyota’s diamond. You sit low down and have three aluminium pedals, whilst you have something called a manual gearbox and a manual handbrake! Unheard of in modern cars these days.

The only nagging gripe I had was due to the sloping roof line, taller passengers may struggle to get comfortable and the visibility out of the back window is like looking through a letter box.

GR Yaris goes out to its first customers next month and the Circuit packs are set to be released in January 2021.

My conclusion on this car is, this is just the beginning of a very exciting journey for Toyota indeed!

Honda Jazz/Crosstar 2020 review

Entering a new decade, we now have the new fourth generation Jazz which has kick started Honda’s electrification programme; to make all of their mainstream models have an electrified drivetrain by 2022. This new iteration of Honda’s popular supermini has ditched conventional fossil fuel and gone hybrid only, so, can this new Jazz offer the same practical and easy driving experience as its previous counterparts? Let’s find out.

DRIVING

Behind the wheel, the Jazz has always been a relaxing car rather than an engaging one and this new model is no exception. When driving in town the steering is light and there is a generous amount of visibility, with very small A pillars and big rear windows makes manoeuvring a doddle. At slow speeds the engine is running on electricity, so there is virtually no noise, however, put your foot down and the E-CVT transmission does roar into life and makes the engine sound unrefined. The steering does have more feel than before; it certainly has more involvement, but being a taller car means cornering does have its weaknesses. The main problem is body roll, with the Jazz struggling to remain stable around the bends, if you want driving enjoyment, then the Ford Fiesta and Mazda 2 are better in this department. The ride also the lets the Jazz down, with it being very fidgety among bumps and it never feels settled at any speed.

The Jazz isn’t as dynamic as a Fiesta, but it’s capable of doing journey’s without fuss.

PRACTICALITY

This is the Jazz’s piste de resistance as the rear seats (magic seats) help improve the Jazz’s already vast interior space. Rear legroom is more than generous and headroom thanks to the boxy shape is also very good, with six footers having no issue at all at getting comfortable. The boot at 304 – litres is just shy of the Fiesta’s boot capacity at 311- litres, but once the Jazz’s back seats are folded completed flat this transforms the boot space to 1,205- litres – making it the best in class. However the Crosstar version that we have on test has a smaller boot to the regular Jazz at 298 – litres of space. There are also lots of cubby holes dotted about the cabin, with plenty of cupholders and a double glove box compartment adds to the Jazz’s spacious and well thought out interior.

Honda’s magic seating arrangement can make loading of taller items i.e. plants much easier

PERFORMANCE AND RUNNING COSTS

In the UK, the Jazz is only available with one engine choice. A 1.5-litre petrol engine mated to two electric motors, which produces a total power output of 108bhp and 253Nm of torque. There is only one transmission choice, an E-CVT automatic.

The two electric motors have two roles in their job, the first helps with direct propulsion and the other converts energy from the petrol engine into electricity. All of this means that the Jazz can achieve 0-62mph in 9.4 seconds and 9.9 seconds for the Crosstar variant and has a top speed of 108mph for the normal car and 107mph for the Crosstar.

Depending on trim level, the Jazz delivers very and low running costs, with Honda claiming that normal Jazz’s in SE and SR spec will achieve 62.8mpg, whilst EX trim will be 61.4mpg and the heavier Crosstar will manage 58.9mpg. CO2 emissions are also low, ranging from 102g/km and 110g/km depending on which model.

The Jazz’s 1.5-litre petrol engine cuts in seamlessly with its two electric motors.

VERDICT

The new Jazz has really matured in its new generation, there is a lot to like about this little supermini and Honda have done a great job in improving one of their best selling models. If you want a no nonsense practically work horse, than the Jazz needs to be high on your shopping list. It’s just let down by a bland driving experience, the lack of engine choices and with prices starting from just under £14,000 and rising to £21,000 for the Crosstar – it’s not exactly cheap either.

Car tested: Honda Jazz Crosstar EX

7/10

Toyota Yaris MK1 1999-2005

The Yaris was the jewel in Toyota’s crown as it captured the combination of Japanese innovation with European design, and the first iteration was one of the best. With its cheeky styling, funky interior, class leading VVT-I engine and tardis like interior space, the Yaris was light years ahead of the old Starlet that it replaced. Originally sold with a 1.0 67 BHP engine, the Yaris had the most powerful 1.0 engine in the world which is why it won engine and car of the year in 2000. It quite literally re-wrote the rule book for the supermini. The competition shrieked when they saw the Yaris, as it had completely transformed Toyota’s image and it gave a glimpse of what the Japanese giant were really capable of.

In its six year life, various engines including petrol and diesels as well as a 105bhp warm hatch named T Sport gave the Yaris its own identity – making it stand out from the crowd in a very competitive market.

2005 phase 2 Colour Collection 3 door

The Yaris was always at the top of the driver power customer satisfaction survey back in the early 00s reaching either first or second as owners praised its engine, space, design and dealership experience. As a current of two Yaris T Sports and previous 1.3 Colour Collection owner, I would recommend a Yaris to anybody who is looking for a first time car, a practical economical runabout or even for a family. I have never had any reliability problems, they have never failed to start, parts are reasonably priced and the cost of filling up a T-Sport from empty is around £40 – which for a near 20-year-old 1.5 engine isn’t too bad.

THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR

1. Avoid the MMT (Multi Mode transmission) which was an automated manual transmission. These gearboxes had a tendency to fail costing owners some times more than the car was worth in its older age – my advice would be to stick to the 5-speed manual or the 4-speed automatic.

2. Check for any rust on the rear wheel arches. Mud, salt and dirt can build up in the rear arches and if they are not cleaned out regularly, moisture then causes the arches to corrode. The most common areas to look are the rear sills near the jacking points and front strut towers.

3. Make sure that it has been regularly serviced as timing chains on 1 litre cars can have a tendency to snap if not cared and looked after.

4. Look for any water in the spare wheel well as rear brake light gaskets can fail which can cause a Tsunami in the boot area.

5. Avoid entry level models such as S and T2. S models didn’t come with power steering until 2001 and both models are very spartan. Cassette player, keep-fit windows and one airbag meant that you hardly got anything for your money.

Apart from these niggles the first generation Yaris is pretty much bullet proof, if you can find a low mileage and full service history example, I am certain you will be very satisfied with one of these little cars.

1999-2003 Trim levels consisted of S, GS, Colour Collection, GLS, SR, CDX and T Sport

2003-2005 Trim Levels consisted of T2, T3, Blue, Colour Collection, T Spirit and T Sport

T SPORT

Then we get to the most desirable of all the first generation Yaris’–the T Sport.


This warm hatch was introduced to the Yaris line-up in April 2001 and it gave the range a bit more flavour. Not only was the Yaris given a new lease of life, packing 105bhp out of its new 1.5 litre engine, but there were significant mechanical upgrades too. The chassis was stiffened, sports suspension, bigger alloy wheels, sports bumpers and side skirts as well as a TTE (Toyota team Europe) rear spoiler added to the car’s sporty appeal. But, T Sports are becoming increasingly harder to find in good condition and many have been thrashed and abused. If you can find a stock, low mileage example you’ll be looking to spend around anything between £2k-£4k – depending on their condition and history. Both were available in three and five-door form, although five-door examples are a lot rarer. You also had a limited choice of colours too, with 2001-2003 T Sports (Phase 1) coming in either the flagship colour, Thunder grey (pictured below), Chilli red, Caribbean blue, Eclipse black and the rarest colour being Flame gold. 2003-2005 examples (Phase 2) came in the same colours with the exception of Flame gold being dropped and Caribbean blue being replaced with Balearic blue, which was then discontinued in 2004.

All in all though, T Sports are the most fun in the range, and with fuel economy of around 40mpg, it won’t damage your wallet either.

2004 Phase 2 T Sport 3-door

2003 Phase 2 T Sport 5-door

By Cameron Richards

Research blog: term 2 week 3/4 and 5

Week three was a very productive week. When I came back for the Christmas holidays I was having some bad luck in contacting some of my interviewees. This was due to the fact that they are busy people and me asking them some questions was probably on the bottom of their priority list. So, what I did was give myself a target of one week for anyone to come back to me, after one week I had received no replies. This was seriously concerning and worrying for someone like me, who wanted to have answers very quickly. What I did was re-send my e-mails to my contacts, so it was fresh in their inbox and thankfully the next day, one of the professors came back to me with detailed answers. This really boosted my confidence after this as it demonstrated that if I push myself I can achieve my goals. After another week, I hadn’t heard back from any others though, so, I re-sent the messages again and even this time had contacted a new interviewee as back up for if any worse case scenario I couldn’t get hold of my first hydrogen interviewee. Fortunately, that evening I had my original hydrogen professor contact me with again, detailed and interesting quotes to include in my articles. By Monday I had another response from my back-up interviewee, but he wasn’t as depth as the research in hydrogen wasn’t his key area but did answer my question on his storage solution which was great.

Over the last couple of weeks I have been just continuing research and presenting my plans in front of my supervisor Martin on how my articles will look and other articles I have analysed. The response was good and everyone thought that my progress and interviewees were coming along nicely. This was a major boost in my confidence as for the first time in my life I haven’t been worrying about my Final Major Project. On the 15th January 2020, I contacted James Clark, who is the Senior Manager for Toyota UK press team. He replied to me instantly as we have met before and he was more than willing to help me. Yet again, he is a busy person so I have to hang on for answers but, on the flip side, on the 15th February 2020, I attended the Toyota Parallel Pomeroy Trophy at the Silverstone race track (which is where I met James Clark last year). Unfortunately, James wasn’t there this year but another lady was there called Claire Rowley, who was one of the Social media officers and I got the chance to meet her and she would pass on a reminder to James over my request. She also gave me a very good contact for my hydrogen story, a man called Jon Hunt, who is the manager for Alternative fuels at Toyota UK. This is a another great contact in the coming weeks to have, but I am just awaiting a reply from Toyota, if I still haven’t heard anything within a week, I will be on the case as soon as possible to get all of my interviewees done, as my target goal is the end of March.

Finally I had a tutorial with my supervisor a couple of weeks ago and he said that to boost my overall grade and my analytical report I should give one of my articles to a motoring journalist organisation. I am thinking of giving my hydrogen story to Blackball media as they have given me work experience in the past and they know my writing and work. Even better would be for them to mark and even publish the article, because if they can do that, my overall grade will be bumped up heavily.

Research blog: term 2 week 2

After having some positive and negative vibes from the first week back from christmas, I was determined to get as much done as possible. After I re-sent my emails I got some good news on Thursday 23rd January 2020. One of the professors had responded to my email he had given me detailed and well structured answers which really boosted my confidence, as to know I have quotes for my hybrid story.

I still haven’t heard anything back from anyone else but I have to give it time, and don’t forget that we are only at the start of February, as long as I plan ahead and structure my weeks I’m sure that I will complete my final major project in a calm a relaxed manor.

During this week I have began and nearly completed my second presentation which I am presenting on Wedneday 5th February. It is all about analysing three print articles similar to the ones that I will be writing for my final major project. I have looked at the style, structure, pros and cons and readership.

In terms of structure, Martin my supervisor wanted me to look at analysing in detail all the paragraphs used in my chosen articles. Taking into account the sentence types, grammar, punctuation and what tense it is in. So far I have nearly completed the presentation with just making an in-depth analysis of the AutoCar story, which may take some time, but it will give me a clearer understanding when it comes to writing my three articles.

Research blog: term 2 week 1

After I had sent my e-mails off to my interviewees, I knew that they are busy people, so I wasn’t expecting any instant responses. When I did my first presentation back in December, my supervisor Martin told me that I should contact the car manufacturers themselves as they are the ones also doing research into alternative fuel systems. I knew that Toyota are the leaders of hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell technology and I have over the years made a great contact at the head office of Toyota in Epsom. He is one of the heads of PR for Toyota UK, I emailed him in regard to what I am investigating in my project. I got a reply from him within ten minutes, which blew me away by surprise.

Toyota were more than happy to help me, so, I gathered some questions that I wanted answering and sent them off to Toyota, it is now a waiting game to see what happens, but in a couple of weeks I will be attending a trophy/competition and I will see the people from Toyota there. If I’ve had no response between now and then, I will bring up the subject to start pushing myself and getting the answers that I need.

After one week of sending the emails over to my interviewees, I have had no replies which was a little bit disappointing and nerve racking for myself and it brought on a lot on anxiety. But, deep down I knew that they were busy people and that I have to be patient. So, what I did was re-send my emails to make my email again at the top of their inboxes to make them see that I need answers for my project.

Research blog: Christmas holiday

For my final major project over the Christmas holidays, I decided that I would contact a variety of my interviewees. I thought this would be a good idea to contact them earlier rather than later, because I know that some of them will be busy and take longer to respond to me.

I decided to contact an environmentalist, two professors, one in hydrogen research and one in hybrid research and I also sent a message to the media enquiries to Shell about hydrogen research. I wanted to ask them questions that I would think link up to my investigation on my three print articles, I wanted to ask them questions related to their research and expertise.

Also I have been doing more research into my topics and one topic that I found was really interesting which I’m a little disappointed I am not researching is the development of synthetic fuels or Efuels as they are know. They combine a mixture of carbon and hydrogen and together they can make synthetic fuel, which not only is renewable energy, but it also means that transportation such as planes, ships, boats trucks and cars with internal combustion engines can drive carbon neutral which will be a ground breaker for the automotive industry.

Research blog: week 7,8 and 9

For the last three weeks I have been working on my Final major project and in that time I feel that I have had some success. First of all I have clarified my three articles, so I know exactly what I am now covering in my investigation. I also went and saw Dan Scutt, who is our Journalism librarian if you like who can help me with different reading resources and interviewees.

I made an appointment to go and see Dan as I was just struggling with other potential interviewees for my third story on hybrid vehicles. He was very helpful and I manged to find a vast amount of people who I could talk to for my articles. I have currently contacted four people and have had four responses and all giving me quotes and answers, so I have learnt that there are people out there who are interested in the topic and are willing to help me with my investigation.

Last week I had my presentation, which I presented to my supervisor (Martin Buckley) and second set of eyes (Chris Richards). I produced a 20 slide, 10 minute PowerPoint presentation, which covered what I would be covering in my Final major project, why I chose the subject, who I will be writing for, potential interviewees, hypothesis, egal and ethcial considerations and even a fishbone sturcuture of how I am willing to plan my three articles.

I decided to bring in a couple of example magazine for whom I’d be writing for (AutoExpress and AutoCar) as this shows that I am keen to learn more about the topic and that I do read their publications, also I won’t lie, but I was nervous about presenting because even though I had done a mock presentation in front of Martin a couple of weeks ago, some small criticisms like, make it look more attractive and stop stretching out your images made me really want to improve my presentation to the best it can be.

I felt that my presentation went well, I do find when I’m put on the spot and under pressure that I do talk very fast and I get confused with my language and Martin did pick up on that. I also went slightly over 10 minutes as another thing I find when I’m nervous is I talk too much and get sidetracked with what I’m talking about. I struggled with answering thew questions because they were unexpected and I was thinking that the questions that they would have asked me would be do with how do electric and hydrogen cars work? and not with the the circulation on my publications are, especially when the figures are not available online.

But despite some criticism, I achieved a 68 or B1 which is very good, I was a little bit disappointed that I didn’t achieve a first which is 74, but I wasn’t far short and knowing that I had done my best is fine by me.

For the Christmas holidays I intend to carry on contacting further interviewees to start building on my second and third story.

Research blog: week 6

This week I have managed to contact four of my potential interviewees and I have had all four respond. One, I am still waiting for answers but she has agreed to answer my questions. One thing I found was that, one of my interviewees didn’t respond, but with a polite reminder e-mail I had answers from him within an hour which is quite interesting to behold for future interviewees.

My presentation is going well and I have listened to Martin’s advice from last week when I did a mock presentation in front of the class. I need to add more slides with less information and the idea is for the viewers to quickly glance at the screen and focus back to me. The whole point is for me to present and demonstrate my knowledge and expertise in my final major project. I have included more photos and less info to make the presentation stand out a bit more and I am hoping to present my final major project pitch to Martin and another member of staff by 5th December. Overall, this week I have made a lot of progress with my final major project.