Toyota Yaris Cross review

Prices start at £25,530 in entry-level Icon trim, rising to £27,130 for Design, £30,565 for Excel (or £32,925 with all-wheel drive), £31,320 for the GR Sport (which gets the more powerful engine), and £32,500 for the Premiere Edition (£34,885 with AWD).

Toyota expects that the bulk of Yaris Cross sales will go to the Design spec car, which comes in at around £380 per month with an initial deposit of £3k, on a 10,000 yearly mileage limit and three-year repayment period through Toyota’s own website.

What's the difference between trims?

The base-spec Yaris Cross gets 16-inch alloys, a seven-inch instrument cluster, nine-inch touchscreen with phone connectivity, keyless go, reversing camera, aircon and auto headlights, wipers and windows. One up Design trim adds 17-inch wheels, LED lights, privacy glass, roof rails, and a 10.5-inch touchscreen.

Excel adds 18-inch wheels, a 12.3-inch instrument cluster, a heated steering wheel and front seats, parking sensors, power tailgate, plus the option of AWD.

GR Sport models get the more powerful engine, retuned suspension, which supposedly improves steering, roll and grip feel, plus some sporty cosmetic touches.

The mid-life facelift saw a new Premiere Edition trim added to the line-up, which gets the 129bhp hybrid powertrain with optional all-wheel drive, a new Urban Khaki two-tone paint, matching green accents on the upholstery, instrument panel and doors, and exclusive 18-inch dark grey alloy wheels.

Choose one for me.

We reckon Excel trim is best for the extra creature comforts, notably the heated steering wheel and front seats: it takes a while for an efficient hybrid to warm the engine, so those bum 'n' hand warmers will be a score in winter.

In that trim you’ve only the choice of the lesser powered engine, in FWD or AWD guise. Save your money and go FWD, you don’t need AWD for pootling around town.