The Toyota Yaris sold in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is essentially a renamed version of the fourth-generation Toyota Vios sold in Southeast Asian car markets. Based on Toyota&rsquo;s cost-effective but highly durable DNGA-B platform, which also underpins a few other compact offerings from Toyota, the Yaris is the Japanese carmaker&rsquo;s smallest and most affordable sedan in Saudi Arabia. There are three variants of Toyota Yaris on sale in Saudi Arabia &ndash; Y (SAR 63,135), Y Plus (SAR 69,345) and YX (SAR 75,670).
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Toyota Yaris Pros
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Comfortable ride quality
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Reliable and refined petrol engine
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Space at the rear 
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Toyota Yaris Cons
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Engine feels underpowered
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Limited features on offer
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Lazy CVT gearbox
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Exterior:
Compared to its predecessor, the fourth-generation Toyota Yaris has a much sleeker and modern appearance, though it is still far from being called flashy or futuristic. The front profile of the Toyota Yaris looks attractive with new-age angular all-LED headlamps, which have daytime running LEDs within their inner edges. These headlamps are joined by a sleek gloss black strip across the car&rsquo;s width.
Adding more boldness to the front look of the Yaris is the massive trapezoidal air dam with horizontal slats in the middle and faux air vents on the corners of the front bumper. The side profile of the Toyota Yaris has a dynamic touch to it, with a slightly sloping roofline giving it the mild essence of a fastback.
Equipped with 16-inch machined alloy wheels, the Toyota Yaris has wide, trapezoidal-shaped LED combination tail lamps, while also having an integrated boot spoiler and shark fin antenna. The Saudi Arabia-spec Toyota Yaris is available in colour options like Silver, White Pearl Crystal Shine, Red, Black, Grey and Scarlet.&nbsp;
Interior:
Featuring an all-black theme, the cabin of the Toyota Yaris resorts to the traditional theme of simplicity and practicality, followed by its predecessor versions. The dashboard of the Yaris has an asymmetric design, much like many other Toyota cars from the recent past and present, with the cabin having more than sufficient space for five passengers.
Behind the tilt-adjustable multi-functional steering wheel, the Toyota Yaris has a fully digital instrument console, which includes a small LCD screen for the speedometer and fuel gauge and a modern and information 7-inch TFT screen for other information, including MID. The asymmetric centre console is dominated by a floating 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system at the top, which supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
The minimalist lower centre console of the dashboard of Toyota Yaris has physical buttons for the automatic climate control panel, with the sedan also having features like cup holders in the lower centre console and dashboard corners, a push start-stop button, bottle holders in all four doors, a front centre console with storage compartment, rear AC vents and dual USB charging ports. However, we would have loved to see more comfort and convenience features that could have made the Yaris feel more up-to-date.&nbsp;
Engine and performance:
For the Saudi Arabian market, Toyota has equipped the Yaris with a 1.3-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine, which is also offered as an entry-level engine choice in other Southeast Asian markets, below the more powerful 1.5-litre petrol engine. Available only with a CVT gearbox, this engine produces a maximum power output of 97 bhp and a maximum torque output of 122 Nm.
This engine from Toyota scores well in areas of refinement and fuel efficiency, with the sedan claiming 22.4 kmpl efficiency. However, for a car of this size, the engine feels underpowered, especially under full load at higher RPMs.&nbsp;
Comfort and suspension:
Like other car models based on Toyota&rsquo;s DNGA-B platform, the Yaris sedan also has a suspension combination of Macpherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear. With no drive modes on offer, the Toyota Yaris delivers a comfortable ride quality, which is at its best at lower urban speeds. The steering feedback might not be enthusiastic in its approach but offers a decently communicative feel.&nbsp;
Braking and safety:
The Yaris might not be as heavily equipped as other more premium Toyota cars on sale in Saudi Arabia but has a decent amount of safety features to make it a safe car. Besides having essentials like six airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, vehicle stability control, rear parking sensors and camera and electronic parking brake with brake hold function, the Toyota Yaris also gets a few ADAS functions like pre-collision system, adaptive cruise control and lane departure alert.&nbsp;
Verdict:
Known more for its simplicity and no-nonsense approach to motoring, the Toyota Yaris might not be flashy or futuristic inside-out, not it has all the guns ablaze with loads of features to woo the younger car-buying audience. Instead, it is a simple and practical entry-level sedan with sorted basics like a refined and reliable powertrain, a spacious cabin and comfortable ride quality.&nbsp;