• Wide, short cabin works best for upright seating
• Rear space has good view out, adequate leg room
• Boot space is good, but significantly reduced with AWD-i

How much space is there?

Despite being closely related to the Toyota Yaris supermini, the Yaris Cross feels grown-up thanks to the high seating position and roomy cabin, In fact, it feels like a car from the market sector above.

It’s 240mm longer than the Yaris hatchback, which allows more room inside. There’s plenty of space up front and in the rear, with a pair of tall back-seat passengers being able to make themselves comfortable without too much difficulty.

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It’s solid and well laid-out, with plenty of storage space for your smartphones (room and charging for two), as well as a roomy central cubby hole between the seats and spacious door bins. Our test car was marked down for extensive use of black plastics and dark materials, which means it doesn’t feel as bright and airy inside as some rivals. Having said that, for families, a dark interior is easier to keep clean.

Boot space and storage

The 40:20:40 split folding rear seat, optional electric tailgate and split-level boot floor are all positive points. The boot floor panel can be divided in two and the luggage compartment has a flex belt system to keep items securely in place when driving.

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Choose the optional AWD-i four-wheel drive version of the Yaris Cross and that split level boot is reduced by 77 litres, losing a lot of the ‘underfloor’ space. That does mean the folded seats are flatter to the load floor, however, and there’s over 1,000 litres on offer with the seats folded.

Is it easy to park?

Reasonably, because it’s a relatively short, tall car. However in town the mirrors are quite small and the car quite wide, so it feels larger than it really is. There’s a reversing camera and sensors to make life easier, though.

Although side visibility is good, the tall rear and relatively narrow windscreen don’t feel as airy as some SUVs.

Safety

• Five star safety rating
• All models receive lots of safety kit
• Semi-autonomous tech works well

Toyota’s reputation for safety is growing, with a suite of genuinely useful assistance and intervention systems that have even made it to the commercial Hilux pickup.

The Yaris Cross gets a comprehensive set, even on the most affordable models. Autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and high-beam assist all come as standard.

The outer rear seats provide two Isofix points, and there’s a central airbag for the front occupants. LED headlights are standard on all but the cheapest models, and blind-spot monitors with rear cross traffic alert are also standard from Excel onwards.