Scale Toyota

Toyota's Verso MPV is back

The world of MPVs seems to expand further every day. It's almost impossible these days to wake up, groggily pour a cup of coffee, unfold the morning newspaper and turn to the motoring section without finding news of yet another people mover, a mid-life refresh for an SUV, or the latest trend on getting groups of people around on the ground.

At the lower end of the scale, in terms of scale, actually, is Toyota's little Verso S. Originally available on our shores more than a decade ago in 2000 as the Verso variant of the Yaris, this mini-MPV developed a small but dedicated following amongst older drivers and Motability users before Toyota abandoned the sector, having flogged some 160,000 of the cars throughout Europe.

This left many motorists a tad miffed. It also left a big gap in the market that has since been filled with quite a few notable offerings from Toyota competitors, such as the Honda Jazz, the Renault Modus and the Nissan Note.

As laudable as those competitors have been in many ways, they have not managed to offer quite what many Verso customers loved. That unusual combination of size and upright format seems perfectly suited to the needs of older drivers and those operating on the Motability scheme, especially people in wheelchairs.

Cue the Verso S, Toyota's dedicated design to replace the old Yaris-based vehicle. Unfortunately, the replacement is not quite a replacement for some potential customers.

Though Toyota has produced a new Verso that is more pleasant to look at than the old one, it no longer offers a factory Motability conversion. This is a shame, as Toyota originally sent the Verso to market on the back of its Motability compatibility.

Another part of the Verso that will not be available here is the diesel engine. This seems a bit short-sighted, as Toyota is essentially aiming this mini-MPV at older drivers and many of them enjoy the economy of diesel engines.

So, Toyota is providing Brits with a Verso S that comes with a range of engine options that go from a four-cylinder, 1.33-litre petrol engine to a four-cylinder, 1.33-litre petrol engine. That's right – just the one engine choice.

You can, however, pick from two different gearboxes and three levels of trim. How exciting!

Those quivering with excitement at the prospect of poring over research and details in order to pick their gearbox, and those who will simply flip a coin, may be interested to hear that they can have a six-speed manual gearbox or a CVT.

The CVT (continuously-variable transmission) comes with flappy-paddles on the steering column for flapping through the artificial steps in the CVT. It also comes with a sport button.

Yes, a sport button. In a 1.33-litre mini-MPV aimed primarily at people who generally only have to get up in the morning to walk the dog and check the gardenias.

It's quite an engine, though. Despite the small capacity, it employs clever camshaft technology and exhaust-gas recirculation to maximise power and efficiency while reducing emissions.

While doing all that, it produces 98bhp. This won't set your hair on fire but it should, especially with the CVT, let you get around without too much trouble while saving money at the petrol forecourt.

In fact, with quoted combined-cycle fuel economy of more than 54mpg, nobody need miss the option of a diesel. Inside, of course, you'll get an impressive amount of passenger and cargo space for such a small vehicle.

The Verso S is a pretty small car and it comes with a bog-standard suspension that is not very well tuned to British roads. As a result, it doesn't cosset you or guard against dodgy road surfaces as it could.

Having said that, however, it makes for a fine city car, it isn't a disaster on the motorway and it is cheap to run. Pile in the piles of people and stuff you can stuff inside and it should at least be considered if you're shopping in this sector.

 

About the Author

Written for 7-Seater Cars by AJExcel: Search Engine Optimisation Excellence

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