Toyota hosted the media launch of the Yaris Cross in Australia lately, permitting journalists to expertise their newest mannequin first hand.

Slotting into the vary underneath the C-HR, it’s based mostly on the Yaris hatchback, therefore the title, but it has a much bigger footprint, however not that huge, as it will in any other case step on its bigger sibling’s toes.

When it comes to styling, it’s far more typical than the C-HR and seems to have been partly impressed by the RAV4. It has black plastic cladding on the decrease elements of the physique, distinctive entrance and rear ends and huge fenders.

Learn Additionally: Toyota Yaris Cross Launches In Japan One Year Ahead Of Europe, Starts From $17,000

The ties to the common Yaris are more evident inside, because it has just about the identical design and structure. There’s additionally a beneficiant quantity of kit, from an infotainment system with smartphone integration, to smarty entry and begin, automated local weather management, panoramic cameras, energy tailgate, heated entrance seats and security gear equivalent to automated collision notification and blind spot monitor.

The bottom variations are powered by a 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine making 118 HP (120 PS / 88 kW) and 107 lb-ft (145 Nm) of torque, mated to a CVT and FWD. There may be additionally a hybrid powertrain with a 1.5-liter three-cylinder Atkinson cycle petrol engine and two electrical motors, within the front-wheel drive variant, producing a mixed 114 HP (116 PS / 85 kW), and a a 3rd electrical motor within the AWD fashions splitting the torque between the entrance and the rear wheels.