Toyota Yaris Cross Compact SUV goes on SALE – but only in Japan for now

The Toyota Yaris Cross – Toyota’s Compact SUV take on the Yaris – goes on sale in Japan ahead of going on sale in the UK in early 2021.

Having been thwarted by Covid for the anticipated debut of the Yaris Cross at Geneva, Toyota finally managed to unveil the Compact SUV take on the Yaris online in April, although you can’t have one yet as the plan is for it to go on sale in the UK and Europe in 2021.

We may have to wait until the New Year to see the Yaris Cross on the roads in the UK, but it’s now gone on sale in Japan as Toyota look to mop up sales in the compact SUV market with something a bit more conservative than the rather funky C-HR.

In japan, there’s a choice of both a petrol and hybrid version, but it does seem likely we’ll only be getting the hybrid version in the UK, which is expected to be the same 112bhp hybrid powertrain already available in the Yaris Hatch.

In Japan prices for the Yaris Cross start at just £13k for the FWD Yaris petrol, but in the UK the starting point is likely to be a chunk higher. The Yaris Hybrid starts at £20k in the UK, so a price a chunk north of that seems likely. 

In Japan there’s a choice of FWD and e-4WD for the Yaris Cross Hybrid, and all models come with Toyota’s Safety Sense, and economy for the Hybrid (with FWD) is officially 87mpg.

Tempted? You’ll have to wait until the New Year, but the new Yaris Cross does look to be a good compact SUV offering.