TOYOTA Yaris 5 Doors 1999-2003 Photos, engines & full specs

The European supermini segment was very important and was mostly covered by French, German, and Italian carmakers until 1999, when Toyota stepped up its game and introduced the Yaris.

The design team understood that the vehicle's shape had to be a hatchback, so they created a new platform for it named NBC (New B-segment Cars). Even though the bio-design trend was almost gone, it created a rounded shape for the vehicle. At the front, the small grille was neatly integrated into the hood and flanked it with oversized, rounded headlights. The bodywork featured a high roof and a low floor, thus offering the possibility to install taller doors for easy access with a wide opening for the rear ones. Thus, the ingress and egress were easy for all passengers. At the back, the curved tailgate was flanked by the taillights, which were mounted at a decent height above the bumper on the corners and were protected by small parking bumps.

Inside, Toyota's designers created a new dashboard concept, with a center pod in the middle fitted with a digital information display. The carmaker thought that it was easier for the driver to read that information while still being able to keep their eyes on the road. It was, in theory, a practical solution, but not all drivers agreed with it. But what really worked was the new platform that allowed enough room for up to five passengers, even though there was not exactly comfortable for three passengers in the back. The trunk had nothing spectacular to offer and was rather small, but it could have been expanded by folding down the rear bench.

Since it was designed mostly for city traffic, the Yaris was offered with a choice of economical engines, either gasoline or turbo-diesel.