Toyota has made an adjustment to the engine lineup of the Yaris by introducing a new 1.5-liter petrol unit.

Coming to replace the 1.33-liter mill, the 1,496 cc is good for 110 PS (108 HP) and 136 Nm (100 lb-ft) of torque, at 4,400 rpm, and allows the B-segment hatch to go from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 11.0 seconds, 0.8 seconds faster than before.

Developed in anticipation of the future Euro 6c emissions standard and Real Driving Emission (RDE) homologation requirements, and produced by Toyota Motor Industries Poland as part of a €150 million ($161 million) investment, the engine is said to offer not just improved performance, but also 12 percent better fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions.

Contributing to the latter two is a water-cooled exhaust manifold, a Toyota-first, which limits the gas temperature, helping avoid the need for mixture enrichment to reduce combustion temperature at any motorway speed.

This version of the Yaris may sound interesting on paper, but Toyota has a truly exciting variant in the pipeline – a hot hatch, with more than 210 horsepower. Rivaling the likes of the Renault Clio RS and Volkswagen Polo GTI, the potent Yaris will be introduced at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, this March.

Note: Updated 2017 Toyota Vitz pictured

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