World premiere of the new Toyota Verso

The new Toyota Verso is a no-compromise choice for compact MPV customers. It is true to what the term MPV stands for – a multi-purpose vehicle – but doesn’t ask the motorist to make sacrifices where style, comfort, quality and driving pleasure are concerned. Combining practicality and safety with desirability, new Verso will appeal to customers who want and expect more than just a functional car.

New Verso builds on the strong visual appeal of the model it replaces with a more dynamic design. It also benefits from greater levels of comfort, superior standard safety features, more interior space for passengers and their luggage, and, thanks to an engine range that features Toyota Optimal Drive technology across the board, it gives a more dynamic driving experience while maintaining class-leading emissions levels.

Masato Katsumata, Chief Engineer of new Verso, explained the objectives of the product development: “In developing new Verso we gave it an exterior design that expresses sportiness and stability, and a fresh new interior with excellent convenience and attention to detail. We also pursued a high level of comfort and usefulness that we believe will be appreciated by European owners.

“New Verso has a wide range of interior storage points and user-friendly flexibility that allow it to respond easily to the varying needs of different owners. Handling performance has been enhanced and, with support from our European engineering teams, the vehicle has been fine-tuned to ensure it gives stable and smooth performance on every type of European road.”

New Verso combines modern styling inside and out with space, comfort, practicality and flexibility. Class-leading safety provisions, ride quality, acoustic comfort and dynamic abilities match those of a conventional passenger car.

The interior is all new, with more space, comfort and an improved Easy Flat-7 folding system for the five rear seats that is easier to operate. Special attention has been paid to improving accommodation for all rear seat passengers, while there is significantly more room behind the third row of seats for load carrying.

Toyota Optimal Drive technology has been introduced throughout the range, increasing engine power by up to 20 per cent, while at the same time achieving reductions in emissions and fuel economy of up to 12 per cent. In the UK Verso will be offered with new 1.6 and 1.8 Valvematic petrol engines which will have a class-leading combination of power and CO2 emissions. These will be offered with a new six-speed manual transmission as standard, with the option of Toyota’s new Multidrive S continuously variable transmission on the 1.8 unit. A revised version of the 2.0-litre D-4D diesel will also be available, with a 2.2 D-CAT engine with new six-speed automatic transmission due to join the line-up later in the year.

New Verso is designed to achieve a maximum, five-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash test programme, thanks to upgraded active, passive and pedestrian impact safety features and a highly rigid, impact absorbing body shell that makes greater use of high tensile steel. Notably all Verso models will be equipped with curtain shield airbag protection for passengers in the third row of seats and with intelligent steering assist Vehicle Stability Control (VSC+).

Capitalising on an investment of more than €1 billion and reinforcing the Adapazari plant’s reputation for exceptional build quality, the car will be built by Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey.