HAVING taken world honours for its supermini, the Yaris, Toyota is not resting on its laurels.

In a couple of weeks a revised model appears in the showrooms, with extra specification and what many would describe as minor alterations inside and out.

But the really good news is that Toyota is pegging the prices of this year's model, on sale from May 1, although it says the new cars, costing from £6,995 to £12,495, have up to £500 worth of extras.

More good news to run alongside the arrival of the new Yaris is that this week the annual J D Power and Associates Car Customer Satisfaction Study shows Toyota models trouncing their rivals. Overall, Toyota claimed the silver medal for the second consecutive year, runner-up only to its sister brand Lexus.

Model designations have changed, with the S, GS, GLS, CDX and SR out of the window, to be replaced by the T2, T3 and T Spirit. The top-of-the-range T Sport name continues, and that version will be available in both five-door and three-door styles.

The French-built Yaris is viewed as a key figure in the future growth of the Toyota family, especially if it is to maintain its present overall sales figures of around 210,000 cars a year.

Since its introduction in 1999, many so-called running changes have been made to the Yaris and its Verso partner. The latest are additional body colours - crystal silver, Severn green, ice blue and Balearic blue - revised front and rear bumpers, a different mesh grille and headlamp design and altered rear lights. Inside, there are changes to the design of the fascia and controls, as well as new materials and fabrics.

In some models, Toyota has introduced more in the way of metallic trim, and the steering wheel design is also new.

Toyota decided to make the changes after listening to Yaris owners and those thinking of buying one. They heard that customers attached a lot of importance to the character and innovation of a car and, fortunately, learned that the Yaris and the Yaris Verso were the best of the lot, buyers applauding the "short and tall" concept and its cabin room as well as rating the engine range highly.

Nonetheless, in spite of the praise for the engines, technicians have taken the opportunity to carry out some refinements.

The one-litre and 1.5-litre petrol engines have been upgraded, with the 1.5-litre VVT-i unit able to whisk the T Sport from 0-62mph in 9.0 seconds. There is an all-new 86bhp 1.3-litre, based on the same block as the current one-litre.

In this engine, both maximum power and the peak 90lb/ft of torque are reached at lower revs than in the previous version. With a five-speed manual transmission, the latest 1.3-litre Yaris gets from 0-62mph in 12.1 seconds, manages 57.6mpg extra urban and 50.4mpg combined, and has a CO2 rating of 133g/km. These are exactly the same consumption figures as the one-litre manual.

Toyota has also introduced what it is calling a multi-mode manual transmission as an option with the one-litre engine. This is another of those systems which can be used either as a full automatic, or to make clutchless changes by flicking the gear lever upwards or downwards.

It works very well, especially in inner-city driving, but is also comfortable when on a twisting long haul or cruising the motorways.

In this specification the one-litre Yaris matches both its conventional manual counterpart and the 1.3-litre manual in extra urban fuel consumption, beats them in the urban and combined tests, and trims the CO2 emissions to 129g/km.

However, the real economy job, of course, remains the 1.4-litre D-4D turbodiesel, which is about to be introduced, in modified form, in the new BMW MINI D.

A Yaris with this engine will do the 0-62mph sprint in 12.9 seconds. It will also return an extra urban economy figure of 74.3mpg, or 64.2mpg combined, and drop the CO2 rating to 117mpg, safely in the AA tax band.

The overall driving experience has not changed that much.

The suspension is comfortable over most surfaces, and ride qualities throughout are helped by a reduction in road noise levels.

Anti-lock brakes and electronic brake force distribution are standard right across the range, and the three rear seats, on all models, have three-point seat belts. Side airbags for the front cabin are standard on T3 cars and above.

The entry-level T2 also has Isofix child seat mountings and driver's airbag. Power steering, a tilt-adjustable steering column, trip computer, 13-inch steel wheels and a radio/cassette audio system with twin speakers are also part of the package.

Moving up, the T3 adds central double locking with remote control, powered front windows, 14-inch steel wheels and a four-speaker sound system with a CD player.

The T Spirit brings with it manually operated air conditioning as well as a sunroof, electric door mirrors and powered windows all round, front fog lamps and a leather-trimmed steering wheel. Audio controls are also on the steering wheel.

Moving on to the flagship T Sport, this stands out with its body styling kit, 15-inch alloy wheels, sports bumpers, analogue instruments and its special badging. It is also protected by an integral security alarm system.

From the entry-level 1.0 three-door at £6,995, prices climb a fairly straightforward ladder. Five-door models are £500 more expensive than three-door ones. Moving from the one-litre to the 1.3-litre engine costs £300, and the 1.4 D-4D comes at a £700 premium over the 1.3 petrol.

The multi-mode gearbox adds £400 to the cost of the one-litre manual, and the conventional automatic transmission available on the 1.3 comes at a premium of £800.

Finally, the cost of ownership proves the Yaris is a strong performer. Insurance groupings are competitive, ranging from 2E for the 1.0-litre model to 7E for the T Sport versions. Servicing is only required every 20,000 miles or every two years, with the first 1,000 mile service no longer needed.

However, some health and safety checks are recommended, such as the 30 minutes to change the oil and oil filter, plus a condition check on the air filter, brake pads, discs, tyres and lights.

Returning to the J D Power survey, Toyota's performance was stronger than ever this year, its combined score rising five points to 848 out of a possible 1,000.

The survey analyses customer responses in four key areas: quality and reliability, vehicle appeal, service satisfaction and ownership costs. More than 24,000 car owners took part, reporting on 36 brands and more than 150 different models.

Updated: 11:51 Friday, April 18, 2003