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Instructors at the 1st Drive School of Motoring agree with their pupils - the Toyota Yaris makes the ideal car for learners.

Glasgow-based 1st Drive has expanded to become Scotland's "local national driving school" over the past four years. It was set up to make use of graduates of parent company ADI Training College, which has taught all 30 of its current instructors.

Operating from their homes, the instructors all use Toyota Yaris 1.0 petrol T2 cars, either in three or five-door form. The twelfth Yaris for 1st Drive's northern area, which covers Invernesshire and Aberdeenshire, has just been delivered in Aberdeen.

The school describes the Yaris to prospective customers as "the best car in its class and the ideal size for the new learner. With no overhang beyond the front and back wheels, the Yaris is easy to manoeuvre either forward, reversing or parking. Yet it is also spacious inside and will be comfortable whether you're 5ft or 6ft 4in."

The cars are obtained on contract hire through Lloyds TSB Autolease. Covering 25-30,000 miles a year, their replacement cycle is 18 months, with individual cars often passed on to new instructors after 12 months or so.

"We've had very positive feedback from pupils," says Mr Cattanach. "They're happy because the cars are so easy to manoeuvre, and provide such all-round vision. The good headroom is also important, especially with youngsters being so much taller today".

"The instructors also appreciate these points, and from our side the Yaris is not only reliable but it's a very frugal car to run. Fuel consumption averages 48mpg, for example."

Mr Cattanach describes the design of the Yaris as up-to-date and attractive - "and build quality is tremendous. When you close the door of the latest model, for example, the sound is simply not the sort you would associate with a small car!"

*Flexible fuel vehicles: Vehicles capable of running on gasoline and ethanol, etc., mixed in arbitrary proportions

RiN
The RiN focuses on "increased comfort" and "serene, healthy living".  Through their relationship to the vehicle, drivers are encouraged to re-evaluate themselves and, furthermore, to turn their attention to society and nature, producing a healthy rhythm for both mind and body.

  • Promotes a healthier well-being thanks to features such as seats that help maintain good back posture and image displays aligned with the driver’s psychological state that are conveyed within the meter cluster of the "mood-training" steering control.
  • In addition to featuring comfortable, heated seats, an oxygen-level conditioner and pinpoint humidifier, uses green glass that reduces infiltration of ultraviolet and infrared light and makes the surroundings seem brighter and clearer to increase cabin comfort.
  • Creates a feeling of harmony with the surrounding environment by using sliding doors with a low window as well as headlights with light distribution control that take into consideration pedestrians and vehicles coming in the opposite direction.
  • Uses the motif of the deep-rooted and tall-growing Yakusugi tree (a variety of Japanese cypress) for its exterior and interior design to express both "harmony with nature" and "healthy mind and body".
  • Contrasts deep green with beige in its interior colour scheme to richen the complexions of those onboard and evoke a healthy mental and physical feeling.

i-REAL
The i-REAL is a personal mobility vehicle made closely in human scale as a step toward commercialisation in the near future.

  • Represents the next stage of Toyota’s personal mobility vehicle development, following the PM, i-unit and i-swing.
  • Uses three wheels (two at the front and one at the back), in low-speed mode, shortening its wheelbase to allow it to manoeuvre naturally among pedestrians at similar eyesight height without taking up a large amount of space; in high-speed mode the wheelbase lengthens to provide a lower centre of gravity and better driving performance.
  • Ensures safe handling - both to the driver and those around the vehicle - by employing perimeter monitoring sensors to detect when a collision with a person or object is imminent and alerts the driver by emitting a noise and vibrating; at the same time, alerts people around it of its movements through the pleasant use of light and sound.

iQ CONCEPT
The iQ CONCEPT overturns the conventions of automobile design by offering ultra-efficient packaging aimed at reducing CO2 emissions.  This ultra-compact vehicle maintains the status of a premium automobile even with its exceptionally short length of less than three metres.

  • Allows for three adults and one child (or luggage) to fit comfortably inside, due to its ultra-efficient packaging, despite a compact appearance.
  • Offers a surprisingly creative interior.
  • Emphasises power and stability through its exterior thanks to a short length and comparatively wide body.

Hi-CT
The Hi-CT aims to offer a new "coolness" and new ways to have fun as a departure from conventional vehicles - an edgy, urban vehicle inspired by the thinking and lifestyles of youth.

  • Offers a new kind of automotive "cool" and sense of enjoyment.
  • Has a new look unconstrained by conventional vehicle size (length 3,330mm x width 1,695mm x height 1,780mm).
  • Adopts plug-in hybrid technology, which allows it to charge from an external power source and gives it a greater driving range when running on its battery-powered motor; by placing the battery under the floor, achieves a highly efficient cabin with a higher driver position.
  • Features a removable rear trunk and a deck where surfboards, bicycles and other equipment can be loaded.

FT-MV
The FT-MV makes its presence felt as a first-class, new-generation minivan.

  • Boasts a bold, vibrant and stately exterior.
  • Includes luxurious, second-row seats with fully automatic ottoman style, using soft ambient lighting to create an elegant space.

CROWN HYBRID CONCEPT
The Crown Hybrid Concept’s latest hybrid system, VDIM (Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management) and other features, result in an advanced fusion of driving, environmental and safety performance.  The time has come to present the next-generation inspirational luxury saloon.

  • Comes with THS II*, which has a two-stage motor speed reduction device that helps achieve distinctively smooth acceleration, high fuel efficiency, low CO2 and other exhaust emissions and quietness.
  • Adopts a TFT (thin film transistor) LCD "Finegraphic Meter" to provide the driver with a variety of information in an easier-to-see and easier-to-understand way.
  • Ensures excellent vehicle stability and a high level of preventive safety through VDIM with active steering control, to achieve optimal balance among drive power, steering and braking.
  • Employs 10 SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) airbags for outstanding safety performance.

*Toyota Hybrid System

FT- HS
As a next-generation hybrid sports car, the FT-HS does not compromise in its aim of offering driving excitement and being environmentally considerate.

  • Offers the exceptionally smooth cruising of a hybrid vehicle combined with high fuel efficiency, reduced CO2 and other emissions and a quiet cabin, on top of the driving excitement of rear-wheel drive.
  • Features a hybrid system with a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine, carbon-fibre wheels, special large-diameter and wide tyres - 245/35R21 at the front and 285/30R21 fitted at the rear.
  • Full attention paid to utility, despite being a 2 + 2 seat convertible coupe.

Concepts

Total length (mm)

Total width (mm)

Total height (mm)

Wheelbase (mm)

Seating Capacity

1/X

3,900

1,620

1,410

2,600

4

RiN

3,250

1,690

1,650

2,350

4

i-REAL (low/high-speed mode)

995/1,510

700

1,430/1,125

485/1,040

1

iQ CONCEPT

2,980

1,680

1,480

2,000

4

Hi-CT

3,330

1,695

1,780

2,325

4

FT-MV

4,900

1,850

1,890

2,950

6

CROWN HYBRID CONCEPT

4,870

1,795

1,470

2,850

5

FT-HS

4,325

1,860

1,290

2,650

4



Click on the thumbnails below to view an enlarged image of the vehicle.

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