Yaris 1.0L, 1.3L, or Diesel

[BluYrs]

The 1-litre is sold here, got one myself. When it was introduced, the 1-litre was available in two equipment levels- the lowest (Linea Terra) and the middle (Linea Sol, which I've got). The highest, Liena Sol Plus was reserved for the 1,3 gasoline and 1,4 diesel engines (the TS is considered a special model in its own right).

In about 2 years of its introduction, the middle spec was pulled from the options for the 1-litre- so only the basic spec remained. The same logic applies to the Auris as well, where the smallest engine of the range, the same 1,33 used in the Yaris and iQ, can only be had with the lowest Linea Terra spec. Sure, you can order some of the bits and pieces which are included in the Linea Sol equipment and thus build the car with most of the kit you desire, but such optional equipment will cost you lots more when compared to the factory-option higher equipment levels. For example, the simple addition of the A/C (not standard on the Linea Terra but found on Linea Sol models) will make up for most of the price difference between the two levels.

These small engines are obviously there to keep the CO2 count for the Toyota model line-up low and to offer an option for the environment-friendly customer. I can also see the marketing logic behind it (in order to maintain sales of the later-introduced Aygo and iQ both sporting the same 1-litre engine). But what's the use of that when you can't get a frugal engine with a decent level of equipment? The only car with the 1-litre engine and plenty of kit is the iQ but that's hardly a competitor to the Yaris in terms of interior space...


tl;dr?
The smallest engines are only offered with the lowest-spec equipment level. So effectively, a frugal Toyota with reasonable equipment is a costly job of ticking boxes on the options list, ending up costing more than a similarly (factory-)specced same model with a larger engine.