Toyota Yaris

nippononly

I'm jealous! Might be fun to rent an LC for a day, although I sure wouldn't enjoy the gas bill prior to turning it back in.

But I would definitely consider renting a Yaris for a few days just to see how living with it through all my regular errands would be. Too bad my dealer isn't as on the ball as yours.

jitteryjoe_246

I figured I'd pop over from the VW forums to ask what is up with the Yaris ads? I really could care less about subcompacts, but I think the Honda Fit ads are pretty good for generating positive interest in the product. I find the two Yaris ads I've seem to be bizzare and negative.

Why does the car steal money from a piggybank and destroy a mechanical spider for gas? Uhhhhhhhh...not cool. Am I the only one that think they make absolutely no sense??

Seems like the commercials would be a better anti SUV campaign. Just replace the Yaris with a Hummer: SUVs are so maniacally evil they will rape your piggy bank with a mechanical whooptie do and kill anything in its way for gas. Listless and out for blood, SUVs will do anything to multiply - spreading across the land in a dino juice fueled frenzy.

Yeah, that works.

ramo

I agree with you.If we didn't own that dang dog, we would buy a used Echo in a heart beat (Fit on order). I rented an Echo for a weekend when my Tercel was in the shop, and I LOVED it. It is also a recommended vehicle in Lemonaid by Phil Edmonston. The seats were the most comfortable I have ever sat in. In Canada, I good used one is quite reasonable.
The Yaris hatchback just doesn't have enough cargo room, cute as it is. I don't care to own any more sedans.

iluvmysephia1

looking at the 2007 Toyota Yaris base sedan, gas prices. Once they go up for the summer season they may drop a bit but I would not expect them to drop much below $2.85/gal for 87. That's unacceptable-I'm still in the market for a Rio or Yaris this summer sometime.

The Barcelona Red 5-speed base sedan is still sitting at my dealer. They did sell the other three Yarii sedans. It took about a month to sell them. This place doesn't take to economy cars well but that's all I am interested in!

kneisl1

The Fit and the Rio 5 door are very versitile vehicles for hauling people or cargo. The Fit is probably the better built car but either one will do you good layout wise. The Rio has come a long way.

kneisl1

Hondas of the past are notoriously difficult to work on. They are low to the ground, the oil filter is one of the most difficult to reach of any car, the timing belt drives the water pump (which means replacing the wp when changing the belt) and in general its not easy working on the engine because everything is so crammed in there. What of the Fit in this regard?

hungarian83

Agree on that one. The Toyota I have had, and the ones my family have had are generally easier to work on than the Hondas we have had. I know this is the Yaris page, but just a quick comment on the Fit. It is quite crammed in the engine compartment, but the oil filter is actually located in a logical spot...near the front bumper and very accessible. First Honda I have dealt with to have it there.

Just an observation from the exterior, but the Yaris' hood (at least the 3 door) is very small. What is the engine compartment like? I haven't had a chance to check myself.

kneisl1

I looked in one and its very similiar to the ECHO. It wasnt a long look and some things like battery location and air filter location were a little different. But what I filed away in my memory was: same thing as the ECHO. It is the same engine after all.
Happy to hear Honda has done something about the oil filter placement. Now to find out whether the engine has gone to chain drive. And if not, do they still drive the wp with the cam belt.
Oh the WORST car I have ever seen to work on is the diesel Jetta. You have to do an hours work removing stuff to get at the oil filter, battery etc.

kneisl1

"The center console of the Ion drove me insane"

My wife works in a doctors office. As part of their mental health screening process they set up a center console like the one in the ECHO, Yaris, and Ion. Any one who has a problem with it gets a prescription of lithium.

backy

Does that include people who have little or no sight in their right eye?

With the Yaris, the problem is not just the location of the gauges, but I found them hard to read at a glance. It would work better I think if they were simple white letters on black faces instead of that silvery stuff.

For people who don't like the ION, you will be glad to know it is going away later this year.

kneisl1

Funny you mention that. I was visiting some friends who live about 300 miles away. We were in a field picking strwberries and either a BB or a spent 22 hit the right lens of my glasses. Talk about a freak accident! My eye wasnt touched but the lens was cracked and useless. I had to drive home with my right eye shut. After I while I forgot all about it. While novel, I think the center mounted speedo is easyto adjust to.

sonatabean

Actually, funny you use that humorous analogy . . . with someone who is (1) in the medical arena and (2) NEARLY went into psych (I find it more interesting to read about mental pathology than actually PRACTICE with those who have mental pathology).

So, tell me, how do you feel about these issues?

*good-natured-snicker*

sonatabean

Motor Trend, Car and Driver, Consumer Reports, Consumer Research and I are all in agreement: center pod dash design only serves to (1) appeal to the teeny-bopper market into "groovy" (even though the parents are the ones spending the $$$); (2) is to lower costs in an international market (as opposed to making mirror-image dashes, ergo greater expense); (3) has a certain amount of "trendy" cache.

I remember, vividly, when the first digital dashes came out. I remember so vividly because my Mother bought a Continental with that damn digital dash.

At first, it was sorta cool. New toy kind of thing.

In short order, it was an irritant - dash wash-out depending on the angle of sunlight (low sun from the side windows); no real sense of acceleration as the sampling rate kept blipping numbers on the screen (versus the dial sweep of a normal speedo giving some idea how quickly the car is accelerating); the infamous moment when either the circuits or programming went haywire, as was prone to happen, offering momentary weird read-out.

Trends don't belong in cars, at least from the perspective of this male 30-something type (who also loves cars but hates spending on them).

Good design, however, does.

QED.

Now if you will excuse me, it's time to mess with patient's heads.

kneisl1

Im reading a book about Dr Cotton and his horror show at the Trenton State Hospital (for mental illness) Ever hear of him?

sonatabean

Oh yes!

Fudged data; surgical removal of all sorts of stuff with the idea infection causes mental illness; insane morbidity and mortality rates because even the damn crappy sulfa antibiotics were either (1) unavailable or (2) being gerrymandered for the war.

Amazing what people could get away with in the old days, no?

Man was well intentioned, but looney.

He musta been driving one of those damn whacko cars with the "center pod" design. Drove the poor SOB nuts!

nippononly

Anyone who thinks you don't refocus your eyes to see your left-side IP had better think again...unless you actually ARE focusing inside the car as you drive??? That's pretty scary, I don't want to drive anywhere near you! :-)

Now, do you have to move your eyes? Yes. But bear in mind that most left-side IPs are down behind the steering wheel, so they require a significant move DOWN with your eyes. Either way your eyes leave the road. But with the Yaris, etc, they barely leave the PLANE of the road, merely the straight-ahead point where you are focusing your steering. For those who haven't tried it, try it out! You will likely find yourself pleasantly surprised. For those of you who have and don't like it, I respect your opinions.

Now, what of the digital speedo in the Civic, which is right at glass-level and in the line of sight as well? Could that be taking things too far - providing a distraction when you are trying to focus on the road ahead?

While Toyota continues to build Yaris hatches with only convenience package (or no options at all), it will be the cheapest car available for sale, which is one way to bring in buyers I suppose. I would like to see them start`building some with the optional safety items, and perhaps one here and there with the power package. On the downside, I am quite sure that any hatches they build with the power package will all be automatics. :-(

But it would be nice to see more variety out there on dealer lots. Ya know?!

mltomek

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060502/bs_nm/autos_sales_dc

kneisl1

http://quote.blomburg.com/apps/news?pid=10000006&sid=a_2hJuk2gAn88&refer=home

frugal_one

Hello Fellow Yaris Owners and Soon to Be Yaris Owners:

Is it possible to increase the MPG ratings for the Yaris from 34/40mpg to as high as 40/50mpg.....with a combination of very conservative driving habits, timely maintenance, weight reduction and some inexpensive (MPG improving) mechanical modifications?

When my Yaris liftback arrives....since I only need a 2 seater...I'm going to remove and store the non-split back seat.(which will give it almost the cargo storage of the FIT)...and I will also replace the steel wheels with very light alloy wheels to lower the overall weight of the car.

With regular unleaded at $3.35 in my neighborhood.....and no relief in sight.....it seems that some MPG improvement tactics/devices might now be very "cost justifiable"....although there are a lot of "gimmicks" on the market that may not perform as expected.

Does anyone have further suggestions, real world feedback, etc.? Sure would be neat if we Yaris owners could approach real world hybrid MPG numbers....for half the price of a Prius (and I'm hearing rumors that new Priuses are selling for 10% OVER the $25k MSRP).

Thanks in advance for your contributions!

Frugal_One

suzu

On my second tank of gas, I got close to 35m/g verses 38m/g on the first one. This time I had AC on 20-30% time and this is with 70% city and 30% freeway driving.

backy

The best "gimmick" I have found to improve fuel economy is to keep your foot off the gas as much as possible.

I am serious. That means sticking to speed limits, finding roads where the speed is 50-60 mph vs. 70-80 whenever possible, using a light foot on the gas, anticipating stops, coasting (legally) whenever practical, etc. And of course keep your tires inflated properly and engine in tune.

Just doing those simple things give me a 20-25% boost in fuel economy. There are many other tricks, used by hypermilers, you can look into if you are interested.

kneisl1

If you know how to drive frugally (and its possible to do so traffic wise where you live) thats about all you can do. It isnt possible to reduce the weight of your car enough to matter much. Your Yaris is much more cost effective than a Prius already. Drive a yaris at 40 mpg 100,000 miles and you will buy 2,500 gallons of gas. Drive a Prius at 50 mpg 100,000 miles and you will buy 2,000 gallons of gas. Thats 500 gallons in savings. Gas would have to cost $20 a gallon just to break even. (hey it could happen!)

foober

My new liftback only has around 600 miles on it so far. I've been driving half highway and half city. And I'm kind of a led foot. Though I'm trying not to push it too much in the break in period. I'm amazed at how much get up and go this little car has. And the gas milage is a very sweet thing.

chrisducati

They do not divide the sedan and the hatchback sales but I would guess, what, 5 to 1 just because of availability of the hatch.

frugal_one

Stick or automatic? What upgrades do you have?

Can you comment on handling, visibility, etc?

Thanks in advance!

nippononly

Actually, Toyota did announce what its initial build ratios would be for Yaris: 80% sedan, 20% hatch. So 1 in every 5 sales is a hatch, at least until they see how demand shakes out - if a ton of people want the hatch and less people want the sedans, they will adjust it I am sure.

Thing is, if the model is very popular, so that people are just gobbling up every Yaris they can build, then I doubt the ratio will get adjusted, because it will take slow sales of the sedan before they will start producing less of those and more of the hatches.

loul

We have had out silver Liftback for about a week - only about 175 miles and 5 "bars" still showing on fuel gauge for 1st tank (provided by the dealer). We are a retired couple in our early 60's.

Our stick-shift model has the following packages: All-Weather Guard Pkg, Anti-Lock Brakes, Front & Side Airbags, Remote Keyless Entry, Fog Lamps, Power Pkg w/15" Steel Wheels (incl P/W, P/Locks, P/Mirrors, Split Rear Seat & AM/FM/CD/MP3), Rear Spoiler, Floor/Cargo Mats and Rear Bumper Protector.

Fleet Mgr we were working with thought it might be a special order unit, but it wasn't and we grabbed it - under MSRP.

It has some of the feel of our '79 Fiesta, which was a favorite of us and our then college-aged daughter. We have been driving it very easily during the break-in period, but I can tell it has plenty of zip, like the Fiesta.

We are getting lots of looks, especially from the younger set. I was surprised Monday night to find that my softball equipment bag (a Louisville 'Locker') fit behind the rear seat (sideways) and UNDER the package tray, which totally hid it. I can also sit in the backseat, behind the drivers seat when it's moved up just slightly from my normal driving position - I am 6'3"/200 lbs. Headroom is not a problem in front or back.

A/C works great - not used to it in an economy sedan - so it's a nice feature. The extra power features make it very similar to our 2006 4Runner (Sport V8) which is convenient and doesn't make it seem 2nd class. Wife loves the upholstery, too.

Saw 1st new Honda Fit today (going in the opposite direction), have yet to see another Yaris.

Salesman told us that only 15% were going to be liftbacks. Also appears the stick and all the accessories make it an unusual model for the moment.

Love the car!!!

Lou

kdhspyder

Meanwhile, they seem to be able to sell Scions with ease, and perhaps the fixed-price/no-haggle system with the Scions provides the dealership and the salesperson both with better profits/commissions, eh?

All I know is, lots of Scions are going out the doors, and the xA/xB are all over the place around here.

All Corolla's, Scions and Yaris are essentially "mini's" thre is no margin in them at all for the sales person. what makes the Scion's so attractive to both buyer and seller is that it's so simple. "Here it is. Which color do you prefer? Tell me when you are ready to order. Thanks for stopping in."
No hassle, no stress, no discounts, no surcharges everything is positive. No margin but how much does it 'cost' to write up an order?

kdhspyder

Here is the way the Scion allocation system works. It's different from the Yaris' and Corolla's. A good sized store like Mackabee's or ours ( same market ) will get 'x' number for the quarter. That's it no more for 90 days. Sell 'em all in 2 days and you are out of supply for 88 days.

The other vehicles are reported every 15 days or so. How many you sell will affect how many you get down the road. Sell more get more. Not for the Scions though.

kdhspyder

The Yaris is the precursor to the new Corolla next year. The current corolla sells like mad even 5 yrs into its life but the next model Corolla should really be something else. This Yaris provides a smooth transition this year into next.

mltomek

http://money.cnn.com/2006/05/03/news/companies/toyota_bigthree/index.htm

nippononly

I'm so jealous! A hatch with the power package and ABS? It must be a miracle. I can see why the fleet manager thought it must be a special order.

kdhspyder

The RAV is hot ( tripling sales )

The '07 Camry is HOT!!!

The Yaris is stupid HOT. ( good commercial and $3/gal gas helps )

nippononly

I like the commercial for the Yaris too. :-)

I am beginning to HATE the Fit commercials. :mad:

My dealer still can't sell his Yaris sedans. We are either less hot or less stupid here in northern California. :-P But the hatches are still selling in 24 hours or less - he has sold three now in the last three weeks. Each time I notice them from the freeway and make a mental note to stop by and look them over, and each time by the time I get there the next day they are gone.

Another dealer a little further away is selling every car he has in stock - it's funny. Twice in the last six weeks I have thought maybe he was going out of business, because of the huge empty space on the lot. But you can always tell he's not, because of all the trucks sitting around the edges that just sit there and sit there....

reddroverr

Bit of pent up demand for a quality hatchback is seems. Toyota may have miscalculated the ratio for hatch/sedan. After all, the corolla is not eons different than the Yaris sedan. Given the similar gas mileage...the notion to step down to a Yaris sedan, may be a pretty close judgement call for some folks.

nippononly

Yeah, well the sedans are more profitable for Toyota (higher base price) and they also provide a base line for people to get used to Yaris being Toyota's economical sedan. Next year, after the redo, Corollas won't fill that role any more. Grab 'em while you can, if you are on the fence about a Corolla!

Plus, Toyota thinks its a sedan market in the U.S., which it mostly has been for the last decade. But things are changing, and it would be nice if they had noticed that. I would like to see them build at least one out of three Yarii as a hatch.

It would also be nice if dealers could actually build up a stock of them to give us choice of colors and options packages. But Corolla is on pace to have its hottest year yet, in year FIVE of the current model run! I suppose it is understandable that Toyota is focusing on making sure there are plenty of those around.

kdhspyder

..and sit there and sit there and sit there..... while every fuel efficient small vehicle barely leaves a tire imprint on the lot.

I guess it's nice having a flexible lineup.

Back east on the extreme other end of the country the demand is far stronger for the sedan than for the hatch. 5:1 sedans:hatch ratio and there are no sedans to be seen much less tested.

For the money the $15500 Yaris is much more vehicle than the CE Corolla w/ PW+PL at $16100 - 500 rebate. Yes the Corolla is somewhat larger with a larger engine but it's style is 5 yrs old and it doesnt have MP3 or ABS. The $14100 Sedan is an even bigger value for the basic commuter shopper.

iluvmysephia1

the 2007 Toyota Yaris sedan has a lot more interesting bodystyle design than the Corolla. Toyota designers worried so much about making the Corolla bland looking that it looks horribly blase, beyond words.

OTOH, the Yaris sedan has an inviting look to it, one that draws you in to look at all of it's angles and admire it. A very nice look to it, very handsome.

It remains on my short list, which will no doubt remain just that, a short list of rigs I'm interested in but probably won't seriously look at for many more moons yet, as the Sportage 4x4 continues running like a top and delivers the goods.

Sylvia

A number of new discussions have been created (and you can always add them too...) in the Toyota Yaris board here: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.f0bf2f4 (Click "Track this Group" and when you return - check My Tracked Items or click on Read New Posts to see what's new for you...)

Toyota Yaris v. Toyota Corolla
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.f0c5e99

Toyota Yaris Accessories
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.f0c5e95

Toyota Yaris Owner Reports
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.f0c5e83

Toyota Yaris Test Drive Reports
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.f0c5e7e

Yaris Real-world MPG
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.f0c5e92

Thanks...

reddroverr

OTOH, the Yaris sedan has an inviting look to it, one that draws you in to look at all of it's angles and admire it. A very nice look to it, very handsome.

you truly are smitten.

reddroverr

Yeah, well the sedans are more profitable for Toyota (higher base price)

Perhaps, but there is a cost side to that equation as well. It may not be as big of a greater margin as appears.

Plus, Toyota thinks its a sedan market in the U.S., which it mostly has been for the last decade. But things are changing, and it would be nice if they had noticed that. I would like to see them build at least one out of three Yarii as a hatch.

That is pretty much what I was saying. A hatch has a lot to be said for it on the practicality side for some folks. Not to mention nostalgic boomers who are beginning to have empty nests. There has been a dirth of low priced, quality hatch models available in the US, until just recently.

brucepadgett

I too am close to buying the Yaris sedan. I had a '99 Corolla, and I find the '06 version to be far bumpier. The Yaris is smoother IMHO and while I had previously found the Scion xA to be superior in that aspect, I've done a 180 on the subject. I really, really dislike my new Corolla's ride.

micweb

Do you already have an '06 Corolla? Or just test drove it? If you own one, you might consider waiting a few months for the Yaris assembly line issues (they all have assembly line issues at first, per Consumer Reports) to stabilize first. Regardless of the harshness of the '06 Corolla ride, it has been in production a long time and is bullet-proof. (That having been said, the early Echo's did arrive in the US with top reliability marks from CR from day one, so who knows?)

kato1

i maintain that the corolla rides noticeably smoother than not only the yaris, but also any other car in its class. the local dealer finally got a yaris hatch in so i drove it yesterday. since i drove my corolla to the dealer, then drove the yaris, it was a good back to back comparison of the two on moderately bumpy roads. still, i just couldnt feel the bumps come into the car on the corolla as much as in the yaris. any large imperfection on pavement will feel somewhat harsh with any sub $20k car. but moderate or small bumps in the corolla made more of a rubbery thump of the tire, but my body couldnt feel it, where in the yaris my whole body could feel the exact same bump. i could say in my opinion, but my derrier would argue with that

im not even sure about this, but i think the corolla uses a specific type of shock/struts(?) specifically to absorb bumps in the road. some would argue this is at the expense of handling, but for me i love the corolla ride and am not particularly concerned with any special maneuvering abilities.

brucepadgett

From the one test drive in the Yaris hatch I had, I'd agree that the Corolla had a smoother ride. The Yaris sedan gave a better impression however. The thing with the 9th generation Corollas that seems to cause distress (at least to me and some others) is the rear suspension, which has a bar across its width which makes travel on well-maintained stretches of road feel smoother, but causes bumps to seem even, well, bumpier. I posted a more detailed and lucid explanation on the Corolla vs. Yaris forum. I will say this though: on the well-maintained freeways here in sunny SoCal, the Corolla is as good as butter. But oh those bumps!

fearturtle44

Hi everyone. I am trading in my 2005 Scion tC for a Yaris S sedan(flint mica with charcoal interior). My dealer was able to do a car exchange with another dealer so I should be getting in next few days. Definitely not the power of the tC but will enjoy the 39MPG (35 I guess is more realistic) and the four doors.

Funny how some dealers can't keep the Yaris in stock and some dealers are having a hard time selling. Still new I guess and lots of folks still don't know about it. Heck, I had my tC for two years and I still had people not knowing about what a "Scion" was/is.

I will enjoy reading all the posts on this forum.

Kevin

chrisducati

Seems to be the area the dealer is in. My friend with a tC had one guy think that Scion was made in Yugoslavia. He was car ignorant and looked down his uneducated nose at the car.

fearturtle44

One thing to remember is that the ride on a car with miles and a car with zero miles is that is takes some time/miles for the new car to acclimate itself. That could be the reason the established Corolla rode smoother than the brand new Yaris. Give the Yaris 1000-2000 miles and I bet there is not much difference.

Kevin

brucepadgett

I hope you're right about the Yaris. Funny thing about the Corolla is that even after 4000 miles, the ride still feels just as bumpy. I was told that it would probably get smoother, but it never happened. I know I sound like a broken record, but over 20 years of driving, I've never experienced such a jarring ride as with the '06 Corolla. Neither my '83 Chevette nor Ford Festiva, each with 70,000+ miles, made me this uncomfortable.

The Yaris is not as plush as the Corolla, but the ride is far more consistent in quality. Perhaps the 10th gen Corollas will address this, as it's been conjectured there will be a substantial price hike anyway. But one Toyota repairman told me that some Lexus owners have been complaining about their bumpy ride as well. So for now the Yaris sedan looks to be my salvation. (Not that I can afford a Lexus!)

backy

There is something wrong with that '06 Corolla if you found the ride more jarring than a Chevette or Festiva. Perhaps the tires were very overinflated. I have driven the Corolla many times as a rental and found the ride to be one of the smoothest in the compact car class.