Toyota Yaris

bamacar

So far no problem with the A/C. I have only seen about 97 so far, but with fairly high Alabama humidity. The system cooled quickly and I did not even have it on the lowest temperature and highest fan setting either. Hopefully someone with Florida experience can give some experience with the most extreme combination of heat and humidity.

micweb

Seems stronger than on my former Echo and Scion xA but not as strong as on my Dodge Caliber or my wife's Impala, BUT the difference may be due to the deep black dashboad, which generates a lot of heat.

idntnvu

My sister is considering a new Yaris. She will probably go pretty basic with the power options and an automatic. We're trying to keep the total price under $14,000. Do you know if a cd and cassette audio option is available? Her other option is a new Nissan Versa, but I'm also going to make her look at the Corolla, Nissan Sentra, Honda Civic, plus Kia and Hyundai small cars as well as some used alternatives that might be in the price range. She also really likes the Matrix. Any suggestions or ideas?
Thanks!
idntnvu

bottgers

Cassette? You do know this is the 21st century, right? I'd definitely consider the Civic and the Corolla, but I'd stay away from the Nissan and the Korean makes. Nissan has been having quality control issues, and there are still way too many unknowns about the Korean cars. Another vehicle that's close in size and price that I would strongly recommend considering is the Mazda 3. It's a much better vehicle than any of the Korean makes or Nissans, and many like it more than the Corolla or Civic.

aladdinsane

That reply to them was rude, in part...If she wants a cassette and CD audio system then so be it...That's her biz, if that's what she favors...

Peace!

AladdinSane<-- :shades:

aladdinsane

Hi...

Try going with Corolla or Civic...You may be able to get a good deal for the Matrix, since there's a good chance this model will be phased out in mid '08, making room for the new Toyota Blade...in any event check out those three models, if U care to.

I wish you well in your quest!

Peace<-- :shades:

AladdinSane

bottgers

Sorry, didn't mean to come across as rude, but I can't recall how many years it's been since a cassette player was offered in a vehicle, but it's been quite a while.

jaxs1

There are still new cars that have cassette players, but I don't think there any cars that debuted in the last few years that have cassette players.
By now it's probably getting difficult to even find aftermarket car stereos with cassette players in retail stores.
They will need to get a portable cassette player and plug it into the aux input.
A better idea is to get rid of the cassettes or copy them to CD or MP3s. They are going to fail soon if she keeps playing them anyway.
The same would apply if she had 8 track tapes she was interested in playing in a new car.

backy

I think the latest Optima, which debuted in mid-2006, comes with a cassette player in its upgraded head unit. Actually, it would be nice to have a cassette player--I do have quite a cassette library and no good way (or time) right now to copy them to disk or MP3.

Some of my cassettes are 25+ years old. Meaning their life is longer than the life expectancy of CDs.

jaxs1

I don't have any 25 year old cassettes, but I have had cassettes that jammed and and unravelled within a year or two. You can copy a CD in just a few minutes so you will have a backup if if the CD gets a scratch or ever "wears out."

MP3s are really best for the car and they take up very little storage space making them that much more convenient.

aladdinsane

Hi again...
I won't bug U with more replies, so don't fear...I forgot to mention that besides the three vehicles I listed before (Corolla/Matrix/Honda Civic) the Yaris is a good choice too. It's a simple automobile, either model, and fun to boot. The situation with a cassette and/or cd player can be remedied with plugging either player into the Yaris supplied auxiliary input, available (I believe) as an extra cost option in a package, details of which your Toyota salesperson will fill U in about. So fret not! With all the info others have given U here you have quite a choice as to how you wish to play your tunes, or whatever, in your new machine. The Nissan Versa is not a total miss as far as vehicles go, IMHO, but Nissan has a spotty record generally when it comes to reliability/dependability. Only time will tell whether the Versa is free of such poor issues. So far you have 4 good choices to decide from (5 if you're also considering the Yaris sedan).

I wish you well in your selection!

Good luck...

Peace!!

AladdinSane<-- :shades: -

bottgers

I'm not quite getting why all the negative reviews about the Yaris. It seems CR and Edmunds are repeating with the Yaris what they did with the Echo. They basically raked the Echo over the coals, and now they're doing it with the Yaris. I have test driven a Yaris as well as several of its competitors and I felt the Yaris was the better car. Also, most people who purchased a Yaris love it. The same is true of most Echo owners. Almost none of them have anything bad to say about the car. Kind of makes you wonder what they're expecting from these cars when they're testing them. Whatever it is, it doesn't seem to be what the owners look for in this type of a car.

backy

If people buy a Yaris to get a reliable, fuel-efficient small car with a comfortable ride, then they are getting what they paid for and should be very satisfied. If they are looking for a car with good standard brakes and safety equipment, conventional displays, crisp handling, and high feature content for the dollar, then they might be disappointed, as pointed out by the CR and Edmunds reviews. But then, those folks probably didn't buy a Yaris.

bottgers

That's my point exactly. Shouldn't they be comparing the Yaris to the other cars in its class, and not to high end Lexus' or Infinitys? Compared to the cars in its class, the Yaris is an awesome car.

backy

They are doing that. CR for example compared the Yaris to the likes of the Fit, Versa, Accent, and Rio. The Yaris is certainly awesome in some respects. Not so awesome in others. Depends on what you are looking for in a car.

boris13

Versa gets poor mileage as compared to other cars in its class. Fit is a lame-duck design that dates back to 2001 overseas; there will be an all-new model late next year. Accent fared very poorly in crash testing, if I remember correctly, and again, its gas mileage is mediocre in this class.

My versatile Yaris hatchback has side airbags, ABS, and a dealer-installed rear anti-sway bar (so it handles pretty decently, thank you). After having it for more than 3,000 miles, I find that it's fun to drive, easy to park, is reliable, comfortable, and gets great fuel economy (right now I'm at 35 mpg for combined city/highway driving and my mileage is going up with each tank).

The more I drive it, the more I like it.

backy

You forgot to mention this "lame duck" Fit bests the Yaris in every professional review (at least, all that I've seen, and I've seen a lot). What does that say about the Yaris?

I noted the Yaris is awesome in some respects. It gets great fuel economy. It's probably going to be reliable long-term, since it's a Toyota. Nice ride for a small car. Good IIHS front and side crash test scores, when equipped with the optional side bags and curtains. Just not enough "awesome" to top cars like Fit, Versa, even in some cases Accent and Rio in the eyes of professional testers. Maybe if they had driven a Yaris like yours with the optional ABS and special rear anti-sway bar, they would revise their opinions.

idntnvu

Thanks to all of you for your input, and don't worry, nothing came across as rude!
I've told her from day one that if she wanted a cassette player, she needed to look at used vehicles. Very few if any new ones come with a cassette player. But, I digress.
Unfortunately for you guys, she has decided to go with a Nissan Versa, and there is a simple reason: The yaris does not come in a 5-door liftback, only the 3-door. She drove both the 3- and the 4-door versions, and was pleased with both. She especially liked all the nooks and crannies for storage in the 3-door, but was let down when the 4-door didn't have them.
For the purpose she wants the car, the Versa will really serve a better purpose. I have to admit though, I was impressed with both of the Yaris's (or is the plural version Yari?) Anyway, thanks for all of your information. And, even if she didn't become a Toyota fan out of this, I have! While looking for her a car, I came across a jewel that I couldn't pass up, even though I wasn't looking to trade. I'll be giving up my 2002 Durango in favor of a 2002 Tundra Limited that only had 27k miles on it. So, maybe it wasn't so bad after all!

idntnvu :shades:

bottgers

The fact that every professional review puts the Fit ahead of the Yaris leaves me scratching my head. I've test driven both cars and the Yaris is clearly leaps and bounds better, and cars like the Versa, Accent and Rio aren't even in the same league as the Yaris IMO. The ONLY area where the Fit is superior is in terms of standard equipment. The Versa is rommier, but Nissan has built quite the reputation of having quality control problems over the last few years, so wouldn't touch one with a 10' pole. And what can I say about the Accent and Rio other than they truely are CHEAP cars. They look, feel, and drive like it too.

backy

Everyone has his opinion. I've driven all these cars too and I can easily see why the Fit is rated ahead of the Yaris: much better handling, greater versatility, more interior room, much more standard safety equipment, better brakes at the top of the list. The Versa is simply much more car than the Yaris for about the same money. The main downside of the Versa vs. Yaris is fuel economy, but consider the Versa has mid-sized interior room and is much heavier (and has great Good/Good/Good IIHS crash test scores). I actually prefer the Accent, especially the SE, to the Yaris except for the Accent's Poor IIHS side crash test score. Otherwise I like the way the Accent rides, handles, sits (esp. driving position), controls/displays, and standard and optional features. Some professional reviewers such as Edmunds.com and CR agree with me on that, but others (e.g. C/D) prefer the Yaris.

bamacar

I have the Yaris sedan and like it a lot, but for my purposes the Fit was much better when compared to the Yaris hatchback for my needs. The Fit had 4 doors which is very useful for everyday backseat use. The space behind the backseat is tremendous in the Fit when compared to the minimal space in the Yaris hatchback. The Fit handles better and has more traditional gauges that many prefer. It also has the configurable seats that are very versatile. The Yaris hatchback also did not have a tachometer or cruise control which come standard on the Fit Sport I was looking at.

The Yaris sedan fixes the tachometer and cruise issue, and gives a very useable trunk when compared to the Yaris hatchback. The Yaris to many eyes looks better than the Fit, gets better fuel economy, accelerates better, includes a dead pedal, and includes an armrest on the sedan. It is also more available and deals are easy to come by.

Even though I own the Yaris sedan and it works well for my needs, I give the nod to the Fit. Neither in my eyes is clearly superior to the other.

ttai

I too drove both cars. I chose the Yaris because it was cheaper, looked much better, and the handling for normal use was the same. The fit had novel seating arrangements, but I don't remember a time when I actually wanted to sleep in my car. The shift paddles on the Fit was a good idea, but it didn't work very well.

ttai

If you look at the cars they test, it's mostly super luxury and sports cars. These guys have lost what it means to be in the real world with $3.00 gas.

bottgers

I guess I was too busy noticing the Fit's lack of power to notice its attributes. By comparison the Yaris feels like a sports car, and considering no one would consider either of these cars fast, I guess you can figure what that says about the Fit. You're right about the Versa. It is cavernous interior wise compared to any of the others, but Nissan's spotted reliability record of late is keeping me away. The only other thing I will say about the Accent and Rio is the cheapness of these cars is such that when I got out of them, I felt like I needed a shower.

ttai

I actually did notice the sluggishness of the Fit with the automatic compared to the Yaris. Maybe the manuals are different. I believe the cars aren't actually underpowered. Their fuzzy logic has alot to do with it. If I drove my Yaris a little more agressively, the fuzzy logic will hold the revs longer and the Yaris' power is just fine. If I drive like Grandma Jones, oh man, it just won't downshift when I give it some throttle. It has to think about it for a while.

bottgers

All of the cars in this size/power class are going to be sluggish with an auto tranny, but the Fit was especially so. I would imagine it would be somewhat better with a manual, but it's still not going to be able to match the Yaris. I've seen dyno results from these two cars and the Yaris typically puts down about 10 HP and 10 more ft. lbs. of torque than the Fit. With these cars, that's 10% and you can definitely feel the difference.

backy

I think the Fit actually has about the same or a little more power than the Yaris. The Fit MT seemed plenty peppy to me, and the AT was fine also although I don't need a blazingly quick car.

Your comment about the cheapness of the Accent is interesting because that is how I felt about the Yaris hatchback. I thought the Accent, especially the SE, felt much less "cheap" than the Yaris. But I think the Rio's interior feels "cheaper" than the Accent's, but no worse than the Yaris'.

bottgers

The Fit does produce slightly more power at the crankshaft, but the Yaris produces more at the wheels (where it counts), meaning it loses less power through the driveline. While I'm looking for the dyno charts, here's a link you can check out:

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests?compact/112_0608_economy_car_comparison/spec- - s.html

Once you open the link, click on "Compact cars" and then either "Honda" or "Toyota".

As far as cheapness goes, I look at things like paint quality, panel alignment/gaps, underhood design, interior design, materials, quality of finish, etc. In these terms the Korean cars just don't compare. They use cheap materials and the fit and finish just doesn't compare to that of the Yaris.

backy

Re details like underhood design etc., here's a professional opinion on that:

I never thought that I would be saying this, but the Accent really does feel like a quality machine, and it's something the competition probably wasn't expecting. Poke your nose in that engine bay, and you'll find that there's weather-stripping all around to keep dust and dirt out, a jacket to insulate the battery so that it stays warm in the winter, and no wiring left exposed to the elements. Even the seams where metal meets metal around the bay are properly joined, a sign of true quality. You can't find these things in a Yaris, I'm told, and sure enough, under the nose of a Yaris, these things weren't there. Granted, I wouldn't blame you for being a skeptic; such details need to be pointed out, or you go through life not taking notice. But, after all this, it really does make you really wonder if Hyundai needs that 5-year 100,000 kilometre warrantee after all.

http://www.carpages.ca/go/roadtest/2007_hyundai_accent_3door_hatchback_road_test- .aspx

But since this is rapidly becoming a comparison thread, maybe we should move it to the Accent vs. Yaris discussion?

ttai

Honestly, trying argue which of these cars are better is like arguing the color blue is better than red. It's all personal tastes. I'll just stick with the Yaris because that's what I like.

aladdinsane

Hi, ttai...

Bravo. What U say about personal tastes is SOOOOOOOOOO true!
I agree. I dig the Yaris too...

Cheers-

Peace!<-AladdinSane-- :shades:

bottgers

...there are a lot of personal tastes involved in evaluating differences in cars, but I'll stick with the tried and true bullet proof reliability of the Toyotas rather than delving into the unknowns of the Korean vehicles.

typer73

I own an auto tranny Yaris LB. It is NOT sluggish by any definition of the word.

bottgers

Drive a 5 speed LB. By comparison the auto tranny LB FEELS sluggish.

ttai

I remember in 1982, I had a 4000lb pontiac with 92 horses and that was considered good. 0-60 in 12 seconds. The automatic Yaris feels adequate to me. I'm not going to autocross it. I took on a BMW 5 series 2 days ago on a twisty road and saw him behind me flopping and swerving to try to keep up. Soooooo.....

bottgers

....I had a 1977 Chevy pickup with a 250 straight 6 that was rated at only 115 HP. It probably weighed twice as much as the Yaris, and a truck today with that low of a power rating wouldn't even sell. It just seems weird that people today consider a 2300 lb car with 106 HP underpowered. If gas prices keep going the way they are, 10 years from now a Yaris may be considered a power house!

ttai

We like straight line accelleration and cell phone attachments. In Europe, 106 hp is plenty to kick the tar out of us in a 260 hp Mustang. I saw a thread about "transmission problems" of the Yaris because the transmission downshifted when you took your foot off the accellerator. I just busted up laughing. In all other countries axcept ours, that's considered a good thing.

bottgers

I would guess some will take issue with your "Americans can't drive" statement. I'm an American I can certainly drive. I would say a more correct statement would be "Americans don't like to shift."

ttai

Some will take issue, but deep down, they know it's true.

bottgers

Really? I know it's not true with me.

ttai

http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=4024777

Here's a chart of all the subcompact data for you people still deciding what to buy. It looks like the Yaris is outselling the competition. I hope this brings more aftermarket goodies soon.

boris13

The public is catching on. They're "getting it."

backy

Do you suppose the greater availability of ABS and side bags/curtains in recent months, compared to when the Yaris first came out, is helping to increase sales? I have a feeling that is the case, coupled with the press over the Yaris' good IIHS side crash test results when equipped with side bags/curtains, and some tests that showed the Yaris stops much better with ABS. That, and over-$3.00-per-gallon gas for much of this year must help!

jaxs1

Gas prices are the primary reason. You can get about the same mileage in a Honda Civic and have a bigger vehicle, but the Yaris is cheaper.

ttai

This is 1st quarter data so it's only from January to march. I think $3.00 gas, pricing, and styling may be it. Shocking is how poorly the Fit did. Or maybe not. The minivan styling is a turn off.

backy

The Fit numbers are misleading; they are constrained by supply. Honda is selling all the Fits they ship here.

lhanson

I also notice that the Yaris is outselling the Accent by a three to one margin. Is Hyundai also having a supply problem or is it a demand problem?

bottgers

I know why I won't buy an Accent, but I can't speak for others.

boris13

"The minivan styling is a turn off."

Definitely. Whoever coined the term "butt-ugly" coined it for the Fit.

Greater option availability (ABS, side airbags, power package) may be helping Yaris sales too.

backy

Since I don't see many Accents on dealer lots, my conclusion is that it's a supply thing.

But this is a Yaris discussion, not a Hyundai or Honda discussion, so if you want to take these comparisons further maybe they could be moved to the appropriate comparison discussion.