Anyone familiar with the Toyota Yaris?

[Pool Hall Ace]

I saw one on the highway the other day and fell in love. Well, as much as one can fall in love with a car.

Unfortunately, my husband is being a spoilsport. "I know gas is expensive, but it's important for you to be safe, blah blah blah." The Lincoln I drive now is comfortable, but I miss the small car I drove before I was married.

So do you or anyone you know drive a Yaris? And are small cars really death traps?

[AlCzervik]

1. all cars can be a death drap imo no matter what size they are. I test drove a yaris

and it was fine, yes a bit small and the interior was ok. It reminded me of the Toyota Echo.

[Pool Hall Ace]

2. Good to know, as I loved the Echo, too!

:hi:

[AlCzervik]

3. i think the yaris i test drove was about $16,000 with a manual tranny and upgrades, 4 door.

one of my daughter's teachers got the 2 door and he loves it.

[theophilus]

4. We've had one for about seven months and we love it.

Ours is a manual and a two door. It was less than $14,000. I was in a crash when a lady ran a stop sign and I walked away....no problem.

It gets about 32 mpg in town and over 45 on the highway if you don't run the AC. We are glad we bought it and we have people inquiring about it all the time.

[krispos42]

5. I read about it in a car magazine

Here's the article. Yaris vs. Fit vs. Versa. It came in last in the comparison but recorded good gas milage.

Each car is a fine commuter-there's more room than you'd think, with plenty of standard items and cool options, and they're great values. it comes down to what you want. The Yaris gets the best fuel economy (34 city/39 highway), has the best weight to-power ratio, and has the softest, most comfortable freeway ride. but it's the least engaging drive and the cabin doesn't have enough flexibility-so it earns third place.

At a close second, the Versa has the lowest estimated EPA fuel economy but second-best observed mileage on our drive and the most space inside, and is the fastest through the quarter mile. It's a good compromise between comfort and sportiness and impresses with its levels of polish and sophistication. but, at an estimated $17,000 (as tested), it's too pricey: The interior's not as Versatile as it should be, the fuel economy isn't good enough to justify the extra cost, and being faster to 60 is nice, but not worth the added money.

The winner: the Honda Fit Sport. It combines excellent steering and handling with a fantastic interior package and paddle shifters that make it feel like it has more juice than it really does. Of the three, it's the one you'll want to drive and the most capable of performing the cargo- and people-toting duties. The Fit is the right choice for the enthusiast who wants a car that handles twisties as well as it does chores, saves gas, and eases your budget.

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/compact/112_0608_economy_car_comparison

[Pool Hall Ace]

9. Thank you for the link.

I have to admit I don't even know what a paddle shifter is, :blush: but the article is a good read.

[krispos42]

13. Like a Formula One race-car

Two paddles, one on each side of the steering wheel. One shifts up, one shifts down. Probably it has an automatic transmission with an optional "paddle shift" mode. It's good if you seek sportinss or live in a hilly area.

[orleans]

6. i was looking at crash tests, found one that rated the yaris

poor but found another that rated it good if it had all the extra airbags (side curtain and another type)

my daughter wants one and so that is the one we'll be looking at. a friend of hers has a honda fit and i guess that is really good too.

[mike_c]

7. there are multiple risks inherent in automobile use...

...and multiple SCALES of risk that people tend to ignore. At its simplest, this implies that there are social risks that we often ignore completely while trying to minimize our personal risks. A heavy, fuel guzzling proto-tank minimizes our immediate collision risk, but it defers social risks that we ultimately have to pay in the form of increased energy costs, reduced raw material availability, and so on. These costs ramify throughout our society and our economy, ultimately having to be borne personally by all of us, but since they're indirect costs associated with reducing immediate risk, we tend not to associate them with the risk reduction choices we make. Yes, we'd all probably be safer driving Hummers, but the social costs would likely devastate many of us along the way. On the other hand, if we drive small, light, fuel efficient vehicles the immediate risk of collision injury increases, but we reduce the deferred indirect costs that ultimately affect all of us whether we get into collisions or not.

[AllegroRondo]

10. and those big SUV's are more than 10 times likely to roll over

in an accident, because of the high center of gravity. and a rollover is the most fatal type of accident.

[leftyladyfrommo]

17. I don't have figures but it sure seems like most of the bad wrecks

we have here involve SUVs. Because people drive them like tanks and then they roll over and over and over.

[AllegroRondo]

18. that and they have larger blind spots

it difficult to see a car in your blind spot when you're sitting 8 feet off the ground.

[NV Whino]

8. I bought the Honda Fit last year

Love it. Love it. Love it. You won't believe what I've hauled in this car. Great mileage 33 to 38. I have the basic model with manual transmission. Great buy. Did I mention this is a great car?

[grace0418]

26. Oh I love Honda Fits. I hope that by the time my Civic konks out (she's only 8 so

it could be awhile), they have a hybrid Fit. Because I love everything about that car. And I love Hondas in general. We've had two and we love them both.

[Pool Hall Ace]

29. I just saw my first Fit today!

Looks like it's worth checking out!

[edbermac]

11. Will buy a Corolla soon.

Has a good rep as a solid car.

[leftyladyfrommo]

15. I know lots of people who have Corollas. They are just fine.

I don't like the way they look though. And they don't get quite as good mileage as the Yaris. I really liked the way my little Yaris hatchback looked. I call it my little blue rollerskate.

[AllegroRondo]

19. LOVE my Corolla

got it 3 years ago, and still runs great. Im getting close to 40 MPG too. Plenty of room (Im 6 ft), no problems fitting 4-5 people, and enough trunk space to fit Jimmy Hoffa.

[leftyladyfrommo]

20. And if you take good care of a Toyota it will last forever.

Even the little cheaper models.

[hippiechick]

12. I was going to buy one last fall ...

... but my dealer didn't have any on the lot for me to test drive.

Ended up buying a 2006 Scion Xa instead, and I LOVE it.




Alot more space, more comfy, same perks/gas mileage/reputation.
I've always been a Nissan Sentra driver and came thru a very serious accident in 1991
with fairly minor injuries, so I swear by "little" cars - the smaller the better. :)

I've only had 1 "midsize" car - a Pontiac Grand Am several years ago - and I hated it.
I felt like it was too big to be maneuverable, which (in my mind) meant it was more
likely I'd get in an accident.

:hi:

[leftyladyfrommo]

16. What is your mileage with that?

I've seen a lot of those around. It really looks a lot like my Yaris. But I think it was more expensive.

I paid $14,500 for mine.

[hippiechick]

22. The Scion Xa, 5 speed-

... with the basic Pioneer sound system, floor mats and fog lights was $13,600.

I'm guessing my mileage is in the mid 30's cause it seems like I only have to fill up every other week.

Scion is an offshoot of Toyota, and they started making Xa's in 04 (I think), so it sorta is the grandma of the Yaris.


I :loveya: this car!!!

[leftyladyfrommo]

25. The Yaris was brought in to replace the Echo - which didn't

go over well because of its body style.

But the Yaris has been available in Europe since 1999 so its not a brand new model.

It made car of the year in Europe.

[grace0418]

23. "I felt like it was too big to be maneuverable"

That's exactly what I just said too. I've had some pretty close calls in my little Civic that I was able to steer through or stop fast enough (not having to stop some giant behemoth helps). I love those Scion Xas! I'm waiting for them to make a hybrid of either the Scion Xa, the Yaris, or the Honda Fit. Whoever makes one first is going to be the winner.

[leftyladyfrommo]

14. I have a Yaris. Hatchback. I love it.

It not only gets good mileage but it is fun to drive. Has lots of room inside. Has plenty of pickup on the road.

It is the car to own in Europe and Canada. I think because it gets good mileage and also is dependable. Not a lot of special stuff but you can order things if you want. I just didn't want.

I bought mine when gas went up to $3.

[grace0418]

21. My friend has a Yaris and he ADORES it. I always think that the size and

excellent maneuverability of small cars makes them less likely to get in accidents in the first place. That's just my theory of course, no data to back it up. But I know I've definitely steered my way out of some close calls that probably would've been crashes if I were driving a bigger, slower car. Add in the fuel economy (good for the planet and your wallet) and the ease of parking (important in Chicago) and I think small cars rock.

Any car can be a death trap, and unless you're going to drive a Hummer (please god no) or a dump truck there are always going to be bigger cars than yours on the road. Driving is a dangerous activity. All we can do is drive carefully, wear seatbelts, and keep our cars in good working order.

[leftyladyfrommo]

27. My Yaris is fun to drive because it just sticks to the road.

Fun to go around corners in it.

So different than the Jeep Wrangler that I traded in.

[Systematic Chaos]

24. I would love one of those.

Assuming, of course, that I could physically fit in it both heightwise and bulkwise to drive the damn thing. Barring that, maybe someday I'll be able to pick up another Honda Accord or something fairly cheap.

If you can get one, I say go for it! The ads they run for it during Smallville are pretty cool, anyway. :)

[leftyladyfrommo]

28. My little Yaris has lots of head room - it stands up pretty tall.

But you good just buy one with a sun roof and stick your head out.

[MissMillie]

30. anything with a Toyota label is worth buying

end of story.