'09 YARIS : J.D. POWERS : # 1 highest ...

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One of the owner complaints un the article was windows that fog up easily or are hard to clear. Can anybody here who owns one of these cars speak to that issue?
 
I look for the big 3 come out with some good subcompact cars in the next few years, because there seems to be a decent market for them. I see a lot of Honda Fits and Yaris on the road. I have been in Fit and it has decent headroom for someone 6'5". The seat didn't slide back enough for me but that can be altered. But for sure, we must all be as energy conserving as possible.
 
Wow, JDP ranking a Toyota at the top. Now there is a real shocker.
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I had a 2008 Toyota Yaris hatchback for a year. I put 30,000 miles on the car and the performance and reliability of the car was flawless...not one problem and fuel economy was great (38-42 mpg with an automatic). My problem with the car was comfort...or lack therof. I typically spend 5+ hours in the car when "on the road" (sometimes longer) and have occasion to make 8+ hour trips. I couldn't spend more than about 15 minutes without the cruise (which I had added...Toyota made it available in the hatchback in 2009) or I would get terrible hip and back pain...the seats are essentially upholstered hammocks. I dreaded long trips in the car for that reason. I'm now driving a 2008 Chevrolet Impala with the 3.5L Flexfuel V6. I routinely get 32-34 mpg on highway runs (fill up yesterday yielded 31.2 for the tank with some "city" driving) which is phonomenal for a car this size. The biggest gain is in the comfort area. As hoped, I can ride for hours in this car with NO hip or back problem...makes the work day a lot easier. I don't figure the Impala will be nearly as reliable as the Toyota but as I'll only have the car for 3 or 4 years, I'm not going to worry about it. The Yaris (and other small cars) are great as a commuter vehicle and for an occasional trip but for someone who's in the car as much as I am, the compromises of comfort and safety are too high.
 
Surprising, I thought the yaris was one of Toyota's worst vehicles, along with the Fj cruiser.
 
Congrats smokey1!
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I've told you I like the Yaris, too. It's the car that got me interested in this segment. I just wasn't impressed with rear seat space and that gauge cluster. But still, a car I'm sure I would have been fine with driving.
 
Quote:

yeah, it looks silly having the gauges in the middle of the dash.


A great feature for tall people IMHO. I drove an F-150 for 10 years and never could see the speedometer since the wheel was in the way...
 
Originally Posted By: oilmaven
I don't figure the Impala will be nearly as reliable as the Toyota but as I'll only have the car for 3 or 4 years, I'm not going to worry about it. The Yaris (and other small cars) are great as a commuter vehicle and for an occasional trip but for someone who's in the car as much as I am, the compromises of comfort and safety are too high.


I don't know where you figure that. My mom had a 1995 Lumina (the predecessor to the current Impala), which when the head gasket went at 216K had outlasted not just one but two Toyota Camry's owned by one of her friends. Both Toyota's had proper maintenance but still had catastrophic powertrain failures at 104K. The friend also loved to brag about how great her Toyota's were...I guess...

I sold my 1997 Monte Carlo (once again, same platform) with 194K miles, running fine. The transmission was rebuilt once, and it had the intake gaskets replaced twice, but the car was solid and still did 30 mpg on the highway. Probably the most comfortable highway cruiser ever, too. Two years on and I still miss that car.
 
Yeah, gauges in the middle are kind of a turnoff for me. I always thought (perhaps wrongly) that Saturn would still be popping out Ions if they hadn't put the gauges in the middle. Liking the Yaris but not liking the gauges, I thought long and hard about the Scion xD. But...I just couldn't get past the looks...
 
Originally Posted By: mstrjon32
Originally Posted By: oilmaven
I don't figure the Impala will be nearly as reliable as the Toyota but as I'll only have the car for 3 or 4 years, I'm not going to worry about it. The Yaris (and other small cars) are great as a commuter vehicle and for an occasional trip but for someone who's in the car as much as I am, the compromises of comfort and safety are too high.


I don't know where you figure that. My mom had a 1995 Lumina (the predecessor to the current Impala), which when the head gasket went at 216K had outlasted not just one but two Toyota Camry's owned by one of her friends. Both Toyota's had proper maintenance but still had catastrophic powertrain failures at 104K. The friend also loved to brag about how great her Toyota's were...I guess...

I sold my 1997 Monte Carlo (once again, same platform) with 194K miles, running fine. The transmission was rebuilt once, and it had the intake gaskets replaced twice, but the car was solid and still did 30 mpg on the highway. Probably the most comfortable highway cruiser ever, too. Two years on and I still miss that car.


My Sister has a 2006 Impala w/ 3.5L and it has been very reliable. Well, there was something wrong with the engine from day one( odd engine noise we could not figure out ). GM replaced it with a complete NEW long block with NO hassle about it. My Sister's Impala was down a total of 2 weeks due to this and she got another Impala to drive during that time at NC.

40K later not a single issue. Oil changes and tires is it( freakin [censored] Goodyears! ).
 
Originally Posted By: Cogito
One of the owner complaints un the article was windows that fog up easily or are hard to clear. Can anybody here who owns one of these cars speak to that issue?

So, does anybody have any problem with clearing their windows of condensation?
 
Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Quote:

yeah, it looks silly having the gauges in the middle of the dash.


A great feature for tall people IMHO. I drove an F-150 for 10 years and never could see the speedometer since the wheel was in the way...


It's a great feature to save money by moulding one dashboard for both LHD and RHD markets. Can't decide which one is more of a chince: the guages in the middle, or the american-style gaudy, chunky looking "symmetrical dual slot" dashboards with a massive dummy panel (usually airbag) in the unused guage cluster slot
 
Of the two I still prefer the Fit. My fiancee looked long and hard at a Yaris hatch when deciding between that and a Fit. The Yaris was a nice little car with better EPA fuel economy, but it felt a lot more utilitarian than the Fit. Also wasn't as big, or the driving position as comfortable.

Comparing reliability of the Yaris and Fit is like comparing two bags of apples. Most of them will be just fine, and a very few will be rotten. The Fit is more complex, with a nicer stereo and more complicated auto transmission.
 
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