Test drove a Yaris

[supton]

Well, two actually, so did I drive two Yarii?

First was a two door hatch with stick, a '10. At first I thought the clutch weird, as it has like an inch of travel, but it and the trans were ok. Steering was light but not horrible. I actually liked it, didn't think it was too bad, but I had the salesguy with me so I didn't wail on it.

Next up was a '07 sedan with auto. This had all the power options I wanted, which was nice, and I thought the setup was fine. For city driving. Highway, I thought it had more noise, and of course the last thing the little 1.5 needs is the power sap of the auto trans. Overall, and not surprising, the stick is better. Visibility was good in both but I think I like the hatch better.

Small simple cars. Works for me. Not the solid tank my Jetta is, but sufficient. Now I ought to drive a sedan in stick to see if I like it more, or if four door hatch is best--I took one look at rear seat egress, and forget it. Not with kids.

 

[cptbarkey]

grab a new jetta tdi value edition for 20 grand or so.

 

[bullwinkle]

Buy the Yaris, same drivetrain as the xA & 1st gen xB, we had a couple '06 xAs at work that cleared 200K trouble free miles. VWs scare me-& I don't scare easily!

 

[supton]

I have not run the numbers on buying new and then ditching after only 150k or so. I mean, the first 200k wasn't bad on my car, but the last 100k took something like 5k in repairs. Toss in the high cost HPFP, DPF and then a few timing belts... Nah, for a commuter I'm after a penalty box this time. TCO or cost per mile, whichever, want that and something a local shop can repair.

 

[yougoJAY]

If you are looking for a Point A to B car, get the Yaris. I purchased a 2013 Yaris L (Base) 3 Door Automatic Coupe 2 years ago this April 11. It has been completely trouble free - Just turned over 8,900 miles. Not even a squeak. The 1NZ-FE engine is bullet-proof. They have been known to go 500,000 miles. Oil change is a breeze, the spin-on filter (Baldwin B-33 baby!) is right up front & couldn't be easier to reach. I love this car (and I've driven a LOT of cars) It is simple, comfortable & has been completely reliable. You sit high in the seat, it's pretty cool. You're in a small car, but you feel like you are way above the road. After almost 2 years, I am still completely enthralled with this car. It has gotten a steady 35-39 miles per gallon. It has crank windows, YES! The stereo cranks just fine, has a CD player and I can hook my iPod up to it in the glove compartment and play 100s of songs. I will have this little car the rest of my life, just love the little bugger.

 

[montero1]

Bless you guys.

 

[Quattro Pete]

What about a Chevy Cruze? Would it deliver decent mpg and reliability without feeling like a penalty box while doing it?

 

[Mr Nice]

Chevrolet does NOT have the quality of a Toyota for an econobox.

I would rather have a Corolla than a Yaris.

 

[yougoJAY]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
Chevrolet does NOT have the quality of a Toyota for an econobox.

I would rather have a Corolla than a Yaris.


Exactly... the quality is just not there.
A Yaris is a LOT more fun to drive then a Corolla, though

 

[Subdued]

I have an 07 Yaris sedan. I really like the car.

It has 113k miles on it and still drives like a new car. The only issues ive had:

Cat heat shield fell off (I live in the rust belt)
I need to replace an engine mount

It still has the original battery and brakes.

The 1NZ-FE is one of the best motors toyota has made. The thing is just ridiculously reliable.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
VWs scare me-& I don't scare easily!


Youre saying this to someone who drives a VW with >300k miles?!? LOL.

 

[Cujet]

A friend purchases nothing but Yaris' now. He drives a stupid number of miles yearly and goes through cars rapidly. He went through 2 neons, 2 neon turbo SRT-4's and 3 Yaris. He's either on the 3rd or 4th Yaris, I don't recall. He purchases the cheapest newspaper advertised special available.

He graduated from the same school of driving that I did (relentless) and beats the living daylights out of his cars. I recall that he starts to have issues around the 150K mark with the Yaris. But overall they have outlasted the others by quite a bit. I think each Neon was well into wearing out the replacement engines by that point.

Quite simply, if they last for him, they will probably work wonderfully for you.

 

[Vuflanovsky]

I think the Yaris has gotten marginally better with the latest version but I agree that if you can stretch to a new or used Corolla then I'd definitely do it..or some other equivalent to the Yaris for that matter. I think most subcompacts are a much better experience today and the 'penalty box' label doesn't apply as much as it did 15 years ago.

I've owned both a Corolla and a Tercel ( which might as well have been a Yaris ) and I actually liked the 1.5 engine in the Tercel better than the 1.8 in the Corolla but an automatic blunts both of them so I always buy a manual. Both of these engines are geared toward reliability / longevity versus excitement or overall driving experience and haven't changed that much in a decade. That might be something to consider in your comparison. If you want a commuter with a bullet proof engine that you can work on yourself...Yaris might do it.

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
Chevrolet does NOT have the quality of a Toyota for an econobox.

I would rather have a Corolla than a Yaris.


I'll take a Cruze or Sonic over a Yaris/Corolla any day. I don't know what you mean by quality, but the Chevy is put together very well and has some personality and driving dynamics. The Toyotas are just cheap plastic sterile penalty boxes.

 

[Vuflanovsky]

I think if you keep both a Sonic/Cruze and a Corolla/Yaris for 150K plus miles then the definition of "penalty box" might change in relation to one side and it ain't the Toyota. I would agree that neither the Corolla or Yaris have any soul but I'd probably be happier with one if I was going to keep it for 150-200K miles and didn't have any predilections about it being a "almost ultimate driving machine" versus a useful, adequate transportation appliance that didn't break.

 

[shadow7]

Originally Posted By: Subdued
I have an 07 Yaris sedan. I really like the car.

It has 113k miles on it and still drives like a new car. The only issues ive had:

Cat heat shield fell off (I live in the rust belt)
I need to replace an engine mount

It still has the original battery and brakes.

The 1NZ-FE is one of the best motors toyota has made. The thing is just ridiculously reliable.


+1 couldn't agree more. The water pump is the only thing that needs replacing soon at 80k

 

[rjundi]

I cannot fathom commuting 20k/year in a sub compact. All of them are miserable for the duty I have rented Fiesta, Yaris, Sonic and ridden in FIT.

The seats are pretty bad to start in these cars and cannot imagine top notch stuffing materials used for long term.

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: Vuflanovsky
I think if you keep both a Sonic/Cruze and a Corolla/Yaris for 150K plus miles then the definition of "penalty box" might change in relation to one side and it ain't the Toyota. I would agree that neither the Corolla or Yaris have any soul but I'd probably be happier with one if I was going to keep it for 150-200K miles and didn't have any predilections about it being a "almost ultimate driving machine" versus a useful, adequate transportation appliance that didn't break.


*raises hand* I have 100k miles on my Cruze. It's been pretty darned reliable. The interior is rattle-free, and wearing very well. Don't knock it before you try it.

I had the opportunity to spend 4 days in a rental 2011 Yaris sedan on my then 100+ mile a day commute a year and a half ago or so when my Cruze was in the body shop after being rear-ended. IIRC it was a decent little car, if a bit lacking in power. A manual would have made better use of the engine's power. The car was also pretty noisy at highway speed, and got blown around a bit. A bit more fatiguing to drive long distances. I was glad to hand it back when my Cruze was ready. Much more comfortable for a long-distance commute.

 

[HerrStig]

It's interesting how "compact" cars start out small and grow bigger every year. I think the latest Rav 4 is almost as big as the early 4 Runner now.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: rjundi
I cannot fathom commuting 20k/year in a sub compact. All of them are miserable for the duty I have rented Fiesta, Yaris, Sonic and ridden in FIT.


Been doing it for the last 10+ years in my Jetta. Taken a few trips at upwards of 11hr in the seat. The two Yarii I drove were more quiet than my Jetta I think.