2007 Toyota Yaris from The Car Connection

[Tideland Prius]

When Toyota launched the first Yaris in Europe in 1999, it completely redefined what Europeans call the "supermini." It was short and upright, yet cleverly designed and oddly cool - a deserving European Car of the Year (as its 1.2 million owners can attest to) and the template for just about every new supermini since. Its replacement has just hit forecourts across Europe and by February, it will be in your local Toyota dealership too. The chic little Yaris is coming to America, erasing all memories of the grim Echo and even making its Scion xA sibling look a little dowdy in the process.

Two body styles are offered in the U.S., a four-door sedan and three-door hatch, and they couldn't be any more different in character. The hatchback uses every design trick in the book to disguise its tall, short shape. Its broad shoulders, arched beltline and heavily creased metalwork all help to visually compress the Yaris, while sophisticated surface treament and unusually proportioned headlamps are employed to make its stubby snout cute and appealing.

Overall, it's taut and brilliantly executed, no doubt slaved over for months in Toyota's European studio, unlike the Japanese-designed sedan, which is rather dour and featureless by comparison.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/Vehi...180.A9783.html

[swng]

Nice review. Regarding performance on highways, I have driven my RS on highways for some distance and found the car quite highway capable. Subjective I may be, I dare say that the review's comments on the car's highway performance is a bit harsh.