What do you all think?

[imbest123]

So ive been looking for another car for a few months now (like since nov) and ive been considering a used car around 10-15k, maybe fixing my camry (which i really dont think is worth it since the engine has already been rebuilt and am having leaks from everywhere possible) or getting a new yaris. i went to go test drive one and it didnt feel too slow with 3 ppl in the car (the salesman and my friend are pretty big, at least 225 lbs each). with this said, i could not find the yaris i want which would be power everything, manual, black and a liftback. i hear these are hard to find and i dont want to be ready to buy a car then wait another few months to find it and buy it. another thing that concerns me is the speed. i know there is not a whole lot you can do but i read that the max tq kicks in at 4,000 rpm. im going to be living in san francisco, ca soon and there are a lot of hills and im afraid the yaris might not have enough torque to pass through these hills. i would be doing basic mods like intake/exhaust/lowering/sound but intake+exhaust wont realistically give me any power. the biggest reasons i would want one is for the mpg and looks. how does take on hills and how does it feel on freeways? thank you for your time and patience.

[stuts]

just know that it is an entry level vehical and take it for that, anyways on hills just push that foot a little more down and you will be fine

[ECHOKnight2000]

I don't have a Yaris but I have the previous gen ECHO that has the same engine (at the current one) of course a little different than the Yaris as far as power and gear ratios but anyway I've had no problems with hills but then again where I live we dont' have hill like San Fransico. Yeah the PEAK torque comes at 4,200rpm but you'd be surpised of the off line performance. No its not ground shaking but my point is from what you get it can be surprising and it helps to have a manual rather than an auto. When I'm rolling in traffic slowly and stomp on the gas it the car leaps, even I'm amazed and I have an auto. Of course it does depend on the auto but if you have manual you can control that. But obviously my standards are low

[Pars]

The Yaris will easily pull up a steep hill without having to go hard on the engine, assuming you can keep the rpm above 2000rpm. And if you have a manual tranny, there's very little drama when a downshift is needed.

However, if you plan on doing a lot of stop-and-go while climbing up a hill, then the clutch take-up on the Yaris isn't the greatest. The car does come alive when you've got a few 2000 rpms on the tach, but below that, it requires some babying (I miss the intial clutch take-up on my 1.6L Civic that weighed as much as my Yaris...). But if you're concerned about passing while speeding up a hill, the Yaris is as good as it gets, when factoring fuel consumption.

[GB14468]

You will not find a lift back Yaris with power anything, it's not an option. If you get a sedan you can get some power features (windows and locks, I think). However, I will attest to the cars ability to cart around a good amount of weight without it being an issue. I carpool and I have no problem filling the car up and still getting up to highway speeds. Also, as some have already stated, if you are going to get a stick then hills will not be a problem because you can just down shift and go. The only problem with that is that the lift back does not come with a tach, and I know that I was nervous about down shifting and gunning it until I installed a tach. Overall the Yaris is what it is. It is an inexpensive car with good feul economy and a reiable name plate. Best of luck!

Cheers,
Ryan

[imbest123]

Originally Posted by GB14468

You will not find a lift back Yaris with power anything, it's not an option. If you get a sedan you can get some power features (windows and locks, I think). However, I will attest to the cars ability to cart around a good amount of weight without it being an issue. I carpool and I have no problem filling the car up and still getting up to highway speeds. Also, as some have already stated, if you are going to get a stick then hills will not be a problem because you can just down shift and go. The only problem with that is that the lift back does not come with a tach, and I know that I was nervous about down shifting and gunning it until I installed a tach. Overall the Yaris is what it is. It is an inexpensive car with good feul economy and a reiable name plate. Best of luck!

Cheers,
Ryan

There is a power package with the liftback. is there any shaking of the car at 65-80mph? when i test drove it i only went 40

Power Package Includes: Power Door Locks, Power Windows, Power Outside Mirrors, 60/40 Split, Reclining, Sliding, Fold-flat Rear Seat, AM/FM CD player with MP3/WMA Playback Capability and Auxiliary Audio Jack, Rear Window Wiper, Rear Defroster and 15-in. Steel Wheels (PQ)
- 50 States Emission (FE)
- Remote Keyless Entry System[3] (KE)

[ECHOKnight2000]

[QUOTE=imbest123]There is a power package with the liftback. is there any shaking of the car at 65-80mph? when i test drove it i only went 40

From driving my car and reading reviews from owners of the Yaris it seems the car holds up pretty well at 80 to 85 but above that it gets dicey. I know with my ECHO it does fine getting up to and staying at 80 if not more mph. Yes it can go to 90 but it starts to shake. Unless you have some mods I would suggest not doing this or get a different car as this car is not for speed racing but at the same time this car can hold its own. Good luck! Keep us posted!

And you're right the liftback comes with the powerpackage. I know where I live in the Mid-west most of the liftbacks are coming in with the convience package, so generally you would have to order one but there are always exceptions.

[imbest123]

yeah i dont go passed 80mph. here the speed limit is 65 but you either drive 55-65 or 80. man i hate freeways lol. the more and more i think about it the more i just want to fix my camry just because of the space it has.

[x_enginerd]

I do 70-75 mph on my daily commute. Without crosswind, the Yaris is pretty stable on the freeway. With strong crosswind ( >15mph) the Yaris is a bit of a two handed affair. The Yaris is OK @ 85mph without crosswind.

Fixing the Camry may be a good idea; it is alot more comfy than a Yaris.

[GB14468]

I stand corrected... I guess you can get a Yaris with power windows and locks. For some reason I thought that it was only an option on the sedan. Anyhow, I drive 70-80 MPH all the time and have never noticed any instability or shaking at those speeds.

[geffel]

Previous cars owned - 1966 Ford Anglia, 1988 Peugeot 405, 1995 VW Golf GTi, 1991 Mercury sable, 1996 Toyota RAV 4, 1991 Toyota Tercel (it was a bad year), 1985 Jaguar XJ6, 2000 Jaguar XK8, 1997 VW GOLF VR6, 2004 Subaru Outback 2.5i wagon.


I TEST DROVE A yaris hatch today, in Los Angeles. I 've been driving a Scooby Outback for the last three years. Most days i drive to work and back home. this is a round trip of just about five miles. For that journey I drive a car that can (and has) drag me over ice, snow and dirt, and


can carry a sofa, a bed and two armchairs (not all at the same time obviously).

It's pretty obvious that I don't need that kind of ability most days. All I really need is a seat and an engine. The car salesman asked me why i don't just ride a bike. Well, most car drivers are idiots, and riding a bike on the road each day is tantamount to suicide. Also my house is 1200 feet up a very steep hill, and i'm pretty much dead by the time I get to 800 feet. So forget it. I'll ride on the flat, I think.

As long as I can strap my bike rack to the back of the Yaris and throw my shoes and bike clothes in the back, then i'm fine. In fact I reckon I can get a small armchair in the back of a Yaris, with the seats down.

I'm not sure what the attraction of sedans/saloons is over hactches for yanks - Hatches are far more versatile, better balanced, and usually truer to the original design concept (Focus, Golf etc spring to mind). AH well, yanks, eh? They'll drive a hatchback if it's on an SUV, but not if it's on a car. Weird eh?

What annoys me is that the insurance for the Yaris is the same as for my Scooby! WTF is that all about? Hell's Jesus, that's annoying.

It's a long wait for the Smart Fortwo, so the Yaris is really tempting.

Oh yes - spec was a/c, power everything, and it felt great - like a much bigger car. I enjoyed it. The salesman was perfectly happy to let me get on the freeway, and the car accelerated comfortably in traffic up to 80 mph. For those who need a tach to tell them when to change gear...that's a bit sad. Use your ears.

[ECHOKnight2000]

^^^I agree about the hatches vs sedans. Both have thier pros and cons but hatches I Love! Ironically I own a car with a trunk Only because at the time it was the only option, at least for new car. But glad things are changing.
I read that Toyota is coming out with a Smart competitor...its called the Aygo already sold in Europe. But the one we'll get will be different...I believe a two seater with some luggage area. Obviously its just mostly a city car but should get amazing gas mileage. I hope its true, I love to get the Yaris hatch but if this comes out I don't know! It suppose to debut at the Toykoyo auto show which I believe is in October. Anyway good luck!

[geffel]

I do believe you are correct about the Aygo- in the UK and Europe the micro car segment is quite large. Unlike the US, old people tend to drive tiny cars (as opposed to giant Cadillacs etc), but a lot of people who live in cities tend to have smaller cars for parking, economy and becasue that's all anyone actually requires most of the time.

A Golf is considered to be a family car in the UK. Some British friends of mine have recently moved over to California from the UK. They were sad to leave their family Golf behind...so they bought two Golfs when they moved over here. It's amusing to go around to their house and see an SUV and a BMW/Mercedes/Lexus in everyone else's driveway, and then two VW Golfs in theirs.

I would like to see Ford Ka and the VW Lupo and Polo here. I think once gas gets over $5 a gallon we might see these smaller cars appearing. It's not even summer yet and we have gas getting close to $3.80 a gallon at our local Shell station.

I'm not convinced the Aygo will come here - it was already a bold move for Toyota to sell the Yaris. That said, Toyota is certainly more clued in to what customers want than GM, Ford or Chrysler...

[Pars]

The Aygo sounds like an exciting car. I can imagine a slammed Ayvo tearing around a sweeper while the old CRX is spinning out of control trying to keep up with it.

I think N.A is ready for the Aygo (especially Canada). Since we're all about torque over here, hopefully 1.4L diesel will be standard (assuming it can handle our dirty gas). If the car comes to Canada, I think the Canadian would pay the premium for traction control (the Smart has it).

Seems like we've got some exciting small cars in the pipe-line. Especially when considering the stricter c02 regulations in Europe, which eventually will lead to the cream-of-the-crop spilling over to N.A.

Woe to the American gas guzzler, your days are numbered. Too bad Gore didn't win the election, he would have whipped the American car industry into shape. Chrysler is already done, Ford engineer only know how to soup up existing platform's and GM is betting on the over priced Hybrid. tsk tsk tsk.

[yankeesjtj]

I wouldn't think its a problem on the hills... We've taken my wifes '02 Echo up into the white mountains in NH and never had a problem loaded up with the whole fam damily!