2007 Yaris liftback comments

I've had the US model Yaris liftback a few days now, and like it. Some
comments:

1) In daytime the speedometer looks a bit dim, exacerbated by glare
reflected from the semicircular gray "shelf" in front of it. At a craft
shop I found a sheet of stiff black felt and cut a piece to cover that
"shelf." The reduced reflection on the speedometer's face resulted in
enhanced contrast. Toyota should reward me for this design improvement
:^)

2) My Garmin 2610 GPS unit (beanbag mount) sits nicely on the dash just
above the steering wheel, and thanks to its speed readout I rarely need
to glance over at the central speedometer. In fact if you don't really
pay attention to the idiot lights on the speedometer, you might as well
put the Garmin right on the shelf in front of the speedometer and boast
of your "digital" speedometer. I do find that when the 2610 is placed
above the steering wheel, its shiny top is reflected in the windshield
when the sun is bright, and can be a distraction when you're looking
straight down the road.

3) Position of the driver's seatbelt anchor is not adjustable. Because
of my 5'11" height I racked the seat all the way back for a pleasant
stiff-arm driving position, but found the belt too near my neck. A cheap
belt clip allowed a more comfortable fit on my shoulder.

No MPG figures yet, still on first tank. Couldn't find a stick liftback,
had to settle for auto but enjoying the car all the same. With rear seat
folded down it's a great cargo hauler for its tiny size. I'm totally
satisfied; the car met my requirements for a small car with good MPG but
still with some "personality." The tight turning radius is great. All
dealers in my area are asking MSRP price, treating the Yaris just like
Scion. Still in very short supply in northern Virginia.

--
Anti-Spam address: my last name at his dot com
Charles Gillen -- Reston, Virginia, USA

"Charles Gillen" <see-my-sig@below.com> wrote in message
news:Xns97EC940804E2gillen@216.194.192.13...[color=blue]
> I've had the US model Yaris liftback a few days now, and like it. Some
> comments:
>
> 1) In daytime the speedometer looks a bit dim, exacerbated by glare
> reflected from the semicircular gray "shelf" in front of it. At a craft
> shop I found a sheet of stiff black felt and cut a piece to cover that
> "shelf." The reduced reflection on the speedometer's face resulted in
> enhanced contrast. Toyota should reward me for this design improvement
> :^)
>
> 2) My Garmin 2610 GPS unit (beanbag mount) sits nicely on the dash just
> above the steering wheel, and thanks to its speed readout I rarely need
> to glance over at the central speedometer. In fact if you don't really
> pay attention to the idiot lights on the speedometer, you might as well
> put the Garmin right on the shelf in front of the speedometer and boast
> of your "digital" speedometer. I do find that when the 2610 is placed
> above the steering wheel, its shiny top is reflected in the windshield
> when the sun is bright, and can be a distraction when you're looking
> straight down the road.
>
> 3) Position of the driver's seatbelt anchor is not adjustable. Because
> of my 5'11" height I racked the seat all the way back for a pleasant
> stiff-arm driving position, but found the belt too near my neck. A cheap
> belt clip allowed a more comfortable fit on my shoulder.
>
> No MPG figures yet, still on first tank. Couldn't find a stick liftback,
> had to settle for auto but enjoying the car all the same. With rear seat
> folded down it's a great cargo hauler for its tiny size. I'm totally
> satisfied; the car met my requirements for a small car with good MPG but
> still with some "personality." The tight turning radius is great. All
> dealers in my area are asking MSRP price, treating the Yaris just like
> Scion. Still in very short supply in northern Virginia.
>
> --
> Anti-Spam address: my last name at his dot com
> Charles Gillen -- Reston, Virginia, USA[/color]

Thanks for the review. I wanted to take a test drive, but no one around here
has them. I'd like to see the liftback with manual trans. The reviews I've
read report some performance loss with the auto, but that is expected. The
car is supposed to handle well, all the more reason I'd enjoy a manual. With
the rear seats down, how much room from the front seat back to the inside
back? What is the narrowest point in width on the floor in the back?

Please post your MPG when you check.
Thanks, John

as an owner of a 2007 yaris sedan, i agree the auto is slow, but the car
does its job, saves me some money in gas!

Charles Gillen wrote:[color=blue]
> I've had the US model Yaris liftback a few days now, and like it. Some
> comments:
>
> 1) In daytime the speedometer looks a bit dim, exacerbated by glare
> reflected from the semicircular gray "shelf" in front of it. At a craft
> shop I found a sheet of stiff black felt and cut a piece to cover that
> "shelf." The reduced reflection on the speedometer's face resulted in
> enhanced contrast. Toyota should reward me for this design improvement
> :^)
>
> 2) My Garmin 2610 GPS unit (beanbag mount) sits nicely on the dash just
> above the steering wheel, and thanks to its speed readout I rarely need
> to glance over at the central speedometer. In fact if you don't really
> pay attention to the idiot lights on the speedometer, you might as well
> put the Garmin right on the shelf in front of the speedometer and boast
> of your "digital" speedometer. I do find that when the 2610 is placed
> above the steering wheel, its shiny top is reflected in the windshield
> when the sun is bright, and can be a distraction when you're looking
> straight down the road.
>
> 3) Position of the driver's seatbelt anchor is not adjustable. Because
> of my 5'11" height I racked the seat all the way back for a pleasant
> stiff-arm driving position, but found the belt too near my neck. A cheap
> belt clip allowed a more comfortable fit on my shoulder.
>
> No MPG figures yet, still on first tank. Couldn't find a stick liftback,
> had to settle for auto but enjoying the car all the same. With rear seat
> folded down it's a great cargo hauler for its tiny size. I'm totally
> satisfied; the car met my requirements for a small car with good MPG but
> still with some "personality." The tight turning radius is great. All
> dealers in my area are asking MSRP price, treating the Yaris just like
> Scion. Still in very short supply in northern Virginia.
>
> --
> Anti-Spam address: my last name at his dot com
> Charles Gillen -- Reston, Virginia, USA[/color]

I've had my own Yaris since last week; had the same problem finding one
to at least test drive (or for that matter, look at...they had a few of
the coupes but no HB's). I had stopped by the local dealer on a
Sunday, they said they were expecting 2 either that night or the next
day; I hadn't heard from the dealer by Tuesday afternoon so I called
them; they had the cars had just gotten there. I left about 20 minutes
later after work; the HB was being pulled up front so I test drove it
and beat out someone else who was test driving it to buy it. Red is
not my color of choice...but oh well, the blue one that came off the
truck was manual. I opted for the automatic only because I'm tired of
shifting especially during gridlock traffic jams.

My own pet peeves/need to get used to differences:
The interior is dark and I can't even see things on the seat next to me
if I have my sunglasses on in the garage.
I'm also noticing a lot of people "looking" at it because it is so
different. Actually...with it being "red" I almost feel like I did
when I went blonde for about a week in my early 20's...yikes!! Quit
looking!! :)
One thing I do miss about the Festiva that was displaced by my new
Yaris is the rear windows that popped out; it's been about 105 degrees
(F) and with the car in the sun...hothothot!!