And picked up a Prius. I can't get over the catlike reflexes of this car. It's like riding on rails!!!!!
I drove a Yaris once, scared the Hell outta me!! Good step up!! Welcome to the group, life is interesting out here. You have questions, here are answers!!!
Nice way to describe eCVT in the Prius. I have never driven a Yaris but drove a loaner Corolla for a day. I was disgusted at it's highway passing performance considering it has 1.8l gas engine with more peak horsepower. I think the automatic transmission is the weak link.
Cat-like reflexes? I'm not meaning offense here, but it's interesting to see people think the Prius handles well. I had a Porsche Boxster before the Prius. The Prius handles like crap compared to the Boxster. However, I went into it knowing that it would not handle anywhere close to how well the Boxster did. I'll miss that about the Boxster. I also averaged 26mpg out of it and could get an honest 31mpg out of it on the freeway. Anyway, handling is relative. The Yaris must be much worse! There is still room for improvement in the Prius. Eventually I want to get the front strut brace, rear chassis stiffening plate and lower it about 1". Glad you are enjoying the car, though! Keep the MFD on Consumption. Getting instant feedback greatly helps you learn to get better fuel economy.
Yeah I was thinking that the Yaris must've been horrible. I have driven Yarises many times (06, 07 and 09s) but rarely on the highway. They're ok. :welcome: and congrats!
The Prius' handling is adequate and feels a bit more nimble than my former (a bit too soft) 02 Nissan Maxima. However, I can relate to your comments as its handling sucks compared to my 350Z. But, that's no surprise. The Prius isn't a sports car and is FWD.
OP has the Touring Edition, which handles significantly better than the sub-par (I'm being euphamistic) handling of the Standard Prius.
Prior to buying the 2009 prius, I was very very close to getting the Yaris. The price was right and mpg was good, and I just really wanted something basic and easy to maintain. But a coworker of mine has one and while he loves his yaris, he warned me me against the car. The light weight makes it very prone to hydro-planing and he says that sometimes he'd find himself on the next lane if a big gust of wind blows by on the highway. Anyway, welcome to PC.
I love my Prius, but it doesn't handle as well as my Ford Focus did. That was about all the Focus had going for it, which is why I now have the Prius.
I really don't know that much about the Yaris, but from the sound of comments, I hope they improve it considerably when they "hybridize" it. The Prius is the largest car I've ever owned, and I think I'd be comfortable in something smaller for the daily commute. I've been driving the wife's Corolla over the past two months and frankly don't care much for the way it handles (the Prius, even non-touring, is much better). I guess I'll just have to wait to see what they come up with for the Yaris and give it a test drive! Jim
