Toyota Yaris, coming in spring of 06

It's not my cup of tea.

 

Too small for me...that's one reason why I'm getting rid of my current car and replacing it with a Prius. The Yaris is supposed to replace the Echo in Toyota's small car sector. It's supposed to be slightly larger than the Echo, but with less trunk space. It will be available first as a 2-door hatchback, then a 4-door model will arrive later (according to CR). There is a profile for the Yaris in the recently released issue of Consumer Reports New Car Preview 2006. With a base price of $13K, this will be a good starter car for many young people.

 

It definitely looks better than the Echo it is replacing but I'm not a big fan of having the speedometer in the center.

 

I'd take an Echo Hatchback (sorry to all the US folks here*) but the front end on the Yaris is ugly. And the rest is about an Echo hatchback.
* the Echo hatch has been sold in Canada for years now and you see them 100 to 1 compared to the sedan. A lot better looking too.


The Yaris is on sale here now, one of my friends has one 2door blue. It's ok just the front isn't to my liking.

 

I had an Echo for 2 years and loved it. It was the most reliable vehicle I had ever owned and was a joy to 'tinker' with, since there is a great site -Echofans.net- with lots of kids doing all kinds of things to their Echos to make them different. I learned a lot and still visit the site occasionally. My son has a 2003 and it is flawless. The engine is the 1NZ-FE, the Otto cycle version of the 1NZ-FXE in the Prius. He gets 40 mpg in the summer with the automatic, which is pretty darned good. Oh yeah, I sold the Echo because I liked the technology of the Prius and the greater interior room.

The Yaris is going to sell fast but even better is the 4 door version, released in Japan as the "Belta". It looks almost identical to the 2007 Camry, but smaller. Both cars are supposed to have the interior room of a compact car like a Corolla. They will be on display in Detroit at the NAIAS in January. Can't wait to go see them!

 

Belta Pics

 

I ruled out the Yaris in my car search becasue it looks like it would crush like a soup can in a crash. The 4 door version looks better than the hatch, but you can tell it's a cheap car as soon as you look at the back. I'm not really a fan of the Echo either, my brother has an '02, but at least it doesn't look that much like a cartoon car. Considering the price difference, you get way more with a Civic or Corolla. Just my two cents.

 

I ran a hired 2005 Yaris for a few days last month and was very impressed but it seems small after a Prius. All cars are vulnerable when you're in traffic but you feel more vulnerable than usual in a Yaris. On the other hand you could buy at least two Yaris for the price of a Prius

 

Just because it is small, don't think of it as unsafe. My son bought my 2001 Echo and last winter a kid pulled out in front of him at a light at an intersection and the Echo t-boned the Escort. The Escort driver was totally at fault. The Echo was totaled but the passenger compartment was completely intact and my son had absolutely no injuries. I was amazed. Needless to say, we took the settlement money and bought a 2003 Echo as a replacement.
I would think the Yaris will be as well or better built than the Echo. Put a 1 liter HSD system in it, for a good 60 mpg overall and Toyota would have the small car market sewn up!

 

I see this as good alternative to the Ford Focus. I don't know about the rest of the country, but I see a lot of Focii in my neighborhood and on the freeway. This looks about the same size and general shape. Making it a hybrid on top of that but competitively priced to the Focus is an excellent idea.

Creating a low-priced hybrid allows them to enter the hybrid-owners market and get hooked, so when they need a larger car and can afford it, they'll hopefully move up to a hybrid Camry or Prius.

 

I didn't mean to say that the Yaris was unsafe, it just looks like it wouldn't do well in a crash. It doesn't really matter though, because if you're in a crash with a semi-truck or large SUV, you're screwed no matter what. You could survive a crash in an Echo or Yaris, but the car would most likely be totaled even if it wasn't that serious of an accident. In a Corolla or Camry, you could get in a crash and probably still be able to save the car itself. However, if it came in a hybrid version for under $16,000, I would consider buying it.

 

So this gets around 40/50 mpg? Wow. Also, small cars can be suprisingly tough.

 

Looks like a Matrix replacement.

And since I've never liked the Matrix, I have to say this looks like an improvement.

But not a version of the Prius -- it isn't a hybrid. (Not that there's anything wrong with that... )

 

This is an amazing footage. I would never expect this little car to perform so well in this type of crash. I drove a smart 2 door in Europe last year and my brother has a Yaris overseas and you get used to the size and enjoy the maneuverability and easiness in parking in the small European city streets. The Yaris is extremely popular in Europe. I would definitely consider the 4 door Belta for commuting in the States.