Yaris - Available Spring 2006

www.toyota.ca/ for the north American version been available here in Canada for a couple of months now. Basically and Echo hatchback (avilalable in Canada for years) with a new nose. European Echo basically.

 

I rented a car in Ireland a few years ago, and wound up with a Yaris. I had never heard of it before, but I enjoyed driving it. The interior felt a little odd to me, but a lot of that probably had to do with the fact that the steering wheel was on the wrong side.

I remember being stunned by how good my gas mileage was. I can't tell you exactly what I got, but I drove from Dublin to the west coast and back, and the gauge barely budged. I'd take my Prius any day, but this will be an exciting, economic option for a lot of people.

Phil
Dayton, OH

 

You won't get that good mileage though, as it's only being offered in America with a 1.5 litre engine (boggle!). Over here, only the "Sport" variant had a 1.5 litre engine, and the new version of that hasn't actually been released yet.

The one you drove in Ireland would probably have been either 1.3 litre petrol or 1.4 litre diesel. (1.0 litre is also available - now a 3-cylinder engine in the new Yaris).

Presumably Toyota USA's marketing people are convinced Americans need lots of excess power...

 

For reference, the UK combined mpg figures are

1.0 manual 52.3 (=43.6 US)
1.4 diesel manual/MMT 62.8 (=52.3 US)
1.3 manual 47.1 (=39.2 US)
1.3 MMT 48.7 (=40.6 US)

1.5 manual (previous version) 41.5 (=34.6 US)

 

That's a shame. I know the one I drove wasn't a diesel, so it must have been the 1.3 L.

 

I have had the chance to see the Yaris and see a "suped up" (i.e. modified with a body kit) version of it in the SoCal area and I must say that I am very impressed. It is almost like a smaller version of a GTI. Not so much for style, but for size and feel. If the sporty "S" version has enough HP it could turn out to be a real "fun to drive" econo car for Toyota. B)

 

Does VW have a Yaris also? I was listening to newsradio this morning (Los Angeles/Orange County: KNX1070) and they were talking with a guy at a Detroit-area radio station whose name is Jeff Gilbert and were discussing the Detroit Auto Show. He mentioned some new automakers (Chery being one) and new vehicles from existing automakers. He mentioned the Volkswagon Yaris as being an innovative model for the compact car segment.

Was he just confusing his brands/makes or does VW have a Yaris too?? :huh:

 

The Yaris started selling in Puerto Rico three months ago and it's doing very well. Only the basic version is imported here, meaning that it has wheel covers and manual windows, thus making it about $2000 cheaper than the Scion xA (which also has antiskid control and antilock brakes). The only options here are manual or automatic transmission (an extra $1000). Rear legroom is quite limited because the car is quite small. The Yaris is very good looking and offers excellent fuel economy, but I'm past the age for manual windows.

 

He was confused. Toyota has the Yaris. VW has a lot of crappy cars. (Trust me, I've owned 2).