Yaris Questions

[mrpj]

I've ordered a new Yaris TR MMT for delivery in November. Just a couple of questions relating to this vehicle. I know I could ask the dealership but for the second thought a more "honest" answer could be achieved here!

1. Is it possible to dim the instrument display at night with the lights switched on? I ask because last night I saw a new TR Yaris and the whole cabin seemed to be illuminated by the speedo & tacho etc. Very bright. There's no mention of this facility in the vehicle spec.

2. I've read that the MMT 6 speed doesn't change up to 6th gear in auto mode until around 70mph. Have any owners of this box experienced this? It makes the 6th gear pretty redundant in the U.K. if that's the case. I presume 6th gear can be engaged manually if necessary as long as a reasonable speed is reached?

Thanks in advance for any answers.

[Cyker]

In the Yaris Mk1, activating side-lights, dipped or full-beams automatically dims the digital dash (I actually use that as a gauge of when to turn my side-lights on; If it's dark enough that the panel seems to glare, I turn it on!). I would assume the current model of Yaris does the same.

That said, I thought the TR used boring old analogue dials and didn't have an illuminated digital dash?

Don't know what the shift pattern of the MMT is (Personally I hate the MMT! ) but it's a pretty typical semi-auto so you can override the gear by switching to manual mode I'd assume.

[mrpj]

Thanks for that Cyker. Yes, the TR does have "analogue" dials but they are illuminated from behind and the dials in the Yaris I saw were very, very bright in the darkness. I just wondered, if like most cars now, the illumination can be dimmed manually by a rheostat?

I'm surprised that of 70 views no one else owns a Yaris TR or has bothered to reply!?

Personally I loved the MMT The choice of gearchange manually without a clutch pedal or lazy auto mode seemed to work just fine for me. I think it's down to the way they are driven/operated?

The bit I read stated that in auto 4th to 5th occurred at around 40mph and then the big step to 70mph before the change to 6th took place. But as you say, nothing wrong with opting for a manual change. Maybe the writer couldn't drive it properly or it wasn't set up correctly?

[Cyker]

Oooh, I didn't realize they were illuminated all the time; I figured they were like normal car dials (i.e. unlit normally, and gently backlit when the lights are on).

I'm afraid I will have to defer to actual TR owners for this one

I suspect does dim with lights on tho' as this is the sort of tiny detail that japanese companies tend to obsess about :)

My main gripe with most semi-autos is crawling in start-stop traffic on a hill, and shift speed (Esp. down-shifts!). I just never felt comfortable in a semi-auto. Fine with a real auto or a manual, but always felt like I wasn't entirely in control in a semi :(

There's probably a trick to it that you pick up after driving semi-autos for long enough

[PapaEcho]

1. Is it possible to dim the instrument display at night with the lights switched on? I ask because last night I saw a new TR Yaris and the whole cabin seemed to be illuminated by the speedo & tacho etc. Very bright. There's no mention of this facility in the vehicle spec.

2. I've read that the MMT 6 speed doesn't change up to 6th gear in auto mode until around 70mph. Have any owners of this box experienced this? It makes the 6th gear pretty redundant in the U.K. if that's the case. I presume 6th gear can be engaged manually if necessary as long as a reasonable speed is reached?

Thanks in advance for any answers.

Hi Mrpj

I've only been driving my M/M for 2 weeks, but find it's great swapping from auto to manual - jumping from lounge lizard to boy racer :D

Yes I can confirm that the display dims when you switch to side/head lights.

Yes you can change to 6th gear by swapping to manual mode. Also it's a good idea to switch to manual if auto is a bit 'twitchy' at low speeds. This twitchiness mostly happens in slow traffic or on roundabouts.

Paul

Edit : Remember it's a new engine and low revs in 6th overlong, should be avoided? The destruction manual suggests 1000 mile run-in period. Thoughts anyone?

[mrpj]

Thanks for that Paul. Is that issue about the change to 6th in "auto" at 70mph correct? I wondered if the writer of that had a box which required setting up properly or they weren't driving it properly?

I wonder if the instrument illumination on the Yaris I saw wasn't dimming with the lights on, it was dark (9pm), no street lighting and the display really was very bright and lit up the whole cabin of the car! It was a new "60" registration too.