Ae's Review Of The New Yaris

[BassaJay]

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/firstdrives/271780/new_toyota_yaris.html?CMP=NLC-Newsletters&uid=5cbd2a1e3dcd55e98382a7df06ea6815

[PumpkinSteve]

If it had been a VW it would have got five stars I gave up reading car mags because they're always biased, except Which magazine.

[BassaJay]

How things change, two years ago Toyota & Honda could do no wrong. Now its the turn of Skoda & Hyundai to rule, hope their floor mats do not get stuck under the accelerator pedal!

[Lorna2]

How things change, two years ago Toyota & Honda could do no wrong. Now its the turn of Skoda & Hyundai to rule, hope their floor mats do not get stuck under the accelerator pedal!

Hyundai don't even have their own Original Badge, they just copied the Honda one.

[Madasafish]

I read the article . They did not like the cheap dash plastics compared to the Fiesta and Polo.

I looked at all three: looked the same to me.

Frankly I don't give a fig about dash plastics.. last thing on my mind... . Typical motoring journalists who have the intelligence and common sense of a drunken rioter on an off day..

(I read a glowing review of a BMW 5 series touring which said how wonderful it was. Then as an afterthought the writer stated the ride was very harsh and jarred on potholes... Obviously a total idiot cos potholes and speedhumps are the UK driving experience in town. I would have said any car like that is totally unsuited to the UK. Period.).

[Hartside]

When I had my car in at VW the other week for a service I sat in the new Polo. I didn't think it was anything out of the ordinary and actually prefered my wife's Yaris inside

[Lorna2]

I read the article . They did not like the cheap dash plastics compared to the Fiesta and Polo.

I looked at all three: looked the same to me.

Frankly I don't give a fig about dash plastics.. last thing on my mind... . Typical motoring journalists who have the intelligence and common sense of a drunken rioter on an off day..

(I read a glowing review of a BMW 5 series touring which said how wonderful it was. Then as an afterthought the writer stated the ride was very harsh and jarred on potholes... Obviously a total idiot cos potholes and speedhumps are the UK driving experience in town. I would have said any car like that is totally unsuited to the UK. Period.).

Well said!

[Lorna2]

I don't see what the 'problem' is with plastic dashes. What else would they expect the dash to be made of? I've only ever had cars with plastic dashes (various brands) and didn't see anything wrong with having plastic. I suppose they had to make up something to complain about. Maybe motoring journalists want a fabric dash

I was in a Polo one time, I was so unimpressed with it that I didn't even take it for a test drive. The polo was so dull and boring looking inside(and out)and dated. What did I buy instead? My first Yaris,then another Yaris.

Whever wrote the article in autoexpress must be jealous because they haven't got a Toyota

[Adam C]

I got so bored of reading their completely biased reviews of new Toyotas that I stopped buying Autocar ages ago.

I'm pretty certain even the journalists accused the Polo of being a bit bland or dull, yet they still give it a good review and speak of it when describing another car. And as for the dashboards, I don't see how the quality of the plastics used can make or break the reason why you should choose one car over the other - would people be so gullible to choose a car that had a harsh ride over one that smoothes out almost every bump on the road just because of the quality of the dashboard? NO!

They pick up on every little issue THEY - and not us - have with a Toyota as if you should steer well clear of them. What if I don't want a Fiesta? I've driven a Corsa and it ain't anything special. Worse in comparison to the Yaris on almost every front if you ask me. Yet the journos always give it a mention.

[Bos]

I agree about the plastic dash, but how many people who have made comments about the new Yaris have actually driven it ?

I have and was not totally impressed. I don't want a car with all the bits like reversing camera, blue tooth etc., but I do want one with air con. and the more basics.

Unfortunately the cheapest model Yaris with air con etc. but a 1.3 engine is £13,260 + metalic paint ( nearly £14,000 ). I think that is a bit pricey for the equipment I want.

I do understand however that the new model is aimed at the younger market who do want all those gadgets. I was told that the average age of a Yaris owner is 62, I know that I am just a little older than that, but I wonder how many people under 40 would buy a Yaris or could afford to ?

[daveybee]

I'm with Bos on this one! My wife and I were invited to drive a new Yaris and take part in a "market research" questionnaire and, as it turned out, we ended up doing a side by side comparison between our '09 1.33 Yaris SR and a new SR.

First impressions were OK - it looks a smart little car from the outside, but then we got inside and everything started going south... all the quirkiness of previous Yarii has gone and we felt it had been turned into a bland, featureless "euro-box". I won't bore you all with details, but suffice to say that the interior is not as nice a place to be as the old one, it may handle marginally better, but the ride on the new SR is harsher than the old one (possibly something to do with the 195/50/16 Yokohamas) and the cabin noise is certainly no better than the old one. The impression driving it gave me was one of a small van of about 10 years ago rather than a new, smart little market sector leader.

All in all, it was a bit of a disappointment (which we truthfully reflected in our feedback) - we certainly won't be trading our little Yaris in for a new one any time soon... let's see what Mr. T can do with the Yaris HSD! Dave.

Edit: Just read the review at the front of the post - IMHO it's depressingly accurate... could be time for me to take cover!

[Bos]

Edit: Just read the review at the front of the post - IMHO it's depressingly accurate... could be time for me to take cover!

Why take cover, you are allowed to speak you mind ( at the moment that is )!!

I compared the new Yaris to my 2008 1.3 TR and I felt the same as you. I am looking for a replacement at the moment and am considering the Mazda 2, but it takes some changing since I have had Toyotas since the middle of the 1970's.

[daveybee]

Ah, it's a refreshing change to be able to speak my mind and not get flamed!

I regularly contribute to one of the larger photography forums (being a long time and very keen photographer) and people get very precious over there, about their equipment and their views... That's why I feel comfy contributing here, my comments seem to be appreciated even if they're not universally agreed. Cheers, Dave.

[Lorna2]

I don't want a car with all the bits like reversing camera, blue tooth etc., but I do want one with air con. and the more basics.

Unfortunately the cheapest model Yaris with air con etc. but a 1.3 engine is £13,260 + metalic paint ( nearly £14,000 ). I think that is a bit pricey for the equipment I want.

I do understand however that the new model is aimed at the younger market who do want all those gadgets. I was told that the average age of a Yaris owner is 62, I know that I am just a little older than that, but I wonder how many people under 40 would buy a Yaris or could afford to ?

What!! Average age of 62 I'm 27 and I drive a Yaris and so does my Mum, and she's under 60. Must admit though I do like the gadgets that are in the new Yaris. But there are some gadgets I'm glad it doesn't have such as cruise control as I'd never use it or silly heated seats. You could always go for white then that takes a few hundred off the price for the metallic paint and still looks good.

[Bos]

[What!! Average age of 62 I'm 27 and I drive a Yaris and so does my Mum, and she's under 60. Must admit though I do like the gadgets that are in the new Yaris. But there are some gadgets I'm glad it doesn't have such as cruise control as I'd never use it or silly heated seats. You could always go for white then that takes a few hundred off the price for the metallic paint and still looks good. The 1.0 is nippy enough for me so I wouldn't need a 1.3.

The average age of a Yaris owner was told to me by a Toyota dealer. ( I find that hard to swallow too! ).

[Madasafish]

I suspect the 62 quoted was of a brand new Yaris owner .. not a secondhand one.

Judging by the age of the owners I have seen at Pinkstone service, 62 could well be - how can I put it diplomatically ? - a tad on the low side...:-)

[Lorna2]

I suspect the 62 quoted was of a brand new Yaris owner .. not a secondhand one.

Both my Yarises were new.

[Red Yaris 54]

I would consider that the Yaris is a "ageless" car that appeals to young and not so young equally.

I do feel however that Toyota are trying to aim the Yaris at a younger Market while they have targeted the new Verso S (which shares the same running platform and mechanicals as the new Yaris) at the older age group

[avensis57tr]

Bit underwhelmed by the reviews of the car saw one driving around Sheffield the other day and the outside looked great will have to reserve judgement on the inside until I sit in one but judging by others views doesn't look very good. They'd be able to reduce the price even more on the t-spirit if it didn't have a panoramic roof.

[Cyker]

Well I know one reason the Mk1 was very popular for older people was because it was one of the few small cars which were still easy to get into due to the driving position being so high.

It's a very big shift for them to target kids with the new one, and a bit misguided IMHO as it's too expensive for new drivers and not moddable enough for the boy racer market.

The car's main strengths are that it's solid and (hopefully!) reliable, has decent handling and is insanely cheap to run. Also, given that you can fit a decent sized drumkit in mine, there's probably space for some guitars or an amp on top it this one

[spwolfx]

Edit: Just read the review at the front of the post - IMHO it's depressingly accurate... could be time for me to take cover!

autoexpress hated your yaris too... probably even more :-)

[BassaJay]

Another opinion

http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/toyota-yaris-1-33-review/258864

[Lorna2]

I read the review by What Car about the new Yaris, I see it says the 'Yaris isn't as fun as a Fiesta or as posh as a Volkswagen Polo' They must be joking!

The article goes on to say they don't like the plastics in the Yaris.

So I thought I'd see what they had to say about the Fiesta and Polo that they seem to love so much.

Here's what they said about the Fiesta 'some of the plastics in the cabin are poor.' And

'Ford has put plenty of effort into making the Fiestas interior as distinctive as its exterior, but you cant help feeling that a few corners have been cut. Most models get black plastic door pulls that look and feel cheap, while the plastics lower down the dashboard, and on the rear door panels, have a low-rent feel'. So much for ridiculing the Yaris plastic.

Then I had a read of what they said about the Polo

Polo 'The entry-level models get underpowered and noisy 1.2-litre petrol engines.'

Ride & handling - 'a fair amount of body lean through bends ' 'Bumps can cause a bit of bounce'

Refinement 'but the entry-level 1.2s are at best an acquired taste and at worst downright noisy. The diesels are disappointingly clattery and transmit some unpleasant vibrations through the pedals.'

Quality & reliablilty ' the reliability record of Volkswagens is generally no better than so-so, and the Polo's reliability was rated as merely average in the 2011 JD Power customer satisfaction survey.'

Fiesta or Polo, give me the Yaris any day.

[Bos]

[Fiesta or Polo, give me the Yaris any day.

I know you like your Yaris, but the quality of the Yaris is no where near the quality of the mark one or come to that the Starlet they replaced.

I have owned Toyotas since the mid 70's and the present range although having lots of extras are not as well finished as those from the middle 80's.

[Lorna2]

@ Bos

I do love my Yaris indeed. You said the MK2 Yaris is not as good as MK1 or the Starlet. I would say that the quality of my current Yaris is just as excellant as the MK1 Yaris. I have had both MK1 and MK2 Yarises. I had other brands but they came nowhere close to as good as the Yaris. I was thinking of getting an IQ or Auris next but now the new Yaris has me tempted instead.