Yaris Hybrid

[Yolina]

Calm down, calm down

I am calm :P off to give my ickle 206 a last wash... I've had it for just over 10 years, so it's going to be a bit strange for the first few days!

[timberwolf]

Except for those of us who bought early Gen IIIs, with the specially reduced weasel warranty. As you say, repairs are few and far between, so Toyota left us in the lurch for very little cost. It also appears to have massively reduced the residual on these cars as the sadly missed GC also found out to his cost.

As a direct result of this, I have not and will not replace mine after 2-3 years as I have done previously. Result, one less new Toyota sold, and one less second hand one for my dealer to make a profit from.

I strongly recommend against buying a new Toyota.

I view things differently. A car is a consumed item, it has a very short life. What it will be worth as it ages will always be a huge gamble. You can't easily predict either how the market will change, what a manufacturer or distributor may do, how reliable the car will be (reality or perception), what governments are up to (taxes, congesting charging, incentive schemes, etc), supply & demand (and by observation I think the car manufacturers rig the market), etc.

[Yolina]

Got it :D I guess a little job for the weekend is going to be reading through the mammoth user guides

[BassaJay]

Got it :D I guess a little job for the weekend is going to be reading through the mammoth user guides

Congratulations, enjoy your new car.

During a 7 month wait for a new car a while back and apart from following relevant postings on it via its forum site, I was able to download the owner's and sat nav manuals so by the time I got the car I was well up to speed. Not sure why Toyota do not make the owner manual etc. available to download prior to getting the car, after all most other marques seem to.

[Yolina]

Yeah it would be nice to have that before collecting the car. Loving things like "do not drive the vehicle if you are unfamiliar with the location of the brake and accelerator pedals to avoid depressing the wrong pedal" :lol2:

It's going to take a bit of time before it feels like "my" car, I'm just so used to the 206 xsi which I've had for the last 10 years. Somewhat a little be sad to wave goodbye to that one, it's been a good little car actually.

[Madasafish]

It's going to take a bit of time before it feels like "my" car, I'm just so used to the 206 xsi which I've had for the last 10 years. Somewhat a little be sad to wave goodbye to that one, it's been a good little car actually.

Having test driven 2 Yaris hybrids- maybe a total of 1 hour's driving- what I do like is the ability to get in and drive having read nothing. Everything falls to hand and usage is instinctive..

Not that I can use the satnav or the radio mind. :-)

[Yolina]

True, but it's little things, like the switch for the windows for instance, which aren't where I'm used to having them - not that I need the instruction manual for that :P but I still like to have a read through. Will have a play with the radio/sat nav thingy tomorrow as the last ALMS race of the season is starting soon so that's what I'm watching for the next many hours :D

[Yolina]

All starting to feel less alien now :) but just a minor annoyance: the clock...I don't suppose there's any way to have it display in 24h format rather than 12h?

[wizzie]

Am picking up my yaris hybrid t spirit next week.

Can anyone tell me what the latest map update is for the touch and go system so I can make sure I have the latest update.

Is there anything when I pick up the car that I need to be careful of or check??

Excited!

[johalareewi]

Am picking up my yaris hybrid t spirit next week.

Is there anything when I pick up the car that I need to be careful of or check??

Check the tyre pressures.

[BassaJay]

Am picking up my yaris hybrid t spirit next week.

Can anyone tell me what the latest map update is for the touch and go system so I can make sure I have the latest update.

Is there anything when I pick up the car that I need to be careful of or check??

Excited!

That's good news, I'm sure you will be very pleased with it.

The latest map version is EUL20120620. This one was released shortly before I collected my car so the dealer performed (at my request) the update for me. Hopefully your car will come with the latest version installed.

Very little to look out for really apart from the obvious things such as bodywork dings/scratches etc. When I got mine there were some spec. omissions (UK cars) in spite of the brochure/website descriptions such as driver's centre armrest, boot deck board and if you opt for the panoramic roof, that is in fact not powered but manually operated. You also miss out on the vanity mirror lamps with that roof.

[Teemu]

I have now driven about 6800 miles, no problems and really fun miles! Very happy on the low mpg, average of 65,85 mpg with worst 57,65 mpg and best one 74,34 mpg. (I have 15 inch alloys). When driving in the city and moderate speeds on highways mpg is really good.

Weather is getting colder, now near zero but mpg still quite good last fill up 62 mpg. Next up winter tyres, snow and cold winter, yikes! Electric engine heater is also now installed so it is warm inside even on very cold mournings. Brilliant car in every way!

Happy Hybrid driving to all!

[thomas_tz]

I have now driven about 6800 miles, no problems and really fun miles! Very happy on the low mpg, average of 65,85 mpg with worst 57,65 mpg and best one 74,34 mpg. (I have 15 inch alloys). When driving in the city and moderate speeds on highways mpg is really good.

Weather is getting colder, now near zero but mpg still quite good last fill up 62 mpg. Next up winter tyres, snow and cold winter, yikes! Electric engine heater is also now installed so it is warm inside even on very cold mournings. Brilliant car in every way!

Happy Hybrid driving to all!

Hi Teemu, thank you for sharing your experience! I am thinking of getting a yaris hybrid myself in the coming months, and I test drove one for a few miles (motorway and smaller roads) a few weeks ago. I liked the feeling of the car. One question I have for you is this: I watched this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrVh0ZBXW0c, and the reviewer says that he hates the way the car breaks (around 4:09). Do you feel that he is right? Is the breaking "unnatural" or dangerous, in your opinion? I will go back and test drive the car again, just to be on the safe side.

Thank you,

Thomas

[Joseph D]

... and the reviewer says that he hates the way the car brakes (around 4:09). Do you feel that he is right? Is the braking "unnatural" or dangerous, in your opinion?

Hi Thomas,

You have driven the car, so what do you think?

I would say that since you can't really remember anything remarkable about the brakes or braking, you do not agree with the reviewer.

However, in saying that, the reviewer may be making a comment on the keen positive braking that Toyota Hybrids have. Perhaps the "unnatural" or dangerous aspect will be if you drive another non-hybrid after some time driving a hybrid, you will find the brakes to be sluggish and unresponsive in the other car. :-) I know that in an emergency stop situation, the hybrid stops really quick and does not loose traction, and I like the positive response it gives me.

That's what i have found anyway.

HTH

[mcdrivingschool]

I've been teaching people to drive in my yaris hybrid, some have their own cars too, no one as had a problem with the brakes, it does stop very well, surprisingly well considering the small tyres. I also have another car, a VW Golf, both myself and my girlfriend drive both cars without any problems changing between them and she has only been driving since February.

Martin

[Yolina]

Only had mine 2 weeks but haven't really noticed anything about the brakes. They are rather efficient (which I was told about by the salesman before test driving it!) but there's certainly nothing "unnatural"about it as far as I am concerned.

[BassaJay]

Nothing untoward as far as brake performance is concerned but I have noticed one trait. The Yaris HSD gets rear discs as opposed to drums fitted on others in the range and my rear wheels seem to gather more brake dust than the front ones - I would expect visa versa.

[mcdrivingschool]

Nothing untoward as far as brake performance is concerned but I have noticed one trait. The Yaris HSD gets rear discs as opposed to drums fitted on others in the range and my rear wheels seem to gather more brake dust than the front ones - I would expect visa versa.

Mine the same more brake dust on rear wheels, I'm guessing its down to the electric motor doing more braking than the front brakes?

[Teemu]

No problems with brakes. Couple of times had to stop quickly and no problems at all. Yaris Hybrid is all around great car, can really recommend!

[kithmo]

I recall when certain new cars were scarce and they commanded premium prices for about 6 months. Then supply picked up and the premiums vanished..

The BMW Mini was a typical example of that.

[BassaJay]

Nothing untoward as far as brake performance is concerned but I have noticed one trait. The Yaris HSD gets rear discs as opposed to drums fitted on others in the range and my rear wheels seem to gather more brake dust than the front ones - I would expect visa versa.

Mine the same more brake dust on rear wheels, I'm guessing its down to the electric motor doing more braking than the front brakes?

That is more than likely the reason, wonder if Prius/Auris HSD owners experience the same?

[Yolina]

my rear wheels seem to gather more brake dust than the front ones

Oh yes, *that* I've certainly noticed too...

[mcdrivingschool]

my rear wheels seem to gather more brake dust than the front ones

Oh yes, *that* I've certainly noticed too...

Which makes me think there is a possibility the rear brake pads may wear out first.

[timberwolf]

I'm surprised that the Yaris Hybrid is getting more brake dust on the rear wheels. My Prius gets virtually no brake dust on the rear wheels, I sometimes wonder if they are being used at all, but I'm sure they must be otherwise I'd probably end spinning out.

In terms of unnatural braking, the Prius Hybrids models have a feature that can occur if a wheel slips under light braking. In this particular case, it appears that the regen braking has to be switched off completely and then the friction brakes applied. The switch is very fast but you can still feel it, because it feels like the brakes have "let go" and the car feels floaty. It should be noted that some owners have incorrectly describe this sensation, saying that their car had speed up or accelerated.

If you want to see if the Yaris Hybrid also has this feature, find a man-hole cover in a suitable place where you would brake lightly, for example coming up to a junction, and see if you get the wheel slip to occur and the regen braking to "let go".

Apparently, there are some people (I assume a minority?) who react to the above situation by taking their hands off the steering wheel and lifting off the brake pedal.

[kamperman]

Hi, Great forum lads spent ages look though Thinking of getting Yaris Hybrid but was wondering if anybody as got any deals on car? or options Even :)