New Yaris Hybrid Review

[dcweather]

We have now got our nice Christmas present, a silver Yaris Icon Hybrid. All seems good but a few things to set up like the Blue Tooth for phones etc. Seems pretty straightforward although I noticed after it picked up my contacts automatically it only displays numbers not names. Is this a function of the phone or the system ?(Sam S3 Mini).

Most of my wife's driving will be about 3- 4 miles in town but not busy traffic so max about 35 mph with quite a few junctions. Will "Eco" mode give the best fuel consumption for this type of journey?

Dave

[eyemdee]

I discovered when I tried to set up new Alcatel Pop C1 phones with mine that the contacts wouldn't download at all. The Yaris gave a message saying that the phone needed configuring. Apparently there is no established standard for the PhoneBook AccessProtocol but there is a solution if you have issues.

The bluetooth Phonebook App can be downloaded in a free trial version and certainly fixed mine. It's only £1.19 for the full version which does not change a random digit in each number like the trial version!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.android_rsap.irmc&hl=en_GB

The "Eco" mode may improve fuel consumption in town as it makes the accelerator pedal less responsive but I prefer the normal mode so you have power available when you need it. My fuel consumption over 3 full tanks has always been around 50mpg whether used for all town work or longer runs.

[dcweather]

Thanks for that info - may try the App. How many green bars did your Yaris have in the energy monitor. Mine has 5 of 7 showing after 200 miles of mixed driving since new. Is that right? I thought it would be fully charged?

Dave

[eyemdee]

Thanks for that info - may try the App. How many green bars did your Yaris have in the energy monitor. Mine has 5 of 7 showing after 200 miles of mixed driving since new. Is that right? I thought it would be fully charged?

Dave

The salesman explained when we test drove it that the Battery never usually gets fully charged or depleted but varies widely according to use. The highest ours has been is one bar from the top and the lowest about 2 bars from the bottom. You will find that it does charge up very quickly when on the move and particularly during braking. When it gets almost fully charged the electric motor is used more often so it soon depletes again. 5 of 7 bars is pretty well fully charged.

[dcweather]

Thanks - yes, I've done a bit more research and it seems to be about right. Recommended driving modes seem to be a bit more varied with several different opinions. There seems to be quite a strong case to not even use Eco mode and drive in normal mode but I find it hard to believe Toyota would go to all the trouble of providing this if there were no benefits. EV mode seems to have no benefit except for short manouvres and very short journeys but that's when it seems to be in EV anyway.

Dave

[eyemdee]

Yes, I agree. I have tried both EV and Eco modes and cannot see any real benefit with either. The car drives so well in normal mode and just feels underpowered in Eco. It might save a little fuel but to be honest if you are careful with your right foot you will probably achieve similar savings. As you say, EV mode is the default wherever it can be used so I see no point in that button!

[dcweather]

I discovered when I tried to set up new Alcatel Pop C1 phones with mine that the contacts wouldn't download at all. The Yaris gave a message saying that the phone needed configuring. Apparently there is no established standard for the PhoneBook AccessProtocol but there is a solution if you have issues.

The Bluetooth Phonebook App can be downloaded in a free trial version and certainly fixed mine. It's only £1.19 for the full version which does not change a random digit in each number like the trial version!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.android_rsap.irmc&hl=en_GB

The "Eco" mode may improve fuel consumption in town as it makes the accelerator pedal less responsive but I prefer the normal mode so you have power available when you need it. My fuel consumption over 3 full tanks has always been around 50mpg whether used for all town work or longer runs.

I downloaded the App but not sure it has done anything. Phonebook displays as names on a list but when a call comes in it still just displays the number. Do you think I should delete the phone contacts it picked up from the phone before the app and re-pair the phone? I am assuming that once the App is installed you don't have to do anything else other than pair it?

Dave

[eyemdee]

You don't need to re-pair the phone. There is an option on the car to update the phonebook. From memory it is in Settings - Phone or Settings - bluetooth.

[dcweather]

Maybe it's not possible with a Samsung S3 Mini although that would surprise me. It will phone out by pressing on a name in the contact list, all of which are displayed correctly. Incoming calls still only display the number even after installing the App, deleting phone and setting up from scratch. Looks like more research will be required.

[eyemdee]

There are some options in the app which mght be worth playing with, eg "Enable PBAP" which is checked on mine. It does appear however that there is no golden rule as to which phones work correctly and which ones don't. You are at least half way there if you can dial out using the phone book.