Yaris Sr 2013 - Headlight Brightness?

[TimTaylor]

Been offered a really good deal on trading in my IQ2 for a Yaris, and I'm interested in the 3 door SR.

I've read that the headlamps are a bit disappointing? I used to have rubbish headlamps on my Avensis T Spirit, but my Auris SR180 was perfect.
Now I read that the lights on the Yaris might be poor.

I love my IQ2, but circumstances mean I could probably do with upsizing. I don't want an Aygo though. Test drove a VW Up! last week; super little car, and would be my preferred choice, but VW can't (or won't) finance the negative equity that's on my IQ2 (I owe more than it's worth, sadly).

Any other concerns with the 2013 Yaris I should be aware of?

I was going to go for the 1.3 3-door.

Or should I stick with my IQ2 until I absolutely MUST upsize? How are these things going to sell in 2 - 3 years time when they are no longer made and unservicable by anyone other than Toyota?

What Car? seems to hate the Yaris, suggesting a Fiesta or Polo would be better suited, but I can't find a nice review for a Toyota car on there, so guess they are fan boys of Mr T!

Look forward to comments.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Headlamp lighting seems to be a personal choice. Some people find the light produced by OE bulbs to be rather poor, others are OK with the OE lighting.

If you do change cars and find that you would prefer better lighting, the easiest and cheapest method of improvement would be to change the headlight bulbs for brighter bulbs such as Osram Nightbreaker +90%, Ring xenon Ultima +120% or Philips X-treme Vision +100%. Cost around £15-30 for the bulbs. Available from Amazon, Autobulbs Direct, Powerbulbs, etc.

The IQ will be due for replacement soon - I would be surprised if it wasn't replaced.

As regards servicing, there is no reason why an IQ should be unserviceable by non-Toyota garages. The 1 litre engines are the same as in the Aygo and Yaris. The 1.33 litre engines are the same as in the Auris, Urban Cruiser and Yaris.

No-one can predict used car values in 2/3 years time. The market does fluctuate and values rise and fall according to supply and demand.

Honest John gave the Yaris 4/5 stars - http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/toyota/yaris-and-yaris-hybrid-2011/

Which? gave the current Yaris a score of 80% and named the Yaris as a Best Buy in the supermini class. In the 2013 Which? Car survey the Yaris achieved an 82% owner satisfaction rating.

If you wish to wait a bit longer before changing, alternatives to the IQ include the new Aygo (on sale in 2014), and the new Hyundai i10 (on sale later this year).

[suffolk40]

I had read about the headlamps before we took delivery, but actaully have found them ok, as stated above bulb swap is easy enough if you want a bit more output.

[Parts-King]

I ran a 1.33 Yaris CVT for a while and the headlamps were very poor to me. That was sorted out by fitting the Toyota Optibright bulbs. (£25 ish) The car is a treat to drive, the only other downside for me was an average 45 MPG which I personally feel is poor. I have a steady right foot and can get good MPG out of cars, but the Yaris is a steady 45, aprt from those two things, I like the car

Kingo

[suffolk40]

I ran a 1.33 Yaris CVT for a while and the headlamps were very poor to me. That was sorted out by fitting the Toyota Optibright bulbs. (£25 ish) The car is a treat to drive, the only other downside for me was an average 45 MPG which I personally feel is poor. I have a steady right foot and can get good MPG out of cars, but the Yaris is a steady 45, aprt from those two things, I like the car

Kingo

Ours is averaging 45mpg and that is with only 1k on the clock, personally i'm happy with that from an automatic, especially considering it has a torque converter. Our previous Aygo only managed 5mpg more and was a world apart in terms of refinement, space and quality and was saddled with the 'not great' MMT gearbox.

Is the bulb swap a DIY job on the Yaris or do you have to have 5 tiny hands?

[Parts-King]

I think I am ruined by driving Hybrid models, I know the Yaris is an auto but I think in this day and age 45 MPG is not as good as it could be for a 1.33, thats just my opinion

The bulb job is not too bad, it is much improved by fitting better bulbs

Kingo