Yaris Bad Rap

[SaveOurSouls]

Does anyone else feel that the Yaris gets a hard time from the British general public? When I tell people that I had changed car the reaction is usually one of a few things:

1. Why did you go for a small car?

2. Oh, they are....ok

3. Isn't that a bit small?

4. You could have got a Vauxhall

Now, I love the Yaris so this confuses me, I had one friend take it for a drive and his opinion changed from "its a small boring ladies car" to "this is quite nice". Why does a Yaris have this unfounded reputation? I feel if more people test drove them that a great deal more people would see the attraction, regardless they have no shortage of popularity so I guess some of us must see them for the great value cars that they are.

[Heidfirst]

They are a small car. If you had gone for a Corsa etc. you probably would have got the same comments re. size.

Iirc the the Yaris is generally reckoned to be one of the most reliable cars that you can buy.

It's your money & you are happy so others can take a running jump! :P

[SaveOurSouls]

Haha indeed. I guess because I see it as such a great car and that its overlooked I feel I need fight its corner :0

[FROSTYBALLS]

Think Toyotas get a hard time from the public and the media in the UK.

The American owned companies chase market share in the UK, their cars suffer higher depreciation but have a higher profile. As a result, their cars are cheaper on the used market.

The VW group also chase market share, but also trade on their past reputation for reliability - an area where they haven't actually been very strong for a number of years.

Toyota don't chase market share in the same way, being more interested in actually making a profit. Both the American companies and VW would love to earn the same profit margin on their cars as Toyota do - which is in the region of four times more than the American companies earn.

The Yaris has been Toyota's best selling car in Europe and the UK for a number of years, and in 2015 the Aygo was Toyota's second best selling car in the UK.

[SaveOurSouls]

Interesting and good to know, I'll certainly be saving this information for later lol

[FROSTYBALLS]

Comparing the net worth of companies produces some interesting results:

Ford - $47.5 billion

General Motors - $40 billion

BMW - $61.2 billion

VAG - $79.5 billion

Nissan - $48.1 billion

Toyota - $236 billion

[Heidfirst]

VAG's market worth has probably dropped a bit in the last few months ... :P

& Toyota, of course, are not confined to just automotive related products - it also has sewing machines, marine (motor cruisers/engines), builds houses etc. etc.

[FROSTYBALLS]

& Toyota, of course, are not confined to just automotive related products - it also has sewing machines, marine (motor cruisers/engines), builds houses etc. etc.

..... as are corporations like Hyundai whose interests include, vehicles, ship-building, heavy plant, machinery, steel, etc

[Heidfirst]

actually quite a few of what was Hyundai's previous group divisions have been spun off including motor & shipbuilding (Hyundai Heavy Industries). But Hyundai Kia Motor Group still is diverse including steel , parts, construction, IT etc..

Tbh I suspect that many of the top motor groups are - simply by dint of scale it's worth doing some things themselves by setting up their own rather than subcontracting another company. Unusually though GM sold off it's component/parts company (Delphi) a no. of years ago.

[MEP's Yaris GS]

Can't say I've ever had the same comment that you have about our Yaris'.

[SaveOurSouls]

lol, I got it again today "why a small car". Well its nobody else that drives but me so sod them, its everyone else that's missing out on such a great car.

[bathtub tom]

I had the 'small car' comment when I decided to go for a Yaris. I suspect folk are generally ignorant and assume it hasn't changed since its earlier versions.

It's all to our advantage if buying second hand, it keeps priced low if they're perceived as unpopular.

My previous car was an Almera. Deemed as uninspiring at the time I bought it (cheaply), but it did things the Focus it replaced couldn't. I had it for nine years!

[Peter S]

When we were looking for a new car I looked at the Auris as I thought the Yaris was too small but having driven the demonstrator we got the sport hybrid, It's bigger than you think and not much smaller than the Auris to warant the extra cash!

[SaveOurSouls]

I also considered the Auris but when it came to it I didn't want to pay extra for space that I didn't need. What I ended up with was more features than I needed but are all are a welcome feature. I have found the 1.33 engine provides the right amount of acceleration for what's needed also, my favourite part has to be the tight turning circle after coming from a big heavy avensis.

[PumpkinSteve]

The public do tend to turn their noses up at them, and I think they're wrongly given a hard time by motoring magazines too, although a lot of people now realise that reviews are essentially paid advertising now. I bought my first Yaris, a brand new 1.3 SR, in 2007. It got very average reviews from magazines, saying it was uncomfortable and had bad handling. Neither of these things are true, and in fact it was the most comfortable car I've owned. My girlfriend has a 9-year-old Yaris and it still has no rattles!

I like them because:

They are comfortable and come with decent-sized wheels rather than massive ones for 'sportiness'.

They're easy to drive - the steering and clutch are nice and light.

They feel big and airy inside.

They're practical and well thought out e.g. on the Mk2 Yaris you had the flat rear floor, the sliding rear seats, THREE glove compartments! and the boot shelf that gave you a flat loading space. Unfortunately only the flat floor remains on the current model :(

Hopefully for the next Yaris they'll give it back some of the charisma they took away.

[SaveOurSouls]

Yeah I also noticed that reviews weren't great, I have driven a multitude of cars and none have felt quite as responsive as the Yaris. Light quick turning, sharp breaks and feedback from the gears make for an enjoyable drive. The Yaris seems quite happy cruising along or if giving it a bit of gas.

I must admit the cars that I have driven which have been the most fun have been the Polo and the Golf but then I'm not prepared to pay for a car that's over priced. I would rather have something that's underrated as to get more car for the money (so to speak haha)

[Heidfirst]

if you have ever driven for a living for any length of time there comes a point when you realise that reliability trumps "fun to drive". ;)

[SaveOurSouls]

It would seem for most that reliability is an after thought. Going from my 5.5 years of owning an Avensis I would find it difficult moving away from Toyota due to the little time and money I had to invest into maintenance. (even drove the poor thing on a worn clutch for at-least a year)