Car advice

[iamnicolas]

Hello guys! I am looking for an automatic car. At first i was thinking to buy an IQ but is too small and i also saw an auris but the insurance is much more expensive for me.

Now i am considering the Fiesta and the Yaris. I am also thinking about the Polo with dsg and the suziki swift but i heard that dsg is not very reliable and the boot of the swift is very small.

I drove an iq and a yaris (today) with the cvt gearbox and it was ok. Any advice for the Yaris? Anyone owned/drove both the fiesta and yaris? ( or any of the others)

[FROSTYBALLS]

For clarification - from the OP's thread on another forum, they are considering a third generation Yaris of around 2012 vintage. So the automatic will be a CVT rather than MMT.

[iamnicolas]

For clarification - from the OP's thread on another forum, they are considering a third generation Yaris of around 2012 vintage. So the automatic will be a CVT rather than MMT.

Yes, i had no idea which generation it is but i think is 2011-2012 model. Thank you

[eyemdee]

I moved from a Fiesta 1.4 Automatic to a 2015 model Yaris Hybrid in October last year. The Fiesta was a nice car to drive with the "genuine" torqe converter automatic transmission but very thirsty. At best around 40mpg on a run but around 23-26 mpg around town during the winter months. The current Fiestas now have dual clutch Powershift transmissions (ie like DSG) which is one reason why I did not buy another one.

The CVT transmission in the hybrid is absolutely brilliant but is not the same as the CVT gearbox on petrol cars. I am averaging 50mpg all the time in the hybrid. I cannot speak for the CVT in the petrol Yaris but if it is as good as the Honda Jazz CVT then it should be OK. I ran a Jazz for about 3 years which was a beauty to drive and always managed 45-47 mpg.

Before you decide, try and get a test drive in the Yaris Hybrid. Toyota's hybrid transmission has been described as the most reliable drivetrain on the road, and as automatic transmissions go it has to be one of the best for economy and reliability.

[iamnicolas]

Thank you that is very helpful! I can find a couple of hybrids within my budget, i just prefer the look of the petrol. I used to have my driving lessons on a manual Yaris and it was perfect.

Thank you for your help. Hopefully a petrol-auto owner will pop up too soon!

[eyemdee]

8 minutes ago, iamnicolas said:

I can find a couple of hybrids within my budget

At least have a test drive in one. You may be very surprised.

[iamnicolas]

I can find a couple of hybrids within my budget

At least have a test drive in one. You may be very surprised.

I will test drive it! I will let you know!

[Lustral]

2012 SR CVT owner from new here (coming up to 4yrs) . Also i drive a Golf GT DSG , Auris Hybrid , i recently had a Yaris Hybrid facelift for a day , but i prefer the pre facelift versions for looks ... the new ones are a bit too over styled for my liking. 

Also driven a new shape Fiesta ST , however that is a totally different kettle of fish 

The power delivery on a Hybrid vs the Petrol Yaris is totally different , it is almost instant on a Hybrid where as the petrol on you have to work the engine and there is a delay for the power to kick in.

Hopefully one day they will use the 1.2 Turbo engine in the Yaris ... which will balance it out a bit 

[iamnicolas]

2 hours ago, Lustral said:

2012 SR CVT owner from new here (coming up to 4yrs) . Also i drive a Golf GT DSG , Auris Hybrid , i recently had a Yaris Hybrid facelift for a day , but i prefer the pre facelift versions for looks ... the new ones are a bit too over styled for my liking. 

Also driven a new shape Fiesta ST , however that is a totally different kettle of fish 

The power delivery on a Hybrid vs the Petrol Yaris is totally different , it is almost instant on a Hybrid where as the petrol on you have to work the engine and there is a delay for the power to kick in.

Hopefully one day they will use the 1.2 Turbo engine in the Yaris ... which will balance it out a bit 

Is the CVT good? comparing to dsg? I went today and saw a Yaris SR and a Hybrid and they are nice, but the petrol is nicer! I saw a couple of Suzuki Swifts too and they seem nice but as i said before the boot is very small. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

2 hours ago, Lustral said:

2012 SR CVT owner from new here (coming up to 4yrs) . Also i drive a Golf GT DSG , Auris Hybrid , i recently had a Yaris Hybrid facelift for a day , but i prefer the pre facelift versions for looks ... the new ones are a bit too over styled for my liking. 

Hopefully one day they will use the 1.2 Turbo engine in the Yaris ... which will balance it out a bit 

Probably won't happen with the current Yaris which must be due for replacement 2017/18.

[eyemdee]

2 hours ago, iamnicolas said:

Is the CVT good? comparing to dsg?

The Hybrid CVT is different from the CVT fitted to petrol engined cars. It uses a planetary gear system instead of belts and pulleys, and allows either electric motor generator unit OR petrol OR both combined to seamlessly power the car. You need to drive one to appreciate just how good it is. I have never driven a DSG car and the reports coming through of problems with them have discouraged me from even looking at one. Before my Fiesta I had a Honda Civic i-shi*t and that was enough to put me off semi automatic geaboxes for life!

[Lustral]

2 hours ago, iamnicolas said:

Is the CVT good? comparing to dsg? I went today and saw a Yaris SR and a Hybrid and they are nice, but the petrol is nicer! I saw a couple of Suzuki Swifts too and they seem nice but as i said before the boot is very small. 

In some ways yes ... if you want smooth and linear throttle response without feeling any gearlike changes when it is very good , but the downside of a CVT it is very noisy compared to a DSG , as it will hold its RPM high as you are flooring it. 

A DSG box is very jerky at lower speeds i find , compared to a CVT . 

I do like my SR CVT , only wishing it had a bit more power and sit slightly slower , even though it is already 10mm lower than standard Yaris's. Also in my opinon looks the best compared to the other models including the facelifts ones. 

I was looking at the Swift Sport , but agreed that the boot is very smooth compared to the Yaris. The Yaris can take a buggy travel system and a small weekly shop without issues at all. 

[iamnicolas]

2 minutes ago, Lustral said:

In some ways yes ... if you want smooth and linear throttle response without feeling any gearlike changes when it is very good , but the downside of a CVT it is very noisy compared to a DSG , as it will hold its RPM high as you are flooring it. 

A DSG box is very jerky at lower speeds i find , compared to a CVT . 

I do like my SR CVT , only wishing it had a bit more power and sit slightly slower , even though it is already 10mm lower than standard Yaris's. Also in my opinon looks the best compared to the other models including the facelifts ones. 

I was looking at the Swift Sport , but agreed that the boot is very smooth compared to the Yaris. The Yaris can take a buggy travel system and a small weekly shop without issues at all. 

Thank you. The only negative about the Yaris i think is its hard-plastic interior. I saw two Yaris and both had scratched interior panels. The interior is nicely designed, just the material seem cheap and can easily get sratched. The suzuki interior does not have as many hard plastics, neither the fiesta's interior. That said they are not as simplistic as the Yaris.

I dont know! I am sure i dont want the dsg as many people have problems with them and indeed at low speed is a bit jerky. I drove a TT with it and at low speeds was very jerky. The CVT seems good and the conventional autos of the suzuki and fiesta are ok! 

[Lustral]

6 minutes ago, iamnicolas said:

Thank you. The only negative about the Yaris i think is its hard-plastic interior. I saw two Yaris and both had scratched interior panels. The interior is nicely designed, just the material seem cheap and can easily get sratched. The suzuki interior does not have as many hard plastics, neither the fiesta's interior. That said they are not as simplistic as the Yaris.

I dont know! I am sure i dont want the dsg as many people have problems with them and indeed at low speed is a bit jerky. I drove a TT with it and at low speeds was very jerky. The CVT seems good and the conventional autos of the suzuki and fiesta are ok! 

I had mine coming up to the 4th year ownership , purchased from new. Minimal scratches on the plastic near the doors foot scuff area and near the gearbox location otherwise all other areas are in good condition. Right handside of the drivers seat leather bloster in my SR looks a little worn , but nothing a leather revitaliser will sort that out. The front of my SR has lots of small stone chips , but that is expected. I got the Chilli Red version and not the darker metallic version   

Remember the Yaris is car that does what it says on the tin and not a luxury motor with top notch materials inside. It does the job :)

Let me know what else about the car you want answering :) 

[iamnicolas]

3 minutes ago, Lustral said:

I had mine coming up to the 4th year ownership , purchased from new. Minimal scratches on the plastic near the doors foot scuff area and near the gearbox location otherwise all other areas are in good condition. Right handside of the drivers seat leather bloster in my SR looks a little worn , but nothing a leather revitaliser will sort that out. The front of my SR has lots of small stone chips , but that is expected. I got the Chilli Red version and not the darker metallic version   

Remember the Yaris is car that does what it says on the tin and not a luxury motor with top notch materials inside. It does the job :)

Let me know what else about the car you want answering :) 

You are right! And it does the does very well as a reliable Japanese car. I want to drive a swift too and then decide - i went today but they weren't able to take any cars for test drive. I might have to go in the weekend again. 

I think the SR is the best looking Yaris and it is exactly what i am after - a reliable first car ( in the UK) !

[Lustral]

Picture of my SR when it was clean last Saturday 

[iamnicolas]

Really nice car!  I think the Yaris is the most fuel efficient from the 3 cars i am considering! 

[Lustral]

Im lucky to get 40 MPG at the moment out of it ;) but then again i do drive with a lead foot. But it does beat the Golf that i have which is in the low 30s at the moment. 

Having said that , you should get 40 something without issue at all , as long as you are easy and dont use that SPORT button too much. 

[iamnicolas]

One question i have is whether the car is ok in the motorway? Is it noisy ??

[Lustral]

3 hours ago, iamnicolas said:

One question i have is whether the car is ok in the motorway? Is it noisy ??

It is 'ok' on the motorway , keeps up with traffic without much issues , overtaking you will need to plan a little ahead. The SR doesn't have cruise control as standard , but you can retrofit on if needed.

Noise level wise , its tolerable and you don't need to shout to hear other passengers.

 

[iamnicolas]

1 hour ago, Lustral said:

It is 'ok' on the motorway , keeps up with traffic without much issues , overtaking you will need to plan a little ahead. The SR doesn't have cruise control as standard , but you can retrofit on if needed.

Noise level wise , its tolerable and you don't need to shout to hear other passengers.

 

Is it easy to retro fit the cruise control? I will need it i think. Both the swift and the fiesta am looking have cruise control!

[Lustral]

2 minutes ago, iamnicolas said:

Is it easy to retro fit the cruise control? I will need it i think. Both the swift and the fiesta am looking have cruise control!

If you google hard enough , you will find a guide on what parts to order and a guide to install it.

[iamnicolas]

As of now the Yaris is the most fuel efficient and seems to have the whole package of stuff i want. Does it has automatic headlights or/and wipers? ( i know is not a luxury car, just asking) 

[Lustral]

6 hours ago, iamnicolas said:

As of now the Yaris is the most fuel efficient and seems to have the whole package of stuff i want. Does it has automatic headlights or/and wipers? ( i know is not a luxury car, just asking) 

Not on the SR , I believe it is only on the Excel model that has automatic lights / wipers . Personally I find them a hindrance on the Golf which seems to turn on the lights and or wipers at the most annoying times .

 

[iamnicolas]

Do all Yaris with the screen on the dashboard have navigation system?? If not can you install it? Does the SR has parking sensors?

Also i want to know if the 5 year warranty is transferable to a second or third owner? And if there any requirements for the warranty to be valid for 5 years! (Service at Toyota dealership only etc)