17 plate hybrid.. Opinions please

[Magenta13]

Hi all, 

I'm about to buy a yaris hybrid auto 1.5 bitone (collect tomorrow) 

Having read reviews online, I'm now having a few doubts...I'm mainly city driving in a city with steep hills. Much longer journeys monthly. 

Is it easy to fit parking sensors? 

Is it as economical as they say it is

Is it comfortable for long distance

Is it expensive to maintain a hybrid

Does it have enough power up steep hills (my mk 3 jazz was rubbish) 

Anything else, good and bad?

I'd be really grateful for your opinions, it's an hp car, so will have it for a very long time. 

[flash22]

Is it easy to fit parking sensors? - yes, tbh they are not needed, the rear camera and mirrors are plenty

Is it as economical as they say it is - 60-75mpg in the warmer months, 55-65 in the winter

Is it comfortable for long distance - It depends on your dimensions, you may find you need a bit more lumber support

Is it expensive to maintain a hybrid - not really - water pump, brake booster and AC are all electric, no alternator

Does it have enough power up steep hills (my mk 3 jazz was rubbish) - no problem - hybrid is a very different way of driving

Anything else, good and bad? - 16" alloys can make the ride a bit harsh, brakes can be a bit grabby at low speeds, the 12v Battery is an AGM type these are in the £120-160 range you should last 8-9 years tho lockdown has killed a fair few due to the lack of use,

[Richard Davies]

I recently bought an 18 plate & have more or less mastered it, especially as I hadn't driven an automatic before.

I've found the CVT can be a bit slow to accelerate but it's fine once you get to the right speed.

Compared to the pedal travel needed on my Nissan Micra, I found the brakes to be sharp, but I now know they only need a tap a slow speeds.

[Cyker]

@flash22 - BTW, have you sat in a Mk4? I'm curious how you'd compare the rear visibility of the Mk4 to the Mk3 - e.g. would you say the Mk3's is a lot better, or just a bit better? (I know it won't be worse  )

 

 

[flash22]

2 hours ago, Cyker said:

@flash22 - BTW, have you sat in a Mk4? I'm curious how you'd compare the rear visibility of the Mk4 to the Mk3 - e.g. would you say the Mk3's is a lot better, or just a bit better? (I know it won't be worse  )

 

 

Its got a bigger rear than a 600 Lb Texan, mk3 has much better rear visibility compared to the mk4 the mirrors also seem a very undersized (Mk4), only had 2 drives one in a lunch edition when they first come out and i think it was a mid spec one about a year ago seats on the higher spec cars are nothing special and lack lumber support for me unless bold upright, 17" wheels are way too big, on the fence about the ebp - how are you going to impress the ladies without a proper handbrake turn saying that it barely has chance to break traction

2023/24 should see a facelift, hopefully with some improvements £25K is at the more premium end, but it does feel a little cheap

[Magenta13]

Thanks for your input. 

 

I know nothing about Toyotas, specs or whick mk it is. I've never owned a Toyota or a hybrid or even an automatic before, so I'm a little nervous about making this purchase for sure. 

[Derek.w]

Power not a problem use B mode going down long hills

I am aciving 70 mpg but live on top of a hill this is more than Toyota quote for MPG

[Cyker]

5 hours ago, flash22 said:

Its got a bigger rear than a 600 Lb Texan, mk3 has much better rear visibility compared to the mk4 the mirrors also seem a very undersized (Mk4), only had 2 drives one in a lunch edition when they first come out and i think it was a mid spec one about a year ago seats on the higher spec cars are nothing special and lack lumber support for me unless bold upright, 17" wheels are way too big, on the fence about the ebp - how are you going to impress the ladies without a proper handbrake turn saying that it barely has chance to break traction

2023/24 should see a facelift, hopefully with some improvements £25K is at the more premium end, but it does feel a little cheap

I figured as much... this is the annoying thing about making cars 'safer' - Sure the bodyshell is now so strong it can flip over an Evoque (That still makes me laugh  ) but I'd rather trade some structural rigidity for being able to see!! I want to know what happened to those invisible pillars Toyota supposedly patented... If any car needed them it's this one!!

It still annoys me I can't do reverse manoeuvres as easily in the Mk4 - In the Mk1 and Mk2 I could just look over my shoulder and reverse almost as well as I could go forwards, but in the Mk4 not a chance.

Also not a big fan of the EPB as I don't see how it will help in an emergency, but at least it's automatic now so I don't have to fumble for that tiny switch. Always thought that was daft, having to put an autobox in P and then manually activate the EPB - Amazing it's taken manufacturers so long to link the two systems!