Choosing Yaris trim level: Design vs Excel

[MG95]

Dear all,

I am currently trying to choose between an Yaris Design and Excel and was wondering whether you could provide feedback on which would be the better pick. The extra equipment in the Excel seems worth the money in my opinion (and I like the light seats), but I was wondering the following:

• Seat comfort: Excel seats appear sportier and more supportive, but I was wondering if they are more comfortable as well (in terms of cushioning)?
• Ride comfort: is the ride on the Excel uncomfortable relative to the Design? Asking because of the 17 vs 16 inch wheels
• Fuel consumption: is there any significant difference in fuel consumption between the two models? Also because of the wheels
• Noise: is the Excel quieter than the Design at cruising speeds (for instance because of better insulation fitted)?

Like I said I like the interior of the Excel better, but I wouldn't want to pay more for a trim which is noticeably less comfortable (either because of seats, ride quality or ride noise) than the trim below.

Thank you for any help in advance.

[MG95]

P.S.: Regarding noise, I watched a video of an Italian review channel (here) where they measure noise inside a Yaris Excel and the values are much lower than the Jazz or other competitors (even lower when considering the DB scale is logarithmic and not linear). I am not sure if this is specific to the Excel version due to better soundproofing or if it would be the same across the range.

[wivenhoe]

I would say that when ordering seriously consider the pan roof. Makes the car feel far more spacious. 

[Jimota]

My only gripe with the design model is the drivers seat.  There seems to be less support on the left lateral side and I’ve yet to find the ideal driving position.  Other than that, the design model has everything that I require and overall it’s a fantastic car.

[Big_D]

I have driven both. We own a Yaris Excel and are really happy with it all round. I was offered the use of a Yaris Design as a loan car when my C-HR went in for some warranty work

• Seat comfort: Excel seats appear sportier and more supportive, but I was wondering if they are more comfortable as well (in terms of cushioning)?

Both my Good Lady and myself find the Excel seats to be very comfortable. Personally, I find the Excel to be more more comfortable and had no discomfort after a 300 mile trip. 

• Ride comfort: is the ride on the Excel uncomfortable relative to the Design? Asking because of the 17 vs 16 inch wheels

The Design is slightly better on this front. The Excel gives a harder ride, but remember, wheels and tyres can be changed as @Cyker has done.

• Fuel consumption: is there any significant difference in fuel consumption between the two models? Also because of the wheels

While I get to drive our Excel (on the odd occasion - it is SWMBO's car after all), I get around 72mpg. With the Design, I got around 78mpg. I reckon I could do better in the Excel if I really tried and must point out that our Excel has a panoramic roof (which I believe makes it slightly heavier and possibly less fuel efficient).

• Noise: is the Excel quieter than the Design at cruising speeds (for instance because of better insulation fitted)?

I found them both to be about the same.

 

To summarise, I would go for the Excel if given the choice. I find the lighter interior makes the car feel bigger inside than it actually is when compared to the darker interior of the Design.

 

 

 

 

[Mojo1010]

I wanted the excel for the extra equipment over the design. Though since hud and JBL were no longer available, decided to opt for the design due to better comfort on the tyres. 

Don't know about seat comfort between the 2. Fuel is slightly less on the excel probably due to wheel/tyre size, that isn't a big deal. Wouldn't think the excel had better insulation. 

Find the ride comfort of the tyres on the design are good. Spoke to a driving instructor with the excel, he was struggling with the comfort of the tyres. Not 17" v 16", it's about the tyre profile. Not much air in the excel with the 45 sidewall. 

 

[Cyker]

Big_D's pretty much spot on; Bigger rims have more mass and rotational inertia (Need more energy to spin them up, like heavier flywheels) so if you're in lots of stop-start traffic they will have a bigger impact on mpg, but if you're mostly cruising distances at more or less the same speed then the impact is less noticeable

I will say, having been in an Icon not that long ago, I did find the 'normal' seat weirdly more comfortable than the 'sport' seat in my Excel, as I didn't get as much back ache when I wasn't using my Spinal Support Towel (tm). Maybe I'm just the wrong shape or have some sort of spinal deformation  

I think 16" rims are the sweet-spot for the Yaris - They look just right and have the best balance of efficiency and steering feel.

Mine came with 17s and they were kinda harsh and noise, and IMHO look kinda stupid (Too much rim, not enough sidewall) but I was going to change them anyway as they wouldn't survive a week driving around the pot-hole ridden hellscape that is London.

My Excel is on 15's now, which is helping me get the ridiculous MPGs I've been getting, but when I had the Icon, the 16s weren't noticeably worse comfort-wise, but they did highlight how woolly the 15's have made the steering on my one  (The car is already over-assisted for my tastes, but with the 15s I basically have no feedback through the wheel as to what he front wheels are doing   Luckily the increased chassis stiffness compensates for that a bit, so I can feel what the car is doing through the ol' 'seat of the pants' instead...!)

 

 

[MG95]

Thank you all! Leaning towards the Excel while maybe picking the smaller wheels (even though the 17s look better!).

One final question: are the light seats in the Excel very prone to getting dirty/coloured and/or hard to clean? A well known drawback of light seats.

[Big_D]

So far we've had no issues with ours. We've had the car since December last year.

[Cyker]

51 minutes ago, MG95 said:

Thank you all! Leaning towards the Excel while maybe picking the smaller wheels (even though the 17s look better!).

One final question: are the light seats in the Excel very prone to getting dirty/coloured and/or hard to clean? A well known drawback of light seats.

Hey it's your car - If you prefer the 17's, go with the 17's!

I'm just a very function-over-form type person (And also the roads down here are just too poor - I'd likely be replacing the tyres every few months on 17s! ) 

The seats themselves seem fairly resistant - When a friend found out I had the light interior they warned me about wearing jeans, as apparently light colours are very prone to transfer from the dye in jeans, but mine don't seem to have had that issue.

However, the right-side bolster, where my arm rubs against, and the arm-rest in the middle, are very prone to getting dirty from my arm rubbing on them and I have to wipe them down fairly regularly.

I must admit, were it a choice I'd have gone for the dark interior were it an option. It does make the cabin feel less oppressive tho' - When I had the Icon, the dark interior felt very claustrophobic by comparison, esp. when combined with the relatively poor visibility.

[isnsiie]

I ordered a design at the beginning. However I called the dealer and changed to excel after few months. I compared and the extra equipments on excel is worth the money for me. It is 18 wheel, I may change to 16 wheel when the stock tyres wear out. But it is still acceptable with 34psi pressure at front wheel.

However I would rather go for AWD if I could. It would be more reliable in worse case, just my thought😂

[Roy124]

10 hours ago, isnsiie said:

I ordered a design at the beginning. However I called the dealer and changed to excel after few months. I compared and the extra equipments on excel is worth the money for me. It is 18 wheel, I may change to 16 wheel when the stock tyres wear out. But it is still acceptable with 34psi pressure at front wheel.

However I would rather go for AWD if I could. It would be more reliable in worse case, just my thought😂

I agree about the extras.  Not sure your logic for AWD.  More reliable in what way?  No suggestion that it would be unreliable with AWD, but more to go wrong.  Can it have a spare wheel and AWD?

[flash22]

I would go for the Excel if it wasn't for the light coloured interior, the 2 specs are very different, 17" does affect the ride quality, fuel and noise the difference is negligible unless it has the pano roof, the cars are identical under the skin

[YarisHybrid2016]

On 8/23/2023 at 8:55 PM, wivenhoe said:

I would say that when ordering seriously consider the pan roof. Makes the car feel far more spacious. 

It's not available on the Yaris or YC at the moment!

[MG95]

19 minutes ago, flash22 said:

I would go for the Excel if it wasn't for the light coloured interior, the 2 specs are very different, 17" does affect the ride quality, fuel and noise the difference is negligible unless it has the pano roof, the cars are identical under the skin

Does the pan roof negatively affect any of those? Ride quality, noise and fuel consumption.

[flash22]

It adds 50-60kg so has an effect on noise and fuel consumption

[isnsiie]

6 hours ago, Roy124 said:

I agree about the extras.  Not sure your logic for AWD.  More reliable in what way?  No suggestion that it would be unreliable with AWD, but more to go wrong.  Can it have a spare wheel and AWD?

In case wet, ice, flood on the road, the iAWD could provide more grip than FWD.

[TonyHSD]

13 minutes ago, isnsiie said:

In case wet, ice, flood on the road, the iAWD could provide more grip than FWD.

Yaris does not come in awd-I , only Yaris cross does. 
In case when wet, icy or snowing if you have no suitable tyres the awd may not be a lot of help.
Tyres are way more important than driving axle (s). 

[Cyker]

For some reason you can only get things like AWD and 360 camera on the JDM-spec Yaris Mk4 - They aren't even options on the Euro-spec ones, never mind the UK-spec ones!

To be fair the AWD isn't like the AWD in the GR Yaris - It just assists when moving off and at very low speeds, but doesn't put any extra power down at normal driving speeds. It doesn't have any sort of selectable torque bias like the GR's does, and it adds a hefty chunk of weight which impacts the rated mpg noticeably, so you're not missing much.

I do like the idea of AWD, and am always vaguely disappointed that it doesn't come as standard on all cars in this day and age, but realistically I can't think of any situation where I'd actually use it - The traction control on the Mk4 is very good and got me moving and stopping on some very slippy surfaces during that brief flurry of snow last year, and I can't imagine needing anything more than that (If conditions were worse than that I'd not drive for fear of getting a bus or HGV up the jaxie! )

 

[isnsiie]

4 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

Yaris does not come in awd-I , only Yaris cross does. 
In case when wet, icy or snowing if you have no suitable tyres the awd may not be a lot of help.
Tyres are way more important than driving axle (s). 

I mixed up the cross 😅

[Tel 2]

AWD kicks-in multiple times dependant on road surface conditions & how one drives.

Fuel consumption is good & there are a couple of Pre-programmed Systems that ensure AWD is

beneficial.

Tel

[Roy124]

17 hours ago, Cyker said:

I do like the idea of AWD, and am always vaguely disappointed that it doesn't come as standard on all cars in this day and age, but realistically I can't think of any situation where I'd actually use it - 

As @Tel 2 says, it depends on road surface conditions.  On 'good' urban roads and limited speeds it is possibly of less benefit.  On rural roads, no speed limit, bends, and lots of gravel, particularly when freshly laid, it might be of benefit.

That said, I no longer drive pedal to the metal and don't need to do 2g turns.

[CruxisCore]

For what it's worth, here in Finland we have like 4 months of the year where you might need it for the snow and another few when everything is so wet and muddy that you might need it again when headed to your remote cottage 😄

That said, I've yet to be in a situation here either where I needed AWD for anything, although it wouldve helped many times. The most common scenario is probably just getting out of the parking lot after a winter night with 20cm of snow. Even if someone plowed the lot, usually the cars end up inside these snow walls and then you gotta flip the coin of do you clean it before attempting to get out or just try to power through it (and maybe end up with tyres spinning with no movement)

[Primus1]

We rarely get bad winters anymore, if the uk has a couple of snowflakes land then the whole road network grinds to a halt, I briefly considered awd but couldn’t really justify the extra expense over the 2wd, for the use I would put it through, of course, should the situation require it then you’d be glad to have it, 

[Stopeter44]

On 8/23/2023 at 9:55 PM, wivenhoe said:

I would say that when ordering seriously consider the pan roof. Makes the car feel far more spacious. 

That's true, especially if you live somewhere where the sun doesn't shine strongly, except for say July and August. If you live in the northern hemisphere then it's appreciable. I had one in previous car, and loved it in the north of France, but couldn't use it other than in the deepest winter where I live now.

If you go with the panoramic roof, you'll have to pass on the emergency spare wheel as a delivered from factory option.

On 8/23/2023 at 10:29 PM, Jimota said:

My only gripe with the design model is the drivers seat.  There seems to be less support on the left lateral side and I’ve yet to find the ideal driving position.  Other than that, the design model has everything that I require and overall it’s a fantastic car.

I bought some back support things, because I found it hard to get a comfy position, and 1h15/1h30 is the limit for a stretch of driving for me.