2007 Toyota Yaris Review

Specifications

What is the first thing most people think of when they think of a subcompactcar? Small and cheap usually comes to mind. A small car with a smaller interior being pulled by and even smaller engine is most often the case. These cars are also built to be cheap. Cheap design, cheap materials, cheap quality, cheap on gas and a cheap price tag. The most basic of four-wheeled transportation is what the public has long had to put up with in this segment.

Today, however, the manufacturers have begun to listen to the people who buy entry-level vehicles. Cheap cars don't have to look and feel cheap, after all, and to that end almost every subcompact on the market has been given visually pleasing, yet inexpensive designs to make buying a sub $20,000 vehicle a little less embarrassing. The Yaris sedan, brother to the popular Yaris hatchback, is one of those cars.

The Yaris has one of those designs that I can't quite make my mindup about. I’m just not sure if I really like it. Head-on the Yaris looks like an animated whale from a Disney movie grinning back at me, yet from the side it portrays a handsome design. From some angles, the lights look very stylish, while at other angles they look a little cheesy. Aerodynamics was a big factor in the design as the Echo had an impressive 0.29 drag coefficient. Giving any new cars’ design the dual job of appealing aesthetically as well as being fuel-efficient, can’t be a simple process. Whatever my final verdict will be, the Yaris is nevertheless a modern looking car that no doubt appeals to a large variety of people, considering how many are already on our roads. I think we can all agree that it’s a big improvement over the Echo.

While the car’s distinctive looks will do its job winning over buyers, Toyota's build quality is the attraction most people will be sold on. Body lines are as parallel as any high-end Toyota product, and the entire car is solid and tight. Toyota has stiffened up the overall structure, as well as made it larger than the Echo. The more rigid body is quite noticeable in its driving characteristics, while the extra girth makes the interior as spacious as older Corollas.

As the predecessor to the Yaris, the Echo was riddled with storage compartments, although the carsuffered from an interior that lacked style. The Echo paid more attention to usefulness than to design, and for that it won its fair share of loyal owners. The Yaris, on the other hand, has equaled out the style to utility ratio, by getting rid of some storage bins, but greatly increasing the cabin’s overall looks. The most likely owner of a Yaris will be a younger driver, a student or a young adult starting out in their careers. And what do all these people have in common? They are all on the go and love to carry around a massive amount of stuff. Small cubbyholes just behind the dash’s center console work well to house cell phones, wallets and such things. I was particularly impressed with the cup holders, as they were located in a near perfect position on the dash to keep concentration on the road. Tim Horton himself must have designed them as they clamp down on coffee cups with amazing tenacity, allowing for total stability in all but the harshest of driving conditions. Coffee junkies will rejoice, no doubt, but the only problem is that the cup holders aren't much good for any other type of drink container.

One big surprise was the seats. Being a subcompact, naturally I wasexpecting the worst when I picked up the Yaris. However, once I took my seat I was greeted with a pleasant hug from behind, as the seat supports cupped my body in all the right places. The support isn't quite competition-like, as with a GTI, per se, but it’s very good nonetheless. The seats are also quite firm yet comfortable. Absolutely no complaints from my back, even on longer journeys.

Then there is the dash. What an improvement. The center mounted gauge cluster has been retained, only looking a little sharper with some digital readouts. Down the center of the dash sits a stylish stereo system on top of three funky Tonka toy-like climate control dials. Everything is simple to operate, and looks great on the silver background that floats on the all-black dash. The entire interior was colored black on my tester, and while this gives the car a quality look, the lack of lighter colored trim on the doors can be a little overpowering. Some extra silver trim sprinkled here and there would have made the doors look more sophisticated, while breaking up the monotone coloring scheme. Styling wise, I was very impressed; the only problem being a large visible screw located in the door handles. The door locking mechanism also looks a bit nasty, giving the whole area an unfinished look. Also, I'm not sure if the previous journalists that drove this car were pulling a bunch of 180s and stretched the hand brake cable or if it was just out of adjustment, but whatever the reason the hand brake was much too loose. The only other problem I had with the entire car was that the rear 60/40 folding seats did not fold flat. This took away a lot of usable cargo space as well as cut nearly 50 percent out of the trunk’s pass-through usability.

Those who have read my articles before will know thatI love light cars with small displacement engines. Well, the Yaris is almost as light as they come at 2,348 lbs while sporting a 106-hp 1.5L engine. The low weight allows for excellent fuel efficiency while allowing the 1.5L to compete with cars boasting much more displacement. One weakness I found was with the automatic gearbox that has a tendency to hinder the full potential of the engine. While the 1.5L powertrain package won't be winning any performance awards anytime soon, it is inspiring to know that Toyota’s European operations are planning a 1.8L 131-hp special edition Yaris. Although it will most likely only be offered with the hatchback version, this could really pump up the car’s image as a possible tarmac ripper, and would give it the potential to be quite a weapon on the open road. One can only hope that they find their way across the Atlantic.

Dreaming aside, the Yaris is one of the most fuel-efficient gasoline powered cars I've driven. Driving the car for 217 miles in city conditions, with fuel efficiency being the farthest thing from my mind, I only managed toburn three quarters of a tank of fuel. With a 11.1 gallon tank, it hardly cost me anything to top it back up. I love driving small cars! The little engine is covered with a very small hood, however. Toyota techs and back yard mechanics will likely not like the tiny opening, as it makes working on the car’s engine quite difficult.

Like its big brothers, the Corolla and Camry, the Yaris proves itself capable when it comes to handling. Toyota's sedan lineup may not look the part, but hiding underneath each car lays excellent grip and road holding ability. I found the Yaris' capabilities to be outright superb, as its limits far outmatched my expectations. Body sway was a little much, and passengers may find themselves getting a little sea sick if the limits are explored, but despite running on snow tires the Yaris cornered with goodstability and without any unseen surprises. In the city is where the Yaris shows what it's made of. Traffic, parking and back alley driving is a cinch in the car. Its compact size, good turning circle, great visibility and overall nimble, maneuverable nature makes fighting the city streets an enjoyable game. And while the electrical power steering had a vague feel for the road, it was tight and responsive.

The Yaris will continue Toyota's dominance in the small car market as it offers the brand’s regular traits of excellent fit and finish, high build quality and great fuel efficiency for a very competitive price. This will keep Toyota’s faithful even more so. However, now Toyota can go to bat with the added bonus of a good, modern design for both the interior and exterior, along with great handling and impressive comfort. Truly, Toyota has positioned the Yaris well against all the newcomers in the sub-compact segment.