Debate Yaris vs. Smart Car Please help!

[Airforce1]

Hello everyone. Well i have been lurking the forums for about 1 month now and i was pretty much sold on buying a yaris. To give you a little background i currently commute 100miles daily to and from work (all highway) I currently drive a Jetta Vr6:headbang:. I love the car but its horrible on gas im spendnig about 60 dollars a week.

Long story short i want a daily commuter thats good on gas, keeping in mind i need something thats decent on the highway. So i had my heart set on the yaris until a colleague of mind told me to check out the smart car. Yes there two very different cars and its hard to compare but i wanted everyone’s opinion on comparing the two. Obviously I’m going to get a little bias opinions since your all yaris owners, but any help is greatly appreciated.

THANKS! And hopefully i will be making my decision in the next week!

[staticorex]

Well the Yaris will have more cargo room if you would ever need it. But if mpg is the only thing you care about... Hope that helps.

[hatchbackkid82]

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[MadMax]

Hello everyone. Well i have been lurking the forums for about 1 month now and i was pretty much sold on buying a yaris. To give you a little background i currently commute 100miles daily to and from work (all highway) I currently drive a Jetta Vr6:headbang:. I love the car but its horrible on gas im spendnig about 60 dollars a week.

Long story short i want a daily commuter thats good on gas, keeping in mind i need something thats decent on the highway. So i had my heart set on the yaris until a colleague of mind told me to check out the smart car. Yes there two very different cars and its hard to compare but i wanted everyone’s opinion on comparing the two. Obviously I’m going to get a little bias opinions since your all yaris owners, but any help is greatly appreciated.

THANKS! And hopefully i will be making my decision in the next week!

AF1

Glad to see a fellow Zoomie on here!

Second, I also came from a 'Dub, a 96 Passat GLX wagon with a VR6 and 5-speed. Mine had a Neuspeed P-flow and rocked :headbang:, but like you the gas mileage wasn't great and I was driving like a frigging maniac in it all the time.

I saw the Yaris and really liked it, then I had an opportunity to drive one as a rental down at MacDill. That sold me and I bought a 08 HB shortly afterward.

Some things about the Smart, for one it requires premium gas. That's about a 25 cents per gallon difference here, and adds up quickly. Secondly, there is absolutely no storage room behind the seats nor is there (obviously) any way to take more than one passenger. Thirdly, I wouldn't trust a Smart on the highway for too long at decent cruising speeds, the wheelbase is just too damn short...

http://justinsomnia.org/images/toyota-yaris-smart-fortwo.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2391/2430142808_693535642b.jpg

I drove a ForFour in Germany for a week and it was a nice car; but they don't sell those here. The ForTwo would be a great city car, but since your commute is mostly highway I would recommend going with the Yaris. But I will admit I am biased!

Cheers! M2

[Tamago]

Scion IQ

http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-2008/r-z-0-9/2008-Toyota-iQ-Side-Comparison-with-Yaris-1920x1440.jpg

[SIPNGAS]

.

Herbie..this is the second time I've seen this!! What IS it? lol:bellyroll:

[Tamago]

http://redirectingat.com/?id=42X122&url=http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090408/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_toyota_tiny_car_1

[staticorex]

Herbie..this is the second time I've seen this!! What IS it? lol:bellyroll:
I second that. :p

http://redirectingat.com/?id=42X122&url=http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090408/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_toyota_tiny_car_1

Page not found. :/

[CKaelin]

So it's official? The IQ will be Scion? Is it coming to the US in 2010? My local Toyota dealer knows nothing about them.. Grrr..

[Tamago]

Page not found. :/

that's what i get for not clicking first

The boxlike yet curvy "premium four-seater" encapsulates Toyota's strategic ambitions to woo buyers of European models like German Daimler AG's Smart two-seater. It is also an attempt to engineer bigger profits from usually cheap small cars.

The iQ starts at 1.4 million yen ($14,000) in Japan, about 330,000 yen ($3,300) more than the Vitz subcompact — the Japanese market branding for the Yaris — and targets urban drivers who park and scoot around in tight spaces.

It fits three adults plus a child, dog or luggage, and gets 23 kilometers a liter, the equivalent of 54 miles per gallon. Overseas mileage numbers will vary. A Camry gets about 31 mpg, while the new Prius is billed to get 50 mpg.

"We've explored all the possibilities of smallness. With this car, making a U-turn gets to be a true joy," said Hiroki Nakajima, chief engineer for the iQ, which Toyota says evokes words like "individuality," "intelligence," "quality" and "cue."

[1stToyota]

Herbie..this is the second time I've seen this!! What IS it? lol:bellyroll:

Looks like he's up to 5 times now :rolleyes:

[kustom play]

the IQ looks kinda cool, but unless your in europe or are single and live in the downtown area where everything is in walking distance its not going to work well.

i have 2 dogs, and 3/4 of our cars are 2 seater with (some) trunk room

if i didnt have the yaris going to the stores like ikea, lowes/depo, walmart would be near impossible.

i never thought about that when we bought our cars, it was like yaaaaaa sports cars YES!

then when real life kicks you in the face and your at ikea and want a small book shelf its like ohh shit, this will never fit!

i really wish scion would of brought over that open deck bB, or come out with like a new version of the old T100 mini trucks and i would be all over that!

if the car had more room i would be totally interested, as another toy sure! but as a daily driver it wouldnt work out for most peoples needs

[Tamago]

So it's official? The IQ will be Scion? Is it coming to the US in 2010? My local Toyota dealer knows nothing about them.. Grrr..

scion, yes, and hopefully out this summer!

if it's priced where it SHOULD be (under 12,000 dollars) i'll pick one up. i need a new project :D

[Tamago]

the IQ looks kinda cool, but unless your in europe or are single and live in the downtown area where everything is in walking distance its not going to work well.

the smart car is by far WORSE in this department.

[MadMax]

Look folks, the OP is in the Air Force, and we don't buy any car that we can't get our golf clubs into!

So no Smart car or iQ, it's gotta be a Yaris!

By the way, while at the dealership last weekend I sat in a xB. Now I know why I never considered it. If I want to drive a box, I will take my Jeep!

I also tried a tC and it was too small for someone of my height and age.

As such, I naturally recommended the Yaris!

[kustom play]

i think the new xb/xd look horid

i love the new venza but they only come in auto :(

[Astroman]

The yaris takes cheaper regular fuel, gets better mpg than the smart, you have cargo and passenger room, and I've never had an issue with long trips. I averaged 80mph on a 1500 mile round trip in our new '09 manual, and the worst mileage I got with a loaded car was 35.5mpg. If I went the speed limit I know I could have broke 40. Plus with the stuff we had there was no way a smart could have made the trip, or been anywhere near as comfortable.

[Airforce1]

I agree the yaris is probally the most practical car for everyday use in terms of size and mpg. But now with the new iq i must admit it is very tempting. It fills up that gap between the smartcar and the yaris in terms of size...

[Loren]

Jetta TDI.

I love the Yaris, but that is the end of the discussion, unfortunately.

If you like your Jetta, the TDI version will solve all of your problems.

[kustom play]

the think the IQ offers seating for 3 but i still dont think it has great trunk room

[voodoo22]

The only benefit of the smart car in my opinion is a smaller foot print and marginally better fuel economy unless driven with discipline.

The Yaris is much better on the hwy takes regular gas, costs less and would probably sell for more and more easily. Those are just a few reasons I wouldn't consider the current smart over a Yaris.

[Tamago]

the think the IQ offers seating for 3 but i still dont think it has great trunk room

yup, 3 seater. trunk should be about 1ft deep. i'd imagine the IQ is going to come with lots of cool compartments as well, like the yaris.

[staticorex]

Jetta TDI.

I love the Yaris, but that is the end of the discussion, unfortunately.

If you like your Jetta, the TDI version will solve all of your problems.

And your car won't sound like "whooooooooooooo" It'll "Vroooom" :p

[MadMax]

Jetta TDI.

I love the Yaris, but that is the end of the discussion, unfortunately.

If you like your Jetta, the TDI version will solve all of your problems.

Loren

I would almost agree with ya as I seriously considered the Jetta SportWagen TDI back when diesel was considerably higher than gasoline. But I did the math and found that it would take eight years to reach the break even point as compared to the regular gasoline-engined Jetta wagon.

Plus, to get one equipped the way I wanted I was looking at $24-26K and figuring I picked up my Yaris for $16K I thought it was a better deal.

But I bought my car mainly as an inexpensive commuter. We have five vehicles and Sprocket is mainly just to get me back and forth to work, and to run a few errands here and there. For that it is perfect.

Cheers! M2

[marcus]

this should be IQ vs smart.. yaris is not on the same catagory..

plus ur on yaris thread..mostlikely yaris will win this..

smart is too small and noisy due to its diesel engine although its pick up is pretty impressive but its limited to i think 130 or 140 km/hr

[tuckevalastin]

You don't ask this question on a Yaris forum and expect any sort of fair review. That being said I'd go with the Yaris and that is a completely unbiased opinion.

[ROCKLAND TOYOTA]

scion, yes, and hopefully out this summer!

if it's priced where it SHOULD be (under 12,000 dollars) i'll pick one up. i need a new project :D

doesn't look like this year and i heard mid 15's to start.....

[SailDesign]

Let's see...
The Yaris is cheaper to buy, eats cheaper gas, has more interior volume, better performance, better gearbox, an from the original figures, got better gas mileage on top of it all. Plus, its spares are Toyota-priced, not Mercedes....

No contest.

[wooverstone8]

Another advantage to getting a Yaris is that Toyota is offering (at least in my region) $1000 cash back. I don't think Smart is giving any rebates or incentives?

[supmet]

Nobody bothered to mention the smart car is a death trap?? weird

[SpaceShot]

I would have to say Yaris. I ran a spreadsheet analysis comparing Prius, Yaris, Fit, Smart 4/2, and Mini, for 3 months before buying the Yaris a year ago. The premium fuel additional expense eats up the mileage benefit for both the Smart and the Mini. And if you check here as well as Fueleconomy.gov, you will see larger percentages of Yaris owners beating EPA rating than for the others.
(but I don't deny that the Mini isn't fun to borrow or rent for the weekend...)

I do 120 miles/day of country 2 lane and freeway driving, averaging 40-45 Mpg each commuting trip. I have even done some careful FE runs and duplicated my trip record of 52.5 Mpg. My coworker gets 44-54 Mpg in his Prius for a much shorter commute.

Even though my prior ride was paid for and getting 23 Mpg on the commute, at $3.70 gallon and 42+ Mpg, the fuel savings of the Yaris pays for the loan expense. Not to mention having avoided some major maintenance expenses that were soon to come after 166K miles on the other vehicle.

I am putting just $30/week into the Yaris tank. (compared to $75+ before)
Fortunately for me, the Yaris has the same engine and wheels as my wife's first gen Scion XB, which makes it even more cost effective to do my own tire and oil changes and any other basic maintenance.

On a business trip to Bern, Switzerland I saw a lot of Smart cars in the city, but Opel and others in the outlying areas. If you want the most economy and might do at least some of your own maintenance, get the Yaris. If you only ever get dealer service and style or character is important, you might still consider the Smart.
But certainly rent one or get an extended test drive and try on at least a good portion of your daily route.

[Sirius-XM]

One issue that comes to mind is driver fatigue. The Smart 1.0 liter engine has to work harder to maintain highway speed. While OK for city/surburban driving the drone of the Smart's engine would take it's toll on longer trips. Even the Yaris is hard on longer trips.

Back in my younger days I had a 1972 Volkswagen Super Beetle. I drove that thing all over the Northeast. It was excellent no frills driving and it was rust not mechanical problems that did it in. It was very tiring at times. The Yaris is much more comfortable that the Bettle was. Still I probably wouldn't want to make those same trips today. Maybe I'm getting older <VBG>.

[Sirius-XM]

Nobody bothered to mention the smart car is a death trap?? weird

It's actually not. The Smart is built around a safety cage that absorbs the impact of the crash. I have seen some (Mercedes sponsored) crash videos and it held up remarkable well. One thing it has going for it is less weight means less inertia. Of course, that won't help if your caught between two SUVs

[supmet]

I have seen some (Mercedes sponsored) crash videos and it held up remarkable well.

IT holding up well is what you don't want in most serious accidents. If that was the goal everything would still be solid steel. Crumple zones are necessary to absorb the impact - the smart, and I'm sad to say, the IQ as well, are just too small to have proper crumple zones. Either solid objects(cars, walls, etc) will enter the cabin, or you'll hit lethal forces on deceleration. There is no magic way around this. Barring ablative car armor or honeycomb aluminum, the yaris is about as small as you can get and have a good chance of surviving ALL types of highway crashes.

[Sirius-XM]

From the Smart website

"The smart fortwo meets or exceeds all federal government crash test standards, including a 5-star side crash rating, and the highest scores for front and side crashes from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety."

"Te highlight of the safety management system is the tridion safety cell. The safety cell is made from steel, half of which is high-strength material, especially in highly stressed areas. The cell is designed to keep occupants protected. The reinforced steel and the design of the car, including the wheel bases, allow the distribution of the crash energy."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnVNUvixWUQ

[tk-421]

You don't ask this question on a Yaris forum and expect any sort of fair review. That being said I'd go with the Yaris and that is a completely unbiased opinion.
+1

[aeipee13]

Well the Yaris will have more cargo room if you would ever need it. But if mpg is the only thing you care about... Hope that helps.

doesn't the yaris get better mileage? i read somewhere that even though the smart is listed at 33 city and 40 highway it isn't true. Reason is because the engine is so small you spend a lot of time on the pedal even compared to the Yaris.

[Yaris Hilton]

Heck, I went to the Toyota place pretty much set on buying a liftback Yaris, till I compared the liftbacks and sedans side by side and saw how much more I could carry in a sedan. No way I could get by with a Smart. When I rode motorcycles with no luggage capacity, at least I could wear a backpack. The Yaris sedan works as well for hauling cargo home from the grocery store, Wal-Mart, etc. as the big Volvo 850 Turbo sedan I traded off. And it can capably handle some especially bulky recreational equipment I like to haul on occasion.

[Airforce1]

Thank you for everybodys feedback. After some careful consideration and everyones responses i will be going for the yaris! I hope to be posting pictures soon!!

[Astroman]

Yay! :clap:

[UTVitz]

Though I own a yaris HB I've been thinking about and test driving any smart I can find on lots. They are cute, they get mostly favorable attention, and are different from conventional transportation-kind of like a motorcycle. However, that said I have noticed any wind on the highway including big semis will cause them to buck around-nothing scary, but it is tiring none the less. The yaris is a much more stable wider tracked vehicle which is important on the freeway. The yaris is also quieter on the highway as the plastic body panels let more road noise thorough on freeways. Four cylinders idle much smoother than three, you'll find the smart shakes quite a bit at stop lights once it's warmed up. The a/c does not stay very cool at idle and when the engines cooling fan is running you hear it clearly inside the car. Being a mostly plastic car the panels have large gaps and they tend to creak and rattle depending on the weather that day. I could go on and on about what I've found and if a smart cost 5-7 thousand dollars it would make since. But you can buy a yaris or fit or any number of other cars for what a smart costs it just makes no sense unless-you have parking issues and only stay in the city. It really is just a city car if you can handle the bumpy ride and weird transmission shifting. In 22k miles my yaris has yet to see and dealer for anything-I do my own oil/filter changes. smarts are not so trouble free I read and numerous owners have had to get their cars towed to a dealer because the funky transmission locks up and won't come out of park. ahh, yes, don't forget smarts get a 2 year 24k warranty period. All other cars have 3/36 and toyotas/hondas have a 5/60 on the powertrain. Hope this makes you feel better about going with the yaris. I would still like a smart some day as a second vehicle, but only when I can buy one for under 10 grand.

[cali yaris]

42 - 0 -- we are on a Yaris message board, after all. :laugh:

[Zaphod]

I looked at the Fortwo, it's nice to look at for sure and rather unique.

But in the end it's just not a very practical car. As others have already said, the marginal increase in fuel efficiency is offset by the requirement for premium fuel. It carries half the number of passengers and has less cargo space. It also looks harder to work on and I would suspect costs a lot more to maintain. It's not even close to the Yaris in terms of value.

If you want a two seater that gets great MPG, I would say just go all the way and get a motorcycle. With some decent saddlebags, a full helmet and a windshield you can have almost the same functionality for a fraction of the cost. In addition, they're easy to work on, cheaper to insure and way more fun to ride.

[scape]

sounds like the OP made up their mind. I'd have to also put into the hat the fact that the smart is mercedes-benz designed, and I'd imagine maintenance will not exactly be cheap... if it's like the mini, BMW designed which I think might also have expensive maintenance after a few years use

[auxmike]

If you want a two seater that gets great MPG, I would say just go all the way and get a motorcycle. With some decent saddlebags, a full helmet and a windshield you can have almost the same functionality for a fraction of the cost. In addition, they're easy to work on, cheaper to insure and way more fun to ride.

...except when it rains and snows like it does here in the NE.....:iono:

[auxmike]

sounds like the OP made up their mind. I'd have to also put into the hat the fact that the smart is mercedes-benz designed, and I'd imagine maintenance will not exactly be cheap... if it's like the mini, BMW designed which I think might also have expensive maintenance after a few years use

I think the Smarts sold in the USA use Mitsubishi engines, so you don't even get the real Benz powertrain.....:frown:

[Woody_Woodchuck]

Sorry I’m late to this discussion.

For long commutes I would have an issue with the seats. I commute 30 miles to work, so 60 miles a day and they are fine. I’ve taken 2 - 300 mile trips and the seats have gotten more and more uncomfortable as the miles went by. I’m in my 50’s but don’t have any back problems or known issues, the seat just gets uncomfortable for me.

I love my Yaris for my commuting but would definitely have to put different seats in if I was to drive it all day, every day. Or just some sort of covering. I also would get a sedan for the extra wheel base and weight. I know it isn’t much but from what little I drove a sedan it made a huge difference to driver fatigue over my Lift back.

[rbell]

I've owned my Yaris HB for about 3 weeks now. I would never consider purchasing a Smart car. I don't think the mpg is as good as the Yaris. I get 43 mpg highway with mine.

[tomato]

Yaris.

That's interesting. I was split between the Honda Fit and the Yaris and the Yaris won by a small margin mostly because of economy and looks. I liked the Smart as well (3rd choice) mostly because it's so damn cute and real small, great little city car, but the engine is small too (that can be a handicap on the highway) and you really can't put ANYTHING in the trunk at all, and since I don't have access to another car, I thought the Yaris LB would be a far more practical overall car.

Good luck with your decision!

[tomato]

:redface: Ooops. you decided already! oh well, then welcome to this forum! Nice name, by the way! :smile:

[auxmike]

I looked at the Fit too, but it was pricey and the dealer forces you to buy a tacked on "auto valet" for $700. Whatever that is!
Also, I wanted a bronze sport. All the had was 2 IROC blue sports and a grey base model.
The Toyota dealer had at least 8 LBs; 3 meteorites with full power+auto,
a bare bones red and some Bayou blue + black....
I eneded up with a full power Meteor!:clap:

[sue08401]

When it came time to buy a new car it was a choice between a Yaris 3 door or a smart car. I was leaning towards the smart car but as a musician I had one simple requirement. It had to hold 2 guitars and my amp. The smart car couldn't and the Yaris could.