My opinion: The YARIS needs a standard center armrest! [Archive] - Toyota Yaris Forums

YellowJolt

07-10-2009, 05:34 PM

I am absolutely puzzled why my 2009 Yaris (and, apparently, ANY Yaris) does not come with a factory equipped armrest, which is just about standard in every other new vehicle offered these days. Comfort-wise, it makes a huge difference to me since I steer with my right hand and rest my arm on the console lid or armrest, depending on what I'm driving.

I did install the Toyota accessory armrest ($79), and the whole set up is kinda hokey - it uses a huge wire retainer and a single screw to mount it to the existing console. Comfort and convenience are increased since I've put it in, but it doesn't look the best (you can see the wire retainer from the sides and the back seat.) and the fabric is kind of itchy-scratchy. Just venting - still love my new car and it's mileage, but sheesh, comon Toyota...

IMHO,
Scott

mryaris

07-10-2009, 06:03 PM

My Yaris had the armrest installed when I bought it and I can honestly say I've never used it. I guess it would come in handy on long road trips, but around town it just gets in the way when I shift so I just don't use it.

gokartride

07-10-2009, 06:11 PM

My son's Yaris has one and my Yaris does not. Since I am a passenger in his I came to love it, and was quite sure I'd need to install one in my Yaris when I got it. However, since I am actually the driver in mine, I find I really don't need it at all.....both hands are on the wheel. This surprised me a bit, but hey...it works!!

It obviously comes down to driving habits...if one is used to leaning on an arm rest then something is missing. My son will be doing a lot of highway miles, so I think he will use his alot. I, in my city driving, apparently won't.

toad

07-10-2009, 06:23 PM

i've had my liftback for almost 2 years now and yesterday(no kidding!) i remember thinking for the first time 'man, i wish i had an armrest!'. so i guess what i'm trying to say is 'yeah....it could help in the comfort dept., but it took me over 20 months to notice it'. i guess it's just a personal thing and some people might not care one way or the other.

Altitude

07-10-2009, 06:35 PM

I took mine out! Found it got in the way and it wasn't really that comfortable. That could be because I have long arms and a manual trans and I found it got in the way of shifting if I had it in the down position.

SailDesign

07-10-2009, 06:39 PM

I am still amazed at how many people do not look at the car they are buying... :iono:

Yaris Hilton

07-10-2009, 08:31 PM

Armrests are something I've never used much, either.

Tamago

07-10-2009, 08:43 PM

ECHO didn't get one
xA didn't get one
xB didn't get one
tC didn't get one
Corolla didn't get one...

why should the bottom-of-the-toyota-food-chain get one "standard" ?

twowheels

07-10-2009, 08:50 PM

Tamago

07-10-2009, 08:52 PM

Mine came w/ the armrest... I've been thinking about trying to remove the cloth cover and reassemble it w/ more padding as the stock padding is about 1/8" thick and quickly flattens to provide zero support. I'm not very good at sewing, so there's no obvious way that I could remove it w/o destroying it...

maybe time to alter your steering wheel grip style?

to be honest though, my MR2's center console put my right arm to sleep. i quit driving like that, and now on the highway steer with my left thumb/firstfinger with my elbow resting on the top of the door. right hand is free to um..... shift... n stuff....

twowheels

07-10-2009, 08:57 PM

maybe time to alter your steering wheel grip style?

Maybe, but I suspect it has more to do w/ the fact that the car is only 6 months old (today!) and already has more than 15k miles on it. I spend a lot of time w/ my arm on that rest.

Tamago

07-10-2009, 09:02 PM

Maybe, but I suspect it has more to do w/ the fact that the car is only 6 months old (today!) and already has more than 15k miles on it. I spend a lot of time w/ my arm on that rest.

ah, very understandable. on long drives i find my hands at 6 o clock and elbows on thighs.. much more comfortable :D

twowheels

07-10-2009, 09:05 PM

ah, very understandable. on long drives i find my hands at 6 o clock and elbows on thighs.. much more comfortable :D

You must have very different proportions than I do as I can't make my elbows touch my thighs w/o either lifting my leg up high or slouching low!

UTVitz

07-10-2009, 09:07 PM

Mine had it already installed-it's up most of the time when in town as it gets in the way of manual shifting, but when I'm on a long trip I'd miss it dearly. Base Fit is the same way-does not have one. No armrest kept me from buying a 98 Honda CR-V back then.

Kal-El

07-10-2009, 09:13 PM

It's standard in the sedan, of course. :cool:

There's some reason that automakers often leave them out of hatchbacks. I'm not totally sure why. Maybe it get's in the way of a load in the back?

It's not just the Yaris, many hatches don't have them. Even the Acura RSX didn't have one and it's a luxury marque.

roxy1

07-10-2009, 10:57 PM

ECHO didn't get one
xA didn't get one
xB didn't get one
tC didn't get one
Corolla didn't get one...

why should the bottom-of-the-toyota-food-chain get one "standard" ?

all corolla's come with a permanent arm rest (meaning a properly positioned armrest as part of the center cosole with storage inside). at least the current gen and previous gen did.

toyota wanted to make sure the yaris had the cheapest looking interior possible, and they succeeded brilliantly. why mess that up with a funtional armrest. (the factory armrest for the yaris is a joke. absolutely useless and in the way for anyone w/ the 5 speed).

TinyGiant

07-10-2009, 11:12 PM

mine came with .. i use it 100% of the time

CTScott

07-10-2009, 11:57 PM

Mine came w/ the armrest... I've been thinking about trying to remove the cloth cover and reassemble it w/ more padding as the stock padding is about 1/8" thick and quickly flattens to provide zero support. I'm not very good at sewing, so there's no obvious way that I could remove it w/o destroying it...

The cover pulls right off. just lift up a little on the upper rear and it slides right off. When I reupholstered my doors, I was pulled mine off to replace the cover with leather, but the scrap I had left was about 2" shy of being enough.

I actually never use mine, as being a short dude, my seat is so far up that my elbow can't reach it. I just figured I'd change the fabric to leather to match the rest of my interior.

Treyz

07-11-2009, 10:40 AM

gammaray

07-12-2009, 12:14 PM

Mine also came with the car, andi it does get in the way of a manual trans. I just flip mine up until im on highway trips, then I will drop it down and make use of it.

YellowJolt

07-13-2009, 11:01 AM

I am still amazed at how many people do not look at the car they are buying... :iono:

I don't know where in my post I indicated I was unaware my Yaris did not come with an armrest. I knew it as soon as I took the test drive, but I saw the armrest in the accessory catalog and figured it was an upgrade I'd have to make. I opine that Toyota should make the car with an integral center armrest.

Anywho, I can see how the Yaris accessory armrest would interfere with shifting the manual transmission, it does not place your arm in the right position for shifting comfortably and blocks access to the shifter. Thankfully, I have an automatic-equipped Yaris. You put it in "D" and roll. My 6-speed Tacoma had a padded armrest/storage bin as part of the center console and it did not interfere with shifting gears and was also a comfy place to rest your arm while on a trip.

YellowJolt

07-13-2009, 11:04 AM

I'm running with this. Best thing next to the JDM one. Available in black stiching and red. PM cali yaris for one ... $65

http://shop.microimageonline.com/product.sc?categoryId=5&productId=12

http://shop.microimageonline.com/images/1212264679173609764745.jpeg http://shop.microimageonline.com/images/12267060708856930188.jpeg http://shop.microimageonline.com/images/1226706070676-1060112274.jpeg

I should have waited and bought that one. It looks MUCH more comfortable, and leather is much less itchy-scratchy than that burlap-style upholstery they wrap the O.E. unit in. Perhaps I will consider recovering mine in the future, but for now - mods are on hold.

mikey4226

07-13-2009, 11:32 AM

Does anyone have that armrest? I'm interested in getting that and I was just wondering how well it worked.

CKaelin

07-13-2009, 11:34 AM

I added one to mine and use it as the driver everyday. Mine is a standard transmission.

Treyz

07-13-2009, 12:40 PM

Does anyone have that armrest? I'm interested in getting that and I was just wondering how well it worked.
Lol .. I said I did when I posted that up.

And yes, it is comfy. The only thing it that it kinda gets in the way of the ebrake when you pull it up, but you can get around that.

Oh and I have the black one, not the red.

wiirenet

07-13-2009, 02:12 PM

I never notice I'm missing one, and don't think I ever used the one in my old car except to put things inside.

I've had one passenger complain though, and I said he can buy one since he's the one that would use it!

darthbauer

07-13-2009, 02:32 PM

And yes, it is comfy. The only thing it that it kinda gets in the way of the ebrake when you pull it up, but you can get around that.

Comfy yes, but I'm starting to think that it is not worth the problem of getting in the way of the e-break. I might be willing to sell mine.

nerp

07-13-2009, 10:04 PM

My Yaris came with one and I use it a bit. I find that I can shift fine. I actually can just flick the shifter around without moving my hand much, mainly using my fingers. It's pretty comfortable. Sometimes I raise it so my girl can sunggle against me on a long drive. Sometimes I want it up, sometimes I want it down. There's really no rhyme or reason to my usage, but it's nice to have. It's an optional accessory so I suppose you could get it installed. Not sure how much that would run you.

twowheels

07-14-2009, 04:47 PM

The cover pulls right off. just lift up a little on the upper rear and it slides right off. When I reupholstered my doors, I was pulled mine off to replace the cover with leather, but the scrap I had left was about 2" shy of being enough.

Interesting... I've tried a few times (while driving, so I couldn't look at what I was doing) and it didn't come off. I guess I'll look again, this time while stationary. :-)

Slitwrist Smile

07-15-2009, 04:40 PM

I am still amazed at how many people do not look at the car they are buying... :iono:

What car? lol..

I would say I found something out after purchase that blew my mind.. took me over 1 year to find it. a extra "hidden" cubby in the sedan (MY 2007) thats on drivers side, right under the dimmer for the interior lights (like above the footwell, rh side). I even yelled out a "freakin sweet" just like peter from family guy. :smile:

btw, all sedans come with a stock armrest, that IMHO is great, doesnt look cheap like the way the OP is describing, and I got a stripper model. No options, even rolldown windows.

kudzu71

07-15-2009, 04:56 PM

Does anyone have that armrest? I'm interested in getting that and I was just wondering how well it worked.

I bought one of those. Its very comfortable and I love the extra storage, but the clip that holds the lid shut snapped off the 2nd time I opened it, and its very wobbly. The screw is as tight as it will go but I can still grab the armrest and move it back and forth about 3 inches.

I am thinking about drilling a hole in it and running the aux cable up into it so I can keep the ipod inside and hidden.

2009Toyotoad

07-15-2009, 05:23 PM

If you have a manual transmission the armrest is a waste of time for the driver. Gets in the way with my long arms. I bought and installed the armrest but I don't really use it that much

CtrlAltDefeat

07-16-2009, 04:53 AM

I find that I want one during sweeping left turns... nothing to brace myself on...

Bob Dog

07-16-2009, 06:01 AM

I'd never use it, I'm to busy shifting

cali yaris

07-16-2009, 11:51 AM

I bought one of those. Its very comfortable and I love the extra storage, but the clip that holds the lid shut snapped off the 2nd time I opened it, and its very wobbly. The screw is as tight as it will go but I can still grab the armrest and move it back and forth about 3 inches.

The one I sell comes with smaller screws also that go in from the sides, along with the main bolt in the bottom. What I did instead was run some athletic tape (what I had on hand and it's cloth) around the bottom once, then worked the armrest into place and used the main bolt in the bottom.

No movement, solid as a rock.

kudzu71

07-17-2009, 10:20 AM

The one I sell comes with smaller screws also that go in from the sides, along with the main bolt in the bottom. What I did instead was run some athletic tape (what I had on hand and it's cloth) around the bottom once, then worked the armrest into place and used the main bolt in the bottom.

No movement, solid as a rock.

Hmm. I might pull mine out and try that. Other than the wobble I've been very happy with it.

highwaypass

07-17-2009, 11:41 AM

cheap solution:
put your pillow between the passenger's seat and driver's seat. A 30 seconds arm rest.
:biggrin:

Treyz

07-17-2009, 12:39 PM

cheap solution:
put your pillow between the passenger's seat and driver's seat. A 30 seconds arm rest.
:biggrin:
Just add another minute, and you have Garm's installed!

ellenbetty

07-19-2009, 11:02 PM

I have 2 Yarises. My first Yaris 3 door liftback has power windows and power mirrors. But my first Yaris does not have the arm rest. My second Yaris 3 door liftback has crank windows. My second Yaris does have the fold up arm rest. I never use the arm rest. My Mom likes to use it when she rides with me.

CDavis7M

07-20-2009, 01:24 AM

I did not order an armrest. As a passenger, I try to use it in my girlfriends Accent, which is auto, so there is no problem. But I hate it when the passenger uses the armrest when I am driving stick.