Adventures with Yaris

[devananne]

So I wouldn't drive my previous car more than ~1 hour outside my city because it was so old and unreliable, I was afraid of breaking down without service. Now that I have a Yaris, I can't help but take it on a bunch of adventures! The gas mileage is amazing - my old car got about 17 mpg, so it's not too hard to beat, but I'm averaging about 37 (city/hwy) on the Yaris, and on road trips get 42-45. I plan to get a roof rack for the winter, as well as some mud flaps and a rear bumper protector - make it as adventure-proof as the little guy can be!

I've gotten in the habit of taking some photos of it while on these adventures.. thought I would share a few!

Here he is at the Tetons..
http://i.imgur.com/XUd2A1V.jpg

Camping in Yellowstone..
http://i.imgur.com/HpCGOFq.jpg

Nestled in some trees..
http://i.imgur.com/9TaN0l9.jpg

After an adventurous day in the desert..
http://i.imgur.com/v6oBtGq.jpg

And on some scenic road in Arizona..
http://i.imgur.com/SRpkoyK.jpg

I have a trip planned along the West Coast in the fall, so I'm looking forward to getting some by the ocean and in the Redwoods :)

[MadMax]

Coolness! :thumbup:

[gollygirl1]

Way cool, just what we love to see - a Yaris in Action !!!!!!

[toad]

great pictures! it's almost like you took screenshots from a toyota commercial or something(but then toyota would had to do have done some actual ADVERTISING for the yaris - lol)!

the roof rack will definately add some more options to your adventures(bike, kayak, etc.), but be warned it will affect your mileage somewhat. i just installed a yakima rack on my echo and i've read here before it hurts smaller cars more than bigger ones. it's not really that big a deal, however, as the mileage is so good to begin with!

keep us updated with pics as you and the little guy have more adventures!

[devananne]

i just installed a yakima rack on my echo and i've read here before it hurts smaller cars more than bigger ones.

Have you been driving enough to notice how much it has affected it? I've heard it affects it as well, but I'm hoping it's just a few mpg and not from 37 down to 30 or so. I'm planning to get the "aerodynamic" bars from Thule, but I'm not sure how much that helps anyway.

[TerenceCruz]

Very nice! Lovin the color man.

[toad]

Have you been driving enough to notice how much it has affected it? I've heard it affects it as well, but I'm hoping it's just a few mpg and not from 37 down to 30 or so. I'm planning to get the "aerodynamic" bars from Thule, but I'm not sure how much that helps anyway.

i think it's only a few mpg, but i'm not sure:iono: i don't drive my car very far each day and i don't own a scangauge so i can't give you any definate numbers. i've got the wind-deflector to cut down on the 'whistling' the bars made, but i've just got the regular 'round' bars and not aero ones.

obviously, i wouldn't keep a cargo box up there all the time! i do know these cars are tested extensively in wind tunnels to get the lowest coefficient of drag they can in a very competitive market. the slightest change to that 'forumula' can lead to noticeable decreases in fuel efficiency.

if you're just looking to haul bicycles or extra luggage i know they make hitch-mounted/trunk-mounted options. this would keep everything behind your car where it wouldn't affect aerodynamics so much! we have a hitch-mount bike carrier on the wife's yaris, but i wanted something for the echo that i could also take a canoe/kayak to the reservoir on. no other way to do that unless we bought a trailer and i don't have anywhere to store one of those.

[Killchain]

:thumbsup:

[solarVitz]

Nice pics. Must be fun going on adventures. I am going on a long road trips on my yaris soon and will be taking pics for sure.

[devananne]

I forgot to update my fall road trip adventure shots! The Yaris did fantastic over the ~3000 miles we covered. Here are some highlights:
http://i.imgur.com/hMv2mVD.jpg
Southern Utah (this was actually a separate trip, but still great)
http://i.imgur.com/QnvsjHj.jpg
San Francisco - I don't know how people that live there drive MT..
http://i.imgur.com/eM6tu5Z.jpg
Somewhere along the Avenue of the Giants in the Redwood forests.
http://i.imgur.com/mNPrc8c.jpg
Oregon Coastline
http://i.imgur.com/WMNI9tZ.jpg
And my personal favorite - Northern California vineyard in the fall. The lighting on this one hit just right..

[IllusionX]

If you are used to the AZ desert, yes, it would be very challenging driving MT on the California mountains..