gen2 to gen3

[428CobraJet]

Has anyone upgraded from an earlier Yaris to a 2012 or later?

I've a 2009 with almost 100k. Thinking of a new car fall 2014...and considering another Yaris. Curious if others out there have gone to the new version.
Craig

[JustPassinThru]

Has anyone upgraded from an earlier Yaris to a 2012 or later?

I've a 2009 with almost 100k. Thinking of a new car fall 2014...and considering another Yaris. Curious if others out there have gone to the new version.
Craig

I have.

The driving position is a little better for a big guy in the current model. The chassis loses some (not all) of its squirmy feeling on center, straight-ahead.

I miss the center-mount instrument pod, but that's me.

I'd taken my 2009 cross-country on long trips, and my 2012 on one such. The current model is better, in terms of seating position and support.

I also (my foibles, again) like the big single wiper. Does the job well in wet weather.

I went from a manual to an auto; and I lost about 3 mpg; but that was to be expected. I expect comparable models would be equal.

I did like the styling of the 2009 a bit better. Not so much the front-end; the current series is an improvement. But the overall package seemed better balanced. AND...back storage was better in the 2009, with its sliding rear seat to give a level flat area. The current series just flops the seatback down and it doesn't fold flat.

[yarisgeo13]

I understand the confusion of the gen3 Yaris. I have a 2013 and I've grown to like it and it had plenty of room when I had move to another place. Not having major furniture really helped. But of what I currently have to move, it has plenty of room. I have the 4 door lift back version. The 2 door lift back does lack room but if just you and no moving plans in the near future, then the 2 door version is a cool car to have! I hope I shed some light on your decision. I'm planning to up grade to the SE version. I have the LE version.

[roxy1]

I had a 2007 manual yaris. I now have a 2014 manual yaris. (I had a few cars in between there)

the current yaris is really everything I wanted the previous gen to be.

-it is easier to find a comfortable seating/steering position.

-the steering is definitely less vague on center

-most notably, there is less road/engine noise intruding into the cabin.

-I very much like the instrumentation in front of me...the black expanse of plastic in front of the driver in the previous gen made the cabin look cold and depressing, imo.

-the body is an improvement over the rather bubbly and feminine (imo) style of the 2nd gen and gives the body a shape I feel I can live with for a long time.

-the 6 speaker standard radio set up (in all models in 2014, anyway) is a night and day improvement. I get about 1-2 mpg's more than I did in my '07.

it is a simple looking hatchback that I expect to be reliable minus some of the harshness/"cuteness" of the previous gen.

[YodaBird]

I like the new Generation cause my current Job that I so desperately have to leave, I hope this new year, helps me stretch out my legs.

[JustPassinThru]

I think we're in agreement - the driving position in the Gen3 is better.

The basic body is the same; but the design of the rear-seat flop-down was better in earlier.

Side profile of the Gen3 is contrived; with themes conflicting. The earlier body had a good integrated profile - it looked like a giant ski boot. Not a bad style, given parameters.

As I said, I liked the center-pod instruments. Because I like the steering wheel set low; and with most cars (including the 2012 Yaris) the low wheel blocks part of the speedometer. Not an issue when the controls are up and away; and I easily got used to looking over to see the speed and the like. Had the GPS mounted right next to it. With my older eyes, it was easier to focus on something farther away than up close.

The electric latch of the Gen3 hatch is a better design, by FAR.

There. You. Have. It.

[428CobraJet]

Thanks all.

My biggest concerns on my 2009 I was curious about...
1. The twitchiness at high speed (definitely both hands on the wheel above 75).....y'all said is better
2. The excessive road noise (many times hard to hear the lyrics on the radio)....y'all said is better
3. The difficult clutch pedal operation (like a light switch on a car with no torque-and engagement seems to change positions))...no comments yet

Thanks
Craig

[AntrimMan]

Hi Craig, I can offer some feedback on your questions.
I did not own a previous generation Yaris, the 2012L is the one I own and the only one I have ever driven, please keep that in mind.

1) The twitchiness at speed exists, both hands on the wheel helps but don't for a millisecond take your eyes off the road or the direction of travel will change. The car needs constant steering corrections to remain in a straight line. This is not noticeable at city speeds.
There is plenty of speed available from the engine. At freeway speeds I suspect you might easily out drive the capability of the chassis during an emergency maneuver.

2) The cabin noise at speed is unable to compete comfortably with the stereo. I use only the USB card reader for my tunes. If played loud enough to enjoy the lyrics then you will be deaf before you are bald or grey. This is not noticeable at city speeds.

3) You are the only one I have heard to comment on the vagueness of the clutch engagement and I wholeheartedly agree. Until your comment I thought I was being too critical. It never seems to engage at the same pedal position. This is weird. I don't know what could cause that. This is definitely noticeable at any speed, city or freeway. I have driven manual gearboxes my entire life, I'm mostly bald and what's left is grey so make your own assumptions as to age.
The car does well at the intended task of driving around at 35mph on local roads.
Traveling at about 35-40mph and during light throttle application the gear train whines worse than a spoiled child. This became noticeable around 3K miles, more or less stabilized at around 10K and now at 16K seems to be getting worse once again. Beyond that speed the other noises are so overwhelming that the whine is drowned out. No one else has complained about this whine so I expect this one is an exception.

I bought this to use in the city with only occasional freeway trips and it does the city portion well. It is a cheap nasty little car, I knew that when I bought it and got what I paid for. It fit's into the cramped space in the garage. I'm reasonably content except for the gear noise, that is not a recipe for longevity and will need attended to soon.
BTW all the oil that should be in the box is in there and there are and have been no leaks. I do my own maintenance.
All the best.

[roxy1]

-I have no trouble with clutch engagement on my '14

-I drive quite often on the interstate at 75 mph and feel comfortable with one hand on the wheel....unless road condiditons are very poor. I found my 2nd gen yaris to be quite twitchy.

regarding the stereo, I listen at about volume # 19-21 when going 75 mph and hear my music quite fine.

[JustPassinThru]

I never had problems with the clutch on my 09, either.

Those are hydraulic clutch linkages. If the pedal isn't engaging at the same point or the same rate every time, there may be air in the line or an actuation piston leaking.

[JustPassinThru]

Thanks all.

My biggest concerns on my 2009 I was curious about...
1. The twitchiness at high speed (definitely both hands on the wheel above 75).....y'all said is better
2. The excessive road noise (many times hard to hear the lyrics on the radio)....y'all said is better
3. The difficult clutch pedal operation (like a light switch on a car with no torque-and engagement seems to change positions))...no comments yet

Thanks
Craig

The clutch...as I said, I had no problem with it. But it takes a different technique to run a drive-by-wire car. For example, if you feed gas while letting out the clutch when starting from a dead stop, it'll be herky-jerky. Better to just ease out the clutch at idle - the FI will feed more fuel as the engine pulls down; keep it at idle speed. Once off the clutch, you can just mash the gas and get rolling.

Road noise isn't a problem - to me. But then I've had small cheap cars my whole life; and for eight years I ran a Jeep CJ. A hard top but no carpeting. Compared to that, the inside of a Yaris is quiet as a tomb.

Twitchiness is there, although better on the G3. I blame the design - electric power steering and poor steering geometry. It doesn't make for bad road manners except that there's not much self-centering action. Take your eye off the road, just for a split second...and you're on the shoulder or worse.

For music, you might want to play with getting Bluetooth headphones and a jack and plug-in Bluetooth transmitter put on your radio. Illegal, yes - but plenty of small shops will make mods and not ask questions. Just get a micro-jack line put on there; then buy a Bluetooth transmitter - and foam-surround Bluetooth headsets.

Illegal, as I said; but I haven't found the cops overly concerned. My Tercel is a veritable wind-tunnel inside; and I use such a headset. No undue notice from LEO.

[428CobraJet]

My bro and I ordered and bought two at the same time. Same quirk...it either has to do with the throttle or clutch take up. That combined with the on/off nature of the clutch and the lack of torque makes it not the most pleasant. Even Car and Driver notes the issue.

I've 4 liter bikes, a Saleen and a 428 4speed Ranchero but I can still kill the Mighty Yaris.

[428CobraJet]

Ease out at idle....ill try that right now. At 99,000 miles I'd certainly feel a fool...!

[428CobraJet]

Ease out at idle....ill try that right now. At 99,000 miles I'd certainly feel a fool...!


That's not it, just drove 10 miles through inner city Houston... maybe if I had the Ranchero's 428CJ under the tiny bonnet...but its just poor design. I still kill it once every week or two. Killed it once on the drive testing the 'dead idle' approach.
Craig

[JustPassinThru]

That's not it, just drove 10 miles through inner city Houston... maybe if I had the Ranchero's 428CJ under the tiny bonnet...but its just poor design. I still kill it once every week or two. Killed it once on the drive testing the 'dead idle' approach.
Craig

Don't know what you got there.

I had my 2009; and before that, my Echo. And my Tacoma truck.

And before THAT, long ago, a girlfriend had a VW Fox - with the Bosch FI, back when carbs were the thing. She'd always owned manny-trannies but the thing would buck and jerk for her - when her mom's car (a Dodge manual) would not.

By playing with it, I learned the technique of just letting it idle and easing it out, not slowly but not dumping it. And I've driven every manual gearbox car since, that way. Not unlike an eighteen-wheeler; you don't want to give those things fuel when you're starting, either.

Maybe you've got one not quite in adjustment. Is the place you were playing with it, level?

[94toy22re]

i have a 2012 3 door, i have driven 150 mile stretch going between 90-100mph in west Texas with one hand on the wheel no issues, clutch feels like a typical 4cyl Toyota. I noticed once i passed 5000 miles the tires got a little loud about 70 but its better then the older Corollas i have driven. I have never heard any abnormal drive train noises :iono:

[roxy1]

i have a 2012 3 door, i have driven 150 mile stretch going between 90-100mph in west Texas with one hand on the wheel no issues, clutch feels like a typical 4cyl Toyota. I noticed once i passed 5000 miles the tires got a little loud about 70 but its better then the older Corollas i have driven.

i also have noticed markedly increased tire noise after 5000 miles.I don't know if all regions got the same oem tires, but the bridgestone turanzas are by far the worst oem tires I have ever encountered. looking on tire rack, they are rated about as poorly as a tire can be rated.

[94toy22re]

Yeah, i have bridgestone turanzas, i'm looking forward to replacing them soon!

[Onwrdigo]

I ditched my Bridgestone Turanza tires within the "first half-hour" of driving my new '13 Yaris LE off the lot. I had read enough on TireRack Reviews the night before I was to pick it up about those Bridgestone nightmares. Got a great trade-in for those tires for just a few bucks...literally....from a local tire dealer to put on "General Altimax HP's".

I noticed a difference right away in ride, noise, handling. Now, with almost 8,000 miles on these General Altimax HP's, no wear, noise or handling woes that I can feel or hear. Great replacement tire for those interested.

However, they did not cure the on-center numbness of the steering. That is just the design of a lot of electric steering systems. I have even seen some car magazines complain about the same problem on BMW's and other high-line automobiles.

[roxy1]

General Altimax HP's.

those are one of the tires im considering. not too many choices in the 175/65-15 sizes.

it will be those or the Yokohama Avid Ascend. the Michelin Pilot A/S 3 look awesome. im into getting the best mileage possible, and im afraid the performance I hear about from those pilots would mean they have a higher rolling resistance.

[kimona]

those are one of the tires im considering. not too many choices in the 175/65-15 sizes.



For more selection and an excellent fitment, replace with either 185/60/15's or 195/60/15's.

[mr_miles]

I've had both, and still have my 2013. Most of my opinions are probably void due to me modifying the hell out of both of them, but IMO the 3rd gen is better in every aspect except the lack of storage bins and no more dash mounted cup holders ;_; Gah I miss those.

[roxy1]

IMO the 3rd gen is better in every aspect .

I would agree. the 3rd gen feels more like a small corolla hatch rather than Toyotas bargain car...though it is still their bargain car.

[nookandcrannycar]

I had a 2007 manual yaris. I now have a 2014 manual yaris. (I had a few cars in between there)

the current yaris is really everything I wanted the previous gen to be.

-it is easier to find a comfortable seating/steering position.

-the steering is definitely less vague on center

-most notably, there is less road/engine noise intruding into the cabin.

-I very much like the instrumentation in front of me...the black expanse of plastic in front of the driver in the previous gen made the cabin look cold and depressing, imo.

-the body is an improvement over the rather bubbly and feminine (imo) style of the 2nd gen and gives the body a shape I feel I can live with for a long time.

-the 6 speaker standard radio set up (in all models in 2014, anyway) is a night and day improvement. I get about 1-2 mpg's more than I did in my '07.

it is a simple looking hatchback that I expect to be reliable minus some of the harshness/"cuteness" of the previous gen.

This post is the most valuable re my criteria. I was leaning toward a Prius c for another car, but after spending 3 days with a 2013 Yaris LE automatic, I'd want what you found...a manual. The radio you mention (correct, now on all....and it is a vast improvement) is only included on the L from 2014 forward.

[nookandcrannycar]

For more selection and an excellent fitment, replace with either 185/60/15's or 195/60/15's.

^^^^^ This. I could definitely tell the difference between the 175/65/15s on the '13 LE and the 185/60/15s on my Yaris.

[nookandcrannycar]

I've had both, and still have my 2013. Most of my opinions are probably void due to me modifying the hell out of both of them, but IMO the 3rd gen is better in every aspect except the lack of storage bins and no more dash mounted cup holders ;_; Gah I miss those.

I found a way to mitigate the importance of the storage bins.....but there isn't any aftermarket product that would be an equal substitute if I no longer had those cup holders

[roxy1]

^^^^^ This. I could definitely tell the difference between the 175/65/15s on the '13 LE and the 185/60/15s on my Yaris.

im kind of a slave to the mpg's, so I like to stick with the narrower 175's. plus the skinnier tires are (in theory) a little better in the snow. the oem's are such garbage, I think the biggest improvement will be dumping them. I think I will look at what is available in the wider tire, but would 185's fit properly on the stock rims?

edit after a few minutes on tirerack: come to think of it, I don't think I want any less profile on the yaris. its not the smoothest car over bumps and such and a lower profile isn't going to help. those pilot a/s 3's look like one of the best all season tires (ratings wise) in existence, but im sure they will not maximize mpg's.

[mr_miles]

I found a way to mitigate the importance of the storage bins.....but there isn't any aftermarket product that would be an equal substitute if I no longer had those cup holders

I don't typically keep enough stuff in my car to need that much storage space anyways, it was just nice having them all lol.

I think the yarii should come optional with the 2zzge. much fast yes. Whenever I buy another new car if I still have the yar i think i'll stuff a 2zz in it. yaris with a 6 speed and lift? Yes please.

[nookandcrannycar]

im kind of a slave to the mpg's, so I like to stick with the narrower 175's. plus the skinnier tires are (in theory) a little better in the snow. the oem's are such garbage, I think the biggest improvement will be dumping them. I think I will look at what is available in the wider tire, but would 185's fit properly on the stock rims?

edit after a few minutes on tirerack: come to think of it, I don't think I want any less profile on the yaris. its not the smoothest car over bumps and such and a lower profile isn't going to help. those pilot a/s 3's look like one of the best all season tires (ratings wise) in existence, but im sure they will not maximize mpg's.

Do you think the narrower tires on your 3rd Gen account for the up to couple MPG improvement over (a few cars ago, as you mentioned) your 2nd Gen Yaris ? (The search I did indicated they have the same relatively slippery CD number...and that there is only a 5 lb weight difference)

[nookandcrannycar]

yaris with a 6 speed

:wub:

[roxy1]

Do you think the narrower tires on your 3rd Gen account for the up to couple MPG improvement over (a few cars ago, as you mentioned) your 2nd Gen Yaris ? (The search I did indicated they have the same relatively slippery CD number...and that there is only a 5 lb weight difference)

maybe. a little less weight to turn and im pretty sure they have pretty low rolling resistance. it also seems like my 07 ran just a touch higher rpms on the highway. even a very small improvement in coefficient of drag can make a difference.

I know I will not go through another winter with these awful, awful, awful tires. did I mention they were awful?

[nookandcrannycar]

maybe. a little less weight to turn and im pretty sure they have pretty low rolling resistance. it also seems like my 07 ran just a touch higher rpms on the highway. even a very small improvement in coefficient of drag can make a difference.

I know I will not go through another winter with these

Good point. Even with the 07 Model Year different tire sizes were available from the factory, so (re both 07 and 14) I wonder what size tires and wheels were used during the test?....or...Is the factory quoting the CD for just the body (not with any tires/wheels) ?

I know I will not go through another winter with these awful, awful, awful tires. did I mention they were awful?

:laugh:

[specialeducator]

I'm in the process of giving my 2008 Yaris sedan to my daughter and buying a 2014 5 door. Sorry to hear the back seats don't slide and fold flat- my wife drives a 2010 3 door.

I have.

The driving position is a little better for a big guy in the current model. The chassis loses some (not all) of its squirmy feeling on center, straight-ahead.

I miss the center-mount instrument pod, but that's me.

I'd taken my 2009 cross-country on long trips, and my 2012 on one such. The current model is better, in terms of seating position and support.

I also (my foibles, again) like the big single wiper. Does the job well in wet weather.

I went from a manual to an auto; and I lost about 3 mpg; but that was to be expected. I expect comparable models would be equal.

I did like the styling of the 2009 a bit better. Not so much the front-end; the current series is an improvement. But the overall package seemed better balanced. AND...back storage was better in the 2009, with its sliding rear seat to give a level flat area. The current series just flops the seatback down and it doesn't fold flat.

[roxy1]

I'm in the process of giving my 2008 Yaris sedan to my daughter and buying a 2014 5 door. Sorry to hear the back seats don't slide and fold flat- my wife drives a 2010 3 door.
sacrifices to keep weight and costs down I suppose. they do fold flat enough to slide an object in there. (ie the cargo area is on the same plane as the rear seat hinge, so there isn't a 2 tier effect you get with some).