Autoblog Drives a '15 Yaris ...

[Thirty-Nine]

... and doesn't hate it.

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/08/06/2015-toyota-yaris-quick-spin/

I appreciate the objective review on this. This author seems to "get" the Yaris. It's simple, basic, and drives well. It isn't a "smart phone on wheels." He didn't pontificate about the four-speed auto, he didn't slam it for having under 110 hp, and he actually said it was his favorite Toyota at the moment.

[bronsin]

No hate but geez...it never ceases to amaze me the moronic standards the buying public has for cars! :eek:

What do these people think they are buying? Its a CAR for cripes sake! It takes you to work it takes you to the store. Who CARES what it looks like or what materials the interior is made of? Or if theyre "high quality"? Or what it says about your status in society? People who judge you by the car you drive are ASSHOLES! :biggrin:

It cant imagine why he says sitting in the seats will make you squirm in a short while. Really! I have a torn muscle in my lower back, a repaired ruptured disc in my neck and arthritis on my spine. But I drove my Yaris 10,400miles from NJ to AK and back in 16 days in perfect comfort.

What is WRONG with these people?

:iono:

[Kar98]

I have a torn muscle in my lower back, a repaired ruptured disc in my neck and arthritis on my spine.
:iono:

Was that before or after driving 10,000 km in your Yaris :evil:

[Kalispel]

No hate but geez...it never ceases to amaze me the moronic standards the buying public has for cars! :eek:

:thumbsup:

I'm really tired of the Honda Fit being touted as some sort of class-leading, absolute Yaris-killer - and most people seem to buy into the hype.

Sure, the Honda Fit is great if you want the hauling capacity of a mini-van in a shrunken, elongated, ugly subcompact form, and a flashier/gaudy interior, but that is about it.

I drove a 2015 Honda Fit EX (which costs more than a Yaris SE) for a few weeks and wasn't impressed by anything beyond its cargo capacity/versatility (which is pretty awesome). It certainly didn't feel any faster than the Yaris, thanks to its extra weight offsetting its higher horsepower. It handled sluggishly compared the the 2015 Yaris SE, with noticeably heavier body roll. The braking didn't feel nearly as tight as the SE. The interior was sort of annoying/distracting in its cheesy attempt to look futuristic and high-tech. The CVT automatic didn't feel any better than the old-school Yaris 4-speed automatic in real-world driving, even if it did squeeze a few extra MPG out - though I'm sure the manual would be nice in the Fit, since Honda does make some of the sweetest manual-transmission vehicles in the world. Bottom line for me is that I find the Yaris SE simply more fun to drive than I did the Fit, as well as having better long-term reliability thanks to well-established technologies being employed, even if they aren't "bleeding edge".

Don't get me wrong - I like Honda (every car I have ever owned before this has been a Honda/Acura), but they seem to have reoccurring core mechanical problems with their brakes, transmissions, and even engines in some models (all of which I have managed to dodge, luckily). It's like they try to redesign everything from scratch with each new generation model release, instead of carrying over what actually works from previous experience (almost the direct opposite of what Toyota seems to do @ almost extreme levels, especially in the case of the Yaris).

[Thirty-Nine]

Who CARES what it looks like or what materials the interior is made of? Or if theyre "high quality"?


Because low-quality materials feel like, look like, and sound like junk. Hard plastic materials tend to scratch easier (ask me how I know). They also tend to rattle more than soft materials.

The same could be said about the inside of a house. I mean, it's just shelter, right? :wink:

[Thirty-Nine]

:thumbsup:

I'm really tired of the Honda Fit being touted as some sort of class-leading, absolute Yaris-killer - and most people seem to buy into the hype.

Sure, the Honda Fit is great if you want the hauling capacity of a mini-van in a shrunken, elongated, ugly subcompact form, and a flashier/gaudy interior, but that is about it.

I drove a 2015 Honda Fit EX (which costs more than a Yaris SE) for a few weeks and wasn't impressed by anything beyond its cargo capacity/versatility (which is pretty awesome). It certainly didn't feel any faster than the Yaris, thanks to its extra weight offsetting its higher horsepower. It handled sluggishly compared the the 2015 Yaris SE, with noticeably heavier body roll. The braking didn't feel nearly as tight as the SE. The interior was annoying/distracting in its cheesy attempt to look upscale, futuristic and high-tech. The CVT automatic didn't feel any better than the old-school Yaris 4-speed automatic in real-world driving, even if it did squeeze a few extra MPG out - though I'm sure the manual would be nice in the Fit, since Honda does make some of the sweetest manual-transmission vehicles in the world. Bottom line for me is that I find the Yaris SE simply more fun to drive than I did the Fit, as well as having better long-term reliability.

Don't get me wrong - I like Honda (every car I have ever owned before this has been a Honda/Acura), but they seem to have reoccurring core mechanical problems with their brakes, transmissions, and even engines in some models (all of which I have managed to dodge, luckily). It's like they try to redesign everything from scratch with each new generation model release, instead of carrying over what actually works (almost the opposite of what Toyota seems to do).

I agree 100%. The latest fit has a buzzy engine, too. The interior versatility is second to none, but overall I just have never loved the Fit.

[nookandcrannycar]

Was that before or after driving 10,000 km in your Yaris :evil:

:laugh:

[edmscan]

People who judge you by the car you drive are ASSHOLES! :biggrin:
:iono:

BMW drivers know that people DO and always will judge.

I know I will drive my Yaris until I literally have to push it down the street. I do not care what people think about my car.

[fnkngrv]

nice to see at least a somewhat nonabrasive review.

[bronsin]

Was that before or after driving 10,000 km in your Yaris :evil:

Torn muscle - spilting wood and pushing in the stiff clutch of a 78 Chevy C10.

Arthritis - from riding ten speed bicycles with dropped handlebars.

Ruptured disk in neck - from splitting wood.

[bronsin]

BMW drivers know that people DO and always will judge.

I know I will drive my Yaris until I literally have to push it down the street. I do not care what people think about my car.

I don't have that problem either! :biggrin:

[nookandcrannycar]

Arthritis - from riding ten speed bicycles with dropped handlebars.

I have a lightweight one with more gears, but I find that I often don't ride it....because I don't like the riding position caused by the dropped handlebars.
.

[nookandcrannycar]

I don't have that problem either! :biggrin:

Me neither :biggrin:.

[bronsin]

I have a lightweight one with more gears, but I find that I often don't ride it....because I don't like the riding position caused by the dropped handlebars.
.

Mountain bikes modified for street use are much more ergo friendly. I ran my 1980 Motobecane $500 21 pound 10 speed into the back of a car at 5 mph in 94 and bent the frame. I bought a mountain bike and went from riding 45 miles a week to 200.

[matti]

That is a refreshing review.

It seems that many reviews of the Yaris state things like they wish it had a telescopic steering wheel, 6-speed manual, more soft-touch material, heated seats, yada yada yada. Sure, that would be great, but the car wouldn't be such a $$ bargain at that point!

[Kar98]

Well, the base Jetta is only $1,685 more expensive than the base Yaris and you get a whole lot more car, both in quality and quantity.

[Kalispel]

Well, the base Jetta is only $1,685 more expensive than the base Yaris and you get a whole lot more car, both in quality and quantity.

VW makes some nice looking cars, but their core mechanical reliability sucks, and you are playing Russian Roulette as soon as the various warranties expire.

[why?]

Well, the base Jetta is only $1,685 more expensive than the base Yaris and you get a whole lot more car, both in quality and quantity.

Do you? Sure the interior is nicer, and german cars drive well. But german cars also cost boatloads of money to insure and repair, which is something every german car needs a lot of.

This is a perfect review of the Yaris in my opinion. It drives exactly like a lightweight small car should, and it does its job without stupid drama. Just wish they mentioned the insane reliability, most of them are tanks that don't ever break. Definitely the best Toyota, since those imbeciles in charge are still trying to keep scion around.

And now they are threatening lexus with the,"you're too stupid to negotiate," pricing. What are they trying to destroy everything?

[NYC-SE]

Well, the base Jetta is only $1,685 more expensive than the base Yaris and you get a whole lot more car, both in quality and quantity.

More quality, really? I came from a VW Golf, which is supposed to be their "quality" model here in US. The cost was much higher than the Yaris and the quality was much lower. Just too many problems with VW product and service.

[Thirty-Nine]

I ran my 1980 Motobecane $500 21 pound 10 speed into the back of a car at 5 mph in 94 and bent the frame.

I have a '75 Motobecane Nomade. :) (I should get on it once and a while!) :D

[bronsin]

I have a '75 Motobecane Nomade. :) (I should get on it once and a while!) :D

Really! I had the Grand Jubilee. Very light and a very stiff frame with expensive components. $500 was a lot of money for a bicycle in 1979.

Gosh the bikes today are so much better though.:thumbsup:

[nookandcrannycar]

I have a '75 Motobecane Nomade. :) (I should get on it once and a while!) :D

I have an '83 Miyata 912. Same sentiment :biggrin:.

[Thirty-Nine]

Gosh the bikes today are so much better though.:thumbsup:

Agreed. Heck, I bought a Schwinn Moab mountain bike back in 2000, and paied $800 for it. It's a pretty nice bike, but didn't have disc brakes or some other higher-end components. Now, you can go to Toys R Us and get bike with disc brakes for $150!

[bronsin]

Agreed. Heck, I bought a Schwinn Moab mountain bike back in 2000, and paied $800 for it. It's a pretty nice bike, but didn't have disc brakes or some other higher-end components. Now, you can go to Toys R Us and get bike with disc brakes for $150!

Toys R US bike? :bonk:

[BLKHILLSGUY]

I have a $1500 Specialized mountain bike that has been hung in the garage for 2 yrs. Just no time with nursing school. Neighbor always asks to borrow it. And the answer is always "no."

[nookandcrannycar]

I have a $1500 Specialized mountain bike that has been hung in the garage for 2 yrs. Just no time with nursing school. Neighbor always asks to borrow it. And the answer is always "no."

:thumbsup:

A fraternity brother and old roommate of mine started working (off the books) at the tire center his dad owned when he was about 10 years old. They both kept track of how many hours he worked. He and his dad had an arrangement. His dad wouldn't pay him directly, but when my friend decided to cash in, his dad would buy him x level of car commensurate with the total number of hours he had worked over the years. He decided to cash in when he was between 20-22...can't remember exactly. His parents paid for his college and gave him an old family car to drive at school. When my friend cashed in, hid dad bought him a new SAAB 900. This didn't use up all of his 'credits' because he also got a $4,000.00 racing bicycle at the same time (this was in the mid 1980's).

My point....his sage mindset re that bicycle mirrors your sage mindset toward your Specialized....he ALSO would NEVER let a neighbor ride that bicycle :eek::biggrin:!