Yaris - do you find it comfortable on long trips?

[voodoo22]

Originally Posted by Snyprwlf47

My only complaint was also the lack of cruise. The Yaris is otherwise good for long trip IMO.

+1

It's comfortable considering the price.

[41magmag41]

Originally Posted by nemelek

I like road trips. The only thing that keeps me fron driving 14 hours at a time is my wife.

I aggree completely with this sentence about the wife. LOL But seriously I've done quite a few long trips, 2400 miles round trip, and find my sedan that has everything but side air bags quite comfortable. I would opt for an auto tranny, cruise and as stated satalite radio. Mileage was great averaging 40 to 41 mpg cruising at around 78 to 80 via my gps and there were three of us plus luggage in the car. I think if the 5 door hatchback had been available when I got rid of my SUV I would have opted for that. Good Luck, Oh I'm 5'8" and about 220 and find the car comfortable.

[Mouse]

I find it more comfortable than my miata on long trips

[kuyachris84]

I would say after 4 hours it's uncomfortable.... I wish I had cruise control! =*(

[eric81]

I have a GPS and an aftermarket tach on my 08 Yaris. It has a 5-gear manual, but I have a true cold air intake, megan header, 3A racing muffler, 2" lowering springs, NST short shifter, pedal covers, Silver Star headlights, and lots of other little things that don't mean much to some people, or to the fact I drove 1500+ miles in 36 hours, including a 12 hour delay because of a snow storm on the 80 in Colorado. It was moderately comfortable, but the fact that it was a manual, my leg hurt in the traffic jam on the stupid mountain (3 accidents back to back). There is also no cruise control, so that made finding a steady speed a little harder to do. I also had a TON of stuff in my car, so it was weighed down really bad in the back, which killed my gas mileage. I averaged between 37 and 40 MPG's. I also had the engine at or over 3,400 RPM's for a very large majority of the trip. My car seems to be geared rather low for going 80 MPH. As for seat comfort, it was pretty good. My neck got a little stiff and stayed kinda sore the whole way, but not bad.

[wiirenet]

I drove 8 hours last week, longest I've ever done, only thing I noticed was my leg was aching around the 6hr mark. I got out for literally 5 minutes at 4 hours but went straight back to my car. I don't know if it was the car, the way the seats are, or if thats just a normal side effect from driving for so long!

Also, yes the car gets really loud when you're going fast on the highway, I always play adjust the radio volume because when I'm on the highway I need it loud, and then if I need to stop or slow I turn the radio down because then the radio is too loud for comfort..

Be prepared for the sway when you go really fast. First time I went above 80, in my yaris or any car was during my 8 hour drive and omg, did it sway.. but also when you're going a regular speed like 55, it sways a bit too.

Also, I've never had or driven cruise control so I guess I don't know what I'm missing! I never care that I don't have it.

[eric81]

p.s.- the car tops at 117 MPH... in 4th gear on a manual. It just sorta stops for a few seconds, then kicks back on. Very strange. But yeah, 117 MPH is the fastest it will go.

[staypuft]

just change the seats, thats what i did

[Pars]

I was in my Yaris for about 10hr/day for 2 years and accumulated 150,000km in those years. I wish I had cruise control, on occasion I had to drive with my left leg cause the right one was cramping up. I'm 6'1 and 255lb and after a long drive, I don't have any upper body fatigue, it's the legs/ankles etc that get fatigued. The cruise control and a more reclined seating position in the Sedan should solve that problem. Also, my Yaris was an 07, I've noticed that quality of the seat's fiber/cushions can change over the years, so be ware.

If the priority is highway running and good fuel consumption, while cruising well above the speed limits, there isn't a better formula. On a side note, the Sedan is probably better for highway cruising, but I'd still prefer the Hatch for the better dynamic around the turns.

[SpaceShot]

I put on 125 miles/day and I do find the seat bottom a little flat after an hour. I simply got some padded seat covers from PepBoys and that seemed to help.
Someday I'll take the time to get some Scion XB seats from a salvage yard and put them in. Just that little bit of extra side and front bolster on the Scion seats seems to make a difference for me.

I did put in the aftermarket cruise control on a Saturday afternoon and it helps when we go on vacation trips. We have driven over 6-1/2 hours at stretch without any difficulty.

The Yaris has the same HP to weight ratio as some V6 vehicles. Off the showroom floor its not a racer or a super economy car, but you can tune it in either direction.

[SilverBack]

6'1" on a 3-hour trip. Very slight back ache, but otherwise no problems

[Yar Is Word]

Have you considered a Corolla?
Comfort and good gas mileage.

[Zyph]

Well, I was recently a passenger in a Yaris on a 4 hour trip (Ask AlexNet0 about it :) ) and I didn't become sore or aching during the entire thing. Besides for my left knee (which is always unreliable), I was comfortable on the whole trip.

[360cubes]

Originally Posted by Yar Is Word

Have you considered a Corolla?
Comfort and good gas mileage.

I have, but by the time I option it the same as a Yaris it's $5K more to buy it here in Ontario. As it's primarily for the wife during the week I won't be driving it much...except on long trips. She's also new to driving which is another reason why I'm looking at the Yaris. I'm waiting for her to make up her mind.

I looked around at a used Tercel, but my head hit the door jamb when I tried to get in, so I walked away from that. The Yaris is 4-5" taller and I have no issue getting in or out of it.

Originally Posted by Ed_

I replaced the stock radio with one with bluetooth for hands free phone. It also has UBS connection which allows me to run my iphone (ipod) using radio controls, over 1800 songs so I don't need satelite. Satelite is cool, but ipod is even better. 4 Boston speakers are awesome. I like my toons

I have an iTouch 16GB with FM transmitter that I use. Ha. My Garmin Nuvi 360 has MP3 capability but you can't amplify it into the vehicles sound system...and the speaker that it does have is terrible for playing tunes. I do like the iPod though. I use it to gain internet access at hotels as well...no need for a laptop!

Originally Posted by NJBob

I put on 300+ miles in a day and have no complaints. If you're used to luxury cars you're going to see a difference. That goes without saying.

Actually, I don't care much for luxury cars. My Durango R/T is about the closest I've come to owning anything 'luxurious'. When I define 'luxury', I look at it in the terms of things that are in or on the vehicle that you may never use, but are there just in case you change your mind. I bought it to tow the landscape and cargo trailer...it's the farthest I've ever gone to treat myself. Luxury cars aren't worth the money. Aluminum frames are the worst, as a simple bit of corner frame damage can cost $20K just to fix, as compared to $2-3K on a comparable steel vehicle. I like to keep most things simple. Perhaps when I turn 80 in 54 years (if I make it that long), a $150K import might be right up my alley. A full electric Dodge Viper! Whoopdy Doo.

Originally Posted by wiirenet

Be prepared for the sway when you go really fast. First time I went above 80, in my yaris or any car was during my 8 hour drive and omg, did it sway.. but also when you're going a regular speed like 55, it sways a bit too.

Also, I've never had or driven cruise control so I guess I don't know what I'm missing! I never care that I don't have it.

I've already been shopping around for aftermarket cruise control systems. Toyota's factory installed unit is almost the same price so I might just tack on the $400 for the option, as I won't drive a vehicle long distance without cruise. As for sway, I don't travel more than 75mph on US Interstates. I like setting the cruise on all my vehicles around 110km/h or approx. 70mph. If time is of utmost importance I might speed a bit and set it at 76!

Originally Posted by SpaceShot

I put on 125 miles/day and I do find the seat bottom a little flat after an hour. I simply got some padded seat covers from PepBoys and that seemed to help.
Someday I'll take the time to get some Scion XB seats from a salvage yard and put them in. Just that little bit of extra side and front bolster on the Scion seats seems to make a difference for me.

I did put in the aftermarket cruise control on a Saturday afternoon and it helps when we go on vacation trips. We have driven over 6-1/2 hours at stretch without any difficulty.

The Yaris has the same HP to weight ratio as some V6 vehicles. Off the showroom floor its not a racer or a super economy car, but you can tune it in either direction.

Do you (or does anyone else know) if the front seat covers are removable, or are they glued onto the foam? I'm asking because Ebay had some 12V heated seat inserts on sale again. However, if the seat material is glued directly onto the foam inlay then it won't work out.

Which aftermarket cruise control setup did you go with? The ones that I can find are all in the US, cost about $250, but after I factor in exchange and customs it works out to the same price as a factory Toyota unit

The Yaris has a better HP to weight ratio than my '99 Taurus does.

Yaris (auto trans, approx.) 2450lbs / 106HP = 23.113lbs/HP
Taurus 3740lbs / 145hp = 25.793lbs/HP

Again, thanks for all the replies guys. I know the only way to know for sure is to test it for myself, but the dealer won't let me until I sign on the bottom line. With any luck the wife will make up her mind if she wants to get the vehicle or not. I've been taking her out for lessons in my larger Taurus, but the front end needs a lot of work as an alignment can no longer cure the problem. I just can't bear to put more money into it...so we'll see!

[keesue]

The upright seating and the short seat cushions make for a not-so-comfortable gas pedal address. If it had cruise control and a manual seat tilt adjustment, it would be much more comfortable. That said, by the time I need fuel, I'm ready to stretch anyway.

[firebob]

I know this takes some time to get used to but they have been teaching this on and off to EMS divers. Grab the wheel at 4:30 and 7:30 then use the “push and glide” that they have been teaching for years to everyone. Remember that you need to keep your palms to the center of the wheel no matter where you put your hands. I found this works well if you drop the wheel all the down and place the seat more for the knee and ankle position then the reach of your arms.

This should put you body in a good position.
You might want to try using a pad on your legs where your elbows end up on your legs if there is an uncountable gap.

[eric81]

If you get tired of driving, then driving might just not be your thing. When I drove 1,500 miles in 36 hours, I was fine except for a little stiff from being in the same stupid position for so long. I have the tilt all the way down, the seat one click from all the way back on the glider, and the seat tilt a little back from straight up. I am 5'9", 190 lbs, and 28 yrs old. (I am married to, so no funny business) I think it's just finding what's comfortable, but not TOOOOO comfortable. I do agree the seat is not as comfortable as it could be, and really needs lumbar support. Otherwise, great drive.

[GeneralDon7]

I'm 20, 6' and about 200 lb, the longest I've driven the yaris was just over 11 hours straight, the ride isn't horrible. i do agree with the road noise being noticeable, but thats what the stereo is for. I just use jukebox discs I made for these trips, or plug my laptop into the aux plug. It probably would have been far worse if i hadnt of had cruise control, but one reason why i looked for it.