Yaris weight compared to early fun Japanese cars

[Alan1962]

Follow me here for a minute, 1984 Honda Prelude was 2220 lbs @ 100 HP, fun car & light weight.
1984 Porsche 944 { I know German } is 2830 lbs @ 143 HP hmm HP to weight ratio close to Yaris, a little.
1983 Honda Accord 2 dr. 2031 lbs 72 HP 1760 CC's, this is it in a nutshell folks, the Accord is now a 3300 lb. heavy weight.
The Yaris captures the spirit of the early Honda' Civics CRX's Accords, Toyota Celica'a they all became too big & The Yaris has a refined engine & better HP to weight ratio, that's the key to the Yaris spirit, light weight I tell ya, pearls of wisdom dispensed here folks, no charge
Yaris 2 dr. weighs same as 1976 TR6, & 1969 Porsche 911 too !

[Thirty-Nine]

Proving it's fun to drive a slow car fast!

[Alan1962]

Lots of fun, cheap too, cheap thrills
Sort of the original sports car concept of the MG's, Alfa's , Fiat Spiders , VW bugs even {tweaked}..
I was in the UK a few times visiting family as a kid mostly but they & most of Europe really get it with these small nimble easy to park, cheap to own compact cars, I think the fact petrol is 6 bucks a gallon helps make owning a Yaris sized car no brainer .
& of course Hitler & the VW ummmmm, bad example

[Yaristeve]

I agree for the most part with OP's assessment that the Yaris' power-to-weight ratio makes it comparable to, and as fun to drive as, the Hondas of the 1970s. I enjoy driving the Yaris because of it but I think you went a little too far comparing the Yaris to RWD cars like the 944, early Celicas, Triumphs and other Porsches.

Trailing throttle oversteer and drifting in a RWD car is much more fun and completely different than the understeer you get with FWD.

As much as I like my Yaris, the styling, driving experience, the quality, I won't be giving up my 1979 Celica anytime soon.

[Rigaud]

My 1986 Honda Civic 1500S was 1750lbs and 95 h.p. stock.

[Alan1962]

My brother leased a 1984 3181 4 cyl. BMW new & I drove it a lot, same weight & HP basically as the Yaris & really fun car.
These sized cars seem to be making a comeback because of the fuel economy & the fact that they are more fun to drive sometimes anyways..
That little " Yaris styled " Chevy is starting to pop up everywhere where I live as well as little similar Kia & Hyundia models & many Versca's..
My brother used to have an Opel Kadett back in 1976, that was a small car back then they were called " imports " until the Pinto & Vega came around

[DebbyM46227]

I had 3 different Honda CRX's in the 80's. My last one, an '88, I got rid of for a new 1997 Chevy Cavalier (I regretted that!). The Yaris is the closest affordable car I could find that made me feel like I had another CRX.

[ilikerice]

Originally Posted by DebbyM46227

I had 3 different Honda CRX's in the 80's. My last one, an '88, I got rid of for a new 1997 Chevy Cavalier (I regretted that!). The Yaris is the closest affordable car I could find that made me feel like I had another CRX.

BAM!!!. As a former owner of 3 CRX's also, I feel me and Debbie have a close bond when comparing our old CRX and our new Yaris.

I will say, they handle very similar. I said it before, my only issue is the stupid rear torsion suspension. I miss independent rear

[DebbyM46227]

Originally Posted by ilikerice

BAM!!!. As a former owner of 3 CRX's also, I feel me and Debbie have a close bond when comparing our old CRX and our new Yaris.

I will say, they handle very similar. I said it before, my only issue is the stupid rear torsion suspension. I miss independent rear

My only complaint with the Yaris is I'm sitting up a lot higher than I did in the CRX. Then again, I wore out the side of my CRX's seat trying to boost myself out of the car. I don't need a boost to get out of the Yaris, I feel like I'm jumping down out of it.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by DebbyM46227

My last one, an '88, I got rid of for a new 1997 Chevy Cavalier (I regretted that!)

CRX = . especially the '88 and especially the Si. I probably should have purchased one at the time.

The Yaris is the closest affordable car I could find that made me feel like I had another CRX.

Yea, IIRC the CR-Z wasn't available when your Yaris would have been new. I thought about getting a CR-Z as my next car, but it's my understanding that with the way the hybrid system works on that car you can't use the A/C when it is in electric mode. Wouldn't work well re driving in hot weather in SE Texas.

[DebbyM46227]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

Yea, IIRC the CR-Z wasn't available when your Yaris would have been new. I thought about getting a CR-Z as my next car, but it's my understanding that with the way the hybrid system works on that car you can't use the A/C when it is in electric mode. Wouldn't work well re driving in hot weather in SE Texas.

I'm pretty sure the CR-Z was available in 2010, but $30K is not affordable for me. I drool over every CR-Z I see when I'm out driving around. The Honda dealers around here rarely have them in stock.

[roxy1]

the CR-Z is such a disappointment. Hybrid costs with out real hybrid performance and pretentions of being sporty without being real fun to drive. add to that it is a two seater. there is a reason less than 400 CR-Z get sold per month.

imo, the veloster at least has a fun spirit to it and it quite a bit cheaper, has a lot more room, and still gets fair mileage without having a hybrid.

[Thirty-Nine]

Originally Posted by roxy1

the CR-Z is such a disappointment. Hybrid costs with out real hybrid performance and pretentions of being sporty without being real fun to drive. add to that it is a two seater. there is a reason less than 400 CR-Z get sold per month.

imo, the veloster at least has a fun spirit to it and it quite a bit cheaper, has a lot more room, and still gets fair mileage without having a hybrid.

Totally agree on the CR-Z. And no, the A/C doesn't work when it's in EV mode (e.g. stop/start downtown).

I'm not a Veloster fan either, however. It looks way more fun than it is, and that includes Turbo versions.

I think the Yaris SE is a hoot. Still low in weight but with faster steering and sporty suspension. Mazda2 falls into that category, too. However, I still think the Abarth is the most fun you can have in a tiny car. It's just a damn hoot. Pricey? Yes. Sounds like a Ferrari that caught in a shrink ray? Indeed!

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by roxy1

imo, the veloster at least has a fun spirit to it and it quite a bit cheaper, has a lot more room, and still gets fair mileage without having a hybrid.

I agree. The Veloster is 6 inches longer, but Hyundai utilizes that extra space well. I also don't like the dash in the CR-Z that much, and I do like the dash in the Veloster. The manual base Veloster is also lighter than the manual CR-Z.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by DebbyM46227

I'm pretty sure the CR-Z was available in 2010, but $30K is not affordable for me. I drool over every CR-Z I see when I'm out driving around. The Honda dealers around here rarely have them in stock.

Sorry, I was thinking 2008 (the year in the title of your recent tire thread) . Wow, 30k. They must have only had heavily optioned ones with additional PAC stickers in your area (similar to what many Toyota dealers in Bronsin's neck of the woods have done re the Yaris). I remember the CR-Z (here) being in a similar (but narrower) range to the Prius c. According to Motor Trend now (a few years down the road) for 2014 the MSRP range (which I imagine wouldn't include destination, title, tax, and dealer installed options) is $19,080 - 23,360 for the Prius c, and $20,645 - $23,990 for the CR-Z. I like Hondas, but I wouldn't pay 30k for a Honda (unless I could find an NSX for much less than what it is worth, drive it for a bit, and then sell it and make a profit).

[Kalispel]

Originally Posted by DebbyM46227

I had 3 different Honda CRX's in the 80's. My last one, an '88, I got rid of for a new 1997 Chevy Cavalier (I regretted that!). The Yaris is the closest affordable car I could find that made me feel like I had another CRX.

I miss my 1986 CRX Si. Bought it new and drove it until 1989 or so. I still kick myself for trading it in on an Acura Integra. Most fun car I have ever owned. Probably why I want to buy a 2007-2011 Yaris as my next vehicle, with manual transmission and crank windows.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by Kalispel

with manual transmission and crank windows.

[Yaristeve]

Thanks for resuscitating this thread and sorry for the drift but, is it just my eyes or has the Fiat 500 (L?) and the MINI Clubman (?) gotten HUGE? I was stopped next to both of these on separate occasions and the first thing I thought both times was, "I thought these were a whole lot smaller".