Debate Yaris vs. Smart Car Please help!

[aeipee13]

Originally Posted by staticorex

Well the Yaris will have more cargo room if you would ever need it. But if mpg is the only thing you care about... Hope that helps.

doesn't the yaris get better mileage? i read somewhere that even though the smart is listed at 33 city and 40 highway it isn't true. Reason is because the engine is so small you spend a lot of time on the pedal even compared to the Yaris.

[Yaris Hilton]

Heck, I went to the Toyota place pretty much set on buying a liftback Yaris, till I compared the liftbacks and sedans side by side and saw how much more I could carry in a sedan. No way I could get by with a Smart. When I rode motorcycles with no luggage capacity, at least I could wear a backpack. The Yaris sedan works as well for hauling cargo home from the grocery store, Wal-Mart, etc. as the big Volvo 850 Turbo sedan I traded off. And it can capably handle some especially bulky recreational equipment I like to haul on occasion.

[Airforce1]

Thank you for everybodys feedback. After some careful consideration and everyones responses i will be going for the yaris! I hope to be posting pictures soon!!

[Astroman]

Yay!

[UTVitz]

Though I own a yaris HB I've been thinking about and test driving any smart I can find on lots. They are cute, they get mostly favorable attention, and are different from conventional transportation-kind of like a motorcycle. However, that said I have noticed any wind on the highway including big semis will cause them to buck around-nothing scary, but it is tiring none the less. The yaris is a much more stable wider tracked vehicle which is important on the freeway. The yaris is also quieter on the highway as the plastic body panels let more road noise thorough on freeways. Four cylinders idle much smoother than three, you'll find the smart shakes quite a bit at stop lights once it's warmed up. The a/c does not stay very cool at idle and when the engines cooling fan is running you hear it clearly inside the car. Being a mostly plastic car the panels have large gaps and they tend to creak and rattle depending on the weather that day. I could go on and on about what I've found and if a smart cost 5-7 thousand dollars it would make since. But you can buy a yaris or fit or any number of other cars for what a smart costs it just makes no sense unless-you have parking issues and only stay in the city. It really is just a city car if you can handle the bumpy ride and weird transmission shifting. In 22k miles my yaris has yet to see and dealer for anything-I do my own oil/filter changes. smarts are not so trouble free I read and numerous owners have had to get their cars towed to a dealer because the funky transmission locks up and won't come out of park. ahh, yes, don't forget smarts get a 2 year 24k warranty period. All other cars have 3/36 and toyotas/hondas have a 5/60 on the powertrain. Hope this makes you feel better about going with the yaris. I would still like a smart some day as a second vehicle, but only when I can buy one for under 10 grand.

[cali yaris]

42 - 0 -- we are on a Yaris message board, after all.

[Zaphod]

I looked at the Fortwo, it's nice to look at for sure and rather unique.

But in the end it's just not a very practical car. As others have already said, the marginal increase in fuel efficiency is offset by the requirement for premium fuel. It carries half the number of passengers and has less cargo space. It also looks harder to work on and I would suspect costs a lot more to maintain. It's not even close to the Yaris in terms of value.

If you want a two seater that gets great MPG, I would say just go all the way and get a motorcycle. With some decent saddlebags, a full helmet and a windshield you can have almost the same functionality for a fraction of the cost. In addition, they're easy to work on, cheaper to insure and way more fun to ride.

[scape]

sounds like the OP made up their mind. I'd have to also put into the hat the fact that the smart is mercedes-benz designed, and I'd imagine maintenance will not exactly be cheap... if it's like the mini, BMW designed which I think might also have expensive maintenance after a few years use

[auxmike]

Originally Posted by Zaphod

If you want a two seater that gets great MPG, I would say just go all the way and get a motorcycle. With some decent saddlebags, a full helmet and a windshield you can have almost the same functionality for a fraction of the cost. In addition, they're easy to work on, cheaper to insure and way more fun to ride.

...except when it rains and snows like it does here in the NE.....

[auxmike]

Originally Posted by scape

sounds like the OP made up their mind. I'd have to also put into the hat the fact that the smart is mercedes-benz designed, and I'd imagine maintenance will not exactly be cheap... if it's like the mini, BMW designed which I think might also have expensive maintenance after a few years use

I think the Smarts sold in the USA use Mitsubishi engines, so you don't even get the real Benz powertrain.....

[Woody_Woodchuck]

Sorry I’m late to this discussion.

For long commutes I would have an issue with the seats. I commute 30 miles to work, so 60 miles a day and they are fine. I’ve taken 2 - 300 mile trips and the seats have gotten more and more uncomfortable as the miles went by. I’m in my 50’s but don’t have any back problems or known issues, the seat just gets uncomfortable for me.

I love my Yaris for my commuting but would definitely have to put different seats in if I was to drive it all day, every day. Or just some sort of covering. I also would get a sedan for the extra wheel base and weight. I know it isn’t much but from what little I drove a sedan it made a huge difference to driver fatigue over my Lift back.

[rbell]

I've owned my Yaris HB for about 3 weeks now. I would never consider purchasing a Smart car. I don't think the mpg is as good as the Yaris. I get 43 mpg highway with mine.

[tomato]

Yaris.

That's interesting. I was split between the Honda Fit and the Yaris and the Yaris won by a small margin mostly because of economy and looks. I liked the Smart as well (3rd choice) mostly because it's so damn cute and real small, great little city car, but the engine is small too (that can be a handicap on the highway) and you really can't put ANYTHING in the trunk at all, and since I don't have access to another car, I thought the Yaris LB would be a far more practical overall car.

Good luck with your decision!

[tomato]

Ooops. you decided already! oh well, then welcome to this forum! Nice name, by the way!

[auxmike]

I looked at the Fit too, but it was pricey and the dealer forces you to buy a tacked on "auto valet" for $700. Whatever that is!
Also, I wanted a bronze sport. All the had was 2 IROC blue sports and a grey base model.
The Toyota dealer had at least 8 LBs; 3 meteorites with full power+auto,
a bare bones red and some Bayou blue + black....
I eneded up with a full power Meteor!

[sue08401]

When it came time to buy a new car it was a choice between a Yaris 3 door or a smart car. I was leaning towards the smart car but as a musician I had one simple requirement. It had to hold 2 guitars and my amp. The smart car couldn't and the Yaris could.