Driven 2012 200 miles - Toyota Yaris Forums

mr9865 · 12-09-2011, 01:18 AM

I purchased a 2012 Yaris L model 12/7/11. I got the car for $13,975 pretax and fees. Out the door price was $14,000 because I qualified for the college grad rebate.

My previous car was a 2001 Toyota ECHO. The first 200 miles have been awesome! The Yaris has a very nice interior, all the plastics line up. The door have a solid feel to them. The base model comes with power locks which is probably the best feature ever (echo only manual). There is no need for remote entry because turning the key twice unlocks both doors. Also unlocking the hatch unlocks both doors. Inside A/C comes standard along with rear defrost, and the star safety system (abs trac, stability, 9 airbags). Another great feature is the on board computer copies the YarGauge and displays average mpg, instant mpg, outside temp, average speed, along with two trip settings. The interior gauges light up amber, and the manual transmission models come with a tachometer.

The seats are much improved over the previous gen Yaris, having more side bolstering and less polka dots. Driving feels much safer in this vehicle, as I no longer fear for my life at 75 mph. I would say 75 feels like what 55 did in the echo. Storage behind the rear seat is a bit on the small side. You also loose space for the spare tire, as it creates a high floor. My previous hatch was a 2003 focus ZX3 had noticeably more room behind the back seat.

I have no regrets with this car. For the money the 2012 Base model can't be beat.

Only mods planned is to get some alloy wheels and a spoiler.

CanIHazYarisHatch? · 12-09-2011, 02:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr9865

I purchased a 2012 Yaris L model 12/7/11. I got the car for $13,975 pretax and fees. Out the door price was $14,000 because I qualified for the college grad rebate.

My previous car was a 2001 Toyota ECHO. The first 200 miles have been awesome! The Yaris has a very nice interior, all the plastics line up. The door have a solid feel to them. The base model comes with power locks which is probably the best feature ever (echo only manual). There is no need for remote entry because turning the key twice unlocks both doors. Also unlocking the hatch unlocks both doors. Inside A/C comes standard along with rear defrost, and the star safety system (abs trac, stability, 9 airbags). Another great feature is the on board computer copies the YarGauge and displays average mpg, instant mpg, outside temp, average speed, along with two trip settings. The interior gauges light up amber, and the manual transmission models come with a tachometer.

The seats are much improved over the previous gen Yaris, having more side bolstering and less polka dots. Driving feels much safer in this vehicle, as I no longer fear for my life at 75 mph. I would say 75 feels like what 55 did in the echo. Storage behind the rear seat is a bit on the small side. You also loose space for the spare tire, as it creates a high floor. My previous hatch was a 2003 focus ZX3 had noticeably more room behind the back seat.

I have no regrets with this car. For the money the 2012 Base model can't be beat.

Only mods planned is to get some alloy wheels and a spoiler.

Outstanding report.

Sharp little car...I will have one of my own very soon.

Strider199 · 12-09-2011, 03:41 PM

Thank you for the report mr9865. Reading your post makes waiting for mine to arrive(today but cant pick up till Monday) a bit more bearable.

03Z33 · 12-09-2011, 07:14 PM

Very cool, It's getting more and more difficult to justify the extra $2.5k for the SE package...

CanIHazYarisHatch? · 12-10-2011, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 03Z33

Very cool, It's getting more and more difficult to justify the extra $2.5k for the SE package...

Especially when it isn't offered in 3-door.

03Z33 · 12-11-2011, 02:08 AM

I actually prefer the 5-door. Always wished they had offered the 5-door when I bought my 2'nd gen in 07'

The big pro's for me on the SE are:

Quicker steering rack
Blacked out headlights

The other upgrades are less important to me:

nicer interior (I'll be changing seats and steering wheel anyway)
bigger front brakes (not needed unless you plan to more than double the HP)
rear disc brakes (look cool, but not very important unless they end up weighing less than the drum setup)
sport springs (I'll be upgrading to aftermarket suspension
cruise control standard (never use it)
sport bumpers (will most likely replace these anyway)
fog lights (don't care for them, prefer brake cooling ducts)
16" aluminum wheels (look sweet, but I would still replace them with aftermarket)

For someone like me who will most likely end up replacing most of the upgraded parts, it might not seem to make sense to pay for them but if you add up the above parts and figure you get all that for around $2k more, I'm pretty sure it will pay for itself if you decide to sell the parts to L/LE owners individually.

mr9865 · 12-11-2011, 11:25 PM

Yeah, id buy those 16" wheels off an SE owner

mr9865 · 12-19-2011, 11:28 PM

Update: 821miles The car rattles to no end in the cold say below freezing. The biggest rattler is the climate control bezel. Once it warms up inside they go away.

CanIHazYarisHatch? · 12-20-2011, 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr9865

Update: 821miles The car rattles to no end in the cold say below freezing. The biggest rattler is the climate control bezel. Once it warms up inside they go away.

Contraction and expansion are pretty normal in the cold. Still sucks, though.

12-09-2011, 01:18 AM	#1
mr9865 $10.25/hr frying chicken View User's Garage Drives: 2012 Yaris L Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Green Bay WI Posts: 261	Driven 2012 200 miles I purchased a 2012 Yaris L model 12/7/11. I got the car for $13,975 pretax and fees. Out the door price was $14,000 because I qualified for the college grad rebate. My previous car was a 2001 Toyota ECHO. The first 200 miles have been awesome! The Yaris has a very nice interior, all the plastics line up. The door have a solid feel to them. The base model comes with power locks which is probably the best feature ever (echo only manual). There is no need for remote entry because turning the key twice unlocks both doors. Also unlocking the hatch unlocks both doors. Inside A/C comes standard along with rear defrost, and the star safety system (abs trac, stability, 9 airbags). Another great feature is the on board computer copies the YarGauge and displays average mpg, instant mpg, outside temp, average speed, along with two trip settings. The interior gauges light up amber, and the manual transmission models come with a tachometer. The seats are much improved over the previous gen Yaris, having more side bolstering and less polka dots. Driving feels much safer in this vehicle, as I no longer fear for my life at 75 mph. I would say 75 feels like what 55 did in the echo. Storage behind the rear seat is a bit on the small side. You also loose space for the spare tire, as it creates a high floor. My previous hatch was a 2003 focus ZX3 had noticeably more room behind the back seat. I have no regrets with this car. For the money the 2012 Base model can't be beat. Only mods planned is to get some alloy wheels and a spoiler. __________________

12-09-2011, 03:41 PM	#3
Strider199 Drives: Black 2012 Yaris 3door 5speed Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 88	Thank you for the report mr9865. Reading your post makes waiting for mine to arrive(today but cant pick up till Monday) a bit more bearable. __________________ New to the Toyota World, be nice.

12-11-2011, 11:25 PM	#7
mr9865 $10.25/hr frying chicken View User's Garage Drives: 2012 Yaris L Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Green Bay WI Posts: 261	Yeah, id buy those 16" wheels off an SE owner __________________

12-19-2011, 11:28 PM	#8
mr9865 $10.25/hr frying chicken View User's Garage Drives: 2012 Yaris L Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Green Bay WI Posts: 261	Update: 821miles The car rattles to no end in the cold say below freezing. The biggest rattler is the climate control bezel. Once it warms up inside they go away. __________________

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12-09-2011, 07:14 PM	#4
03Z33 View User's Garage Drives: TCR10 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: SoCal Posts: 1,132	Very cool, It's getting more and more difficult to justify the extra $2.5k for the SE package...

12-11-2011, 02:08 AM	#6
03Z33 View User's Garage Drives: TCR10 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: SoCal Posts: 1,132	I actually prefer the 5-door. Always wished they had offered the 5-door when I bought my 2'nd gen in 07' The big pro's for me on the SE are: Quicker steering rack Blacked out headlights The other upgrades are less important to me: nicer interior (I'll be changing seats and steering wheel anyway) bigger front brakes (not needed unless you plan to more than double the HP) rear disc brakes (look cool, but not very important unless they end up weighing less than the drum setup) sport springs (I'll be upgrading to aftermarket suspension cruise control standard (never use it) sport bumpers (will most likely replace these anyway) fog lights (don't care for them, prefer brake cooling ducts) 16" aluminum wheels (look sweet, but I would still replace them with aftermarket) For someone like me who will most likely end up replacing most of the upgraded parts, it might not seem to make sense to pay for them but if you add up the above parts and figure you get all that for around $2k more, I'm pretty sure it will pay for itself if you decide to sell the parts to L/LE owners individually.