Is the Yaris mostly for Urban Transportation?

[Dorkinheimer]

Originally Posted by ryank

yes I love driving the Yaris at 3500 RPM and it doesnt bother me

If one day they come out with a 6th gear, I,m sure you'll use it ;)

[frownonfun]

well nothing really... i just think most of us are wondering why you would even ask if you already had your mind made up. kinda like when my wife asks my opinion on something just so she can tell me how i'm wrong and go about doing whatever she was going to do anyway.

in any case i had an A/T 07 sedan that i put about 44,000 miles on and they were primarily highway miles as i was traveling a lot for work at the time. seemed to run fine to me. and i was probably speeding 70% of the time in that car.

[Altitude]

I was surprised at the 3000 RPM in 5th - but it doesn't bother me. I plan on taking a road trip back east this Spring/Summer. That'll be about 3500 round trip. I have no concerns (other than Tornadoes.)

[GeneW]

Four bangers rev higher than v8s. What of it?

The Yaris is a fine highway car. Very agile, reasonable acceleration and fine responsiveness.

Gene

[Thirty-Nine]

Originally Posted by GeneW

Four bangers rev higher than v8s. What of it?

The Yaris is a fine highway car. Very agile, reasonable acceleration and fine responsiveness.

Gene

I concur. I drove from Milwaukee, WI to Portland, OR in my 2005 xB, which had the same engine (and probably worse wind resistance). It did fine. I've driven from Portland to Northern California in my Yaris, and it was fine.

Can I "light 'em up" at 60? Certainly not. Are there better cars for cross-country cruising? I suppose. Will a Yaris sustain a long road trip? You bet.

A lot of this is subjective. If you're used to driving a big, cushy vehicle that floats down the highway and has passing power to spare, then perhaps the Yaris would take a bit of getting used to. And yes, as Gene said, four-bangers rev higher due to less power and gearing. My dad's '06 Corvette spins 1,000 RPM at 70. My Yaris is probably more like 3,500.

If you're wondering if the Yaris is going to fail mechanically with lots of highway use, I wouldn't worry about it. The 1NZ-FE engine has been around for quite some time in the U.S. (The Echo had it in 1999, and the Tercel had a similar engine) and is pretty tried and true.

What's funny to me is a lot of people worry about whether or not some of the newer subcompacts are highway worthy. However, it wasn't too long ago (late 1970s, early 1980s) when there were plenty of cars on the road with less than 100 hp. In fact, just about all subcompacts back then didn't have much power. Heck--my parents had a 1981 Plymouth Champ with 78 hp. They had a 1982 Dodge Omni with 84 hp and drove it from Mississippi to Minnesota without problem. I had a 1979 Honda Civic with 53 hp and an automatic. It would drive on the Interstate.

The Yaris will do just fine on the highway.

[GeneW]

Originally Posted by Dorkinheimer

The Yaris is a good city car, but is it just as good of a car for people who take long trips at higher speeds?

Wasn't the Yaris designed mostly for city driving at lower speeds? I think so, because the motor spins a little fast at highway speed.
Bigger cars with bigger motors don't spin as fast, so makes it more pleasant driving at highway speed, especially when taking long trips.

The Yaris lacks the sound proofing that is present on more expensive cars. So you notice the engine noises. Same with the smaller motor, which will rev higher than a v8.

As far as its design.... a City car would have a short range. The Yaris can go well over 200 miles (320kms) on a tank of gasoline. The City car would not need the kind of high speed restraints, like airbags and a stout seat, that are present on most Yarii. A City car would not need the kind of acceleration that is present in a Yaris. The Yaris has pretty high ground clearance for a City car.

So I think it's safe to say that the Yaris was meant for suburban and rural life as well as in the city.

By the way, your avatar is really annoying.

Gene

[UTVitz]

I took my 3 door on a 3000 mile, 9 day road trip up the CA/OR coast line in October with a friend and we thoroughly enjoyed using it. I got my best ever MPG on that trip and it easily went over the Sierra mountains at any speed I wanted it to. Incredibly stable for its size and it was quiet enough to listen to the XM radio we took with no problem. It's no Avalon nor Camry-but I don't want those luxo barges either. I'd take a Smart on a road trip if I had one. The seats are firm, but supportive for long drives. It's a great trip car and I don't even have cruise control. I frequently make 5 hour drives north with it in the summer up to Idaho/Wyoming.

[Dorkinheimer]

Yes, changing the diameter of the wheel will affect the rpm at a given speed. Everyone knows that. The rpm will still be 2800 at 100 kmh, no change on the dials, but the car will be going 102 instead of 100for example, all depending on the size of the wheel you change it forl

Go here http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

Enter 1756514, and then 1856015 and you'll see a 3.4% change SO, the car will be going at 103.4 and the speedometer will mark 100 kmh. The car will be going at 103.4, the speedometer marks 100, the rpm marks 2800

So, you go 3.4% faster for the same RPM

Since your car goes up 100 rpm for every 4 kmh in 5th gear, with the manual transmission, you lose about 100 rpm with the 15 inch tires compared to the 14 inch tires.

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by Dorkinheimer

Yes, changing the diameter of the wheel will affect the rpm at a given speed. Everyone knows that. The rpm will still be 2800 at 100 kmh, no change on the dials, but the car will be going 102 instead of 100for example, all depending on the size of the wheel you change it forl

Go here http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

Enter 1756514, and then 1856015 and you'll see a 3.4% change SO, the car will be going at 103.4 and the speedometer will mark 100 kmh. The car will be going at 103.4, the speedometer marks 100, the rpm marks 2800

So, you go 3.4% faster for the same RPM

Since your car goes up 100 rpm for every 4 kmh in 5th gear, with the manual transmission, you lose about 100 rpm with the 15 inch tires compared to the 14 inch tires.

And to get this marginal gain in mph-vs-engine :rpm you are going to change all your rims and tires?Certainly doesnt make any financial sense.I just put 200k on a Miata over the last 6yrs and at 80mph it was revving 4500rpm:my moms older Firebird with overdrive will do the same 80mph at 1600rpm.

[Dorkinheimer]

Well 100 rpm's here with 15 inch tires and 200 rpm there with automatic transmission makes 300rpm's and that makes a heck of a difference to me.

But no, I didn,t spend an additional penny on the car, just traded it away for a Corolla and I gained 500 rpm and its so fun driving at 125 kmh with a RPM of 2800, and I get 50 MPG on the highway.

But like I said, I change car often and won't make the same mistake with this manual on the Yaris. I like the car and find that it's great, except for what I posted.

I would get a manual Yaris if it had a 6th speed. If not I would go for an automatic Yaris and now they all have 15 inch wheels here in Canada on all models, so the motor would rev 300 slower at highway speed.

I'll compare the 2010 Corolla and 2010 Yaris and decide which suits me best, just like everyone here can decide what suits them best.

[33OH]

I'm not saying I wouldn't rather have a 6 speed Yaris, but if I was going to complain about it as much as you do, I'd just go buy a 6 speed car. They're not that hard to find.

[Dorkinheimer]

Originally Posted by ryank

I'm not saying I wouldn't rather have a 6 speed Yaris, but if I was going to complain about it as much as you do, I'd just go buy a 6 speed car. They're not that hard to find.

I solved my problem by changing car for a better one.

But I would buy another Yaris with an automatic or manual 6 speed, or a 5 speed that can go at 3000 rpm at 120 kmh.

If this thread is so long, its because I'm simply replying to all of your complaining about my personal taste.

I don't mind riding the yaris at 3500 rpm while accelerating, but when it comes to driving at a constant speed for hours, then its annoying.

[33OH]

3500 RPM's is like 80 or 90 mph in my Yaris.

And I have a 2 hour commute to work (with aftermarket exhaust/CAI) and I don't notice the engine being annoying. Did yours not come with a radio?

[Dorkinheimer]

3500 rpm gives 128 kmh or 79 mph,, that's correct, and yes it came with a radio, that's also correct.

Other cars that spin at 3000 RPM at the same speed also come with a radio that you don't have to blast to hide the sound of the motor.

[33OH]

Okay, well I'm glad you sold your Yaris since it really made that much of a negative impact in your life.

[eTiMaGo]

Yes, the Yaris is primarily a city car.

No, the Yaris will never be as comfortable or quiet as a bigger car on the highway. Bigger cars will never be as efficient and practical as a Yaris in the city.

But Yes, the Yaris can handle highway speeds (and higher) with ease for extended periods of time with little impact on engine longevity as long as proper maintenance is observed (which applies to all cars anyway).

And yes, in the end, it's a question of your personal threshold for noise when driving at 3000RPM+ Personally I have no problem with it, I always have music playing and I don't even need it to be that loud to cover the mechanical noises. Then again I do enjoy listening to my cylinder symphony

and lastly, on the topic of 14" vs 15" wheels... Dorkinheimer does have a point, Toyota USA official tire sizes are 175/65R14 or 185/60R15 , which does have about a 3% difference in rolling diameter, so yes, at an equal speed the 15" equipped car would rev 3% lower. So at 120km/h that's about a 120RPM difference?

In closing:

If the 5% of highway driving bothers you so much that you'd spend the money on "upgrading" to a bigger car, you could have invested on some soundproofing and larger tires, while keeping the real advantages of the car. But, in the end, it's your money, your life, your decisions. You ask us if we mind the high RPMs on the highway, and the vast majority don't mind, question answered, case closed, end of discussion, dead horse beaten.