So how are you liking your 2012 & 2013 Yaris SE?

[veewonwon]

Very happy '12 SE 5-spd owner. 10 months, 12,000 kms. It does not have a super sharp (or touchy & artificial) throttle response like the Civic, but like others mentioned, it is very linear, and snappy enough in stop-and-go traffic. Brakes are very good on those skinny low-resistance tires. And I do prefer the quicker steering ratio on the SE, and the nice thick leather wrapped steering wheel

Coming from the G37s 6mt coupe (previous DR) and RX-8 6mt, I don't find I miss much as a city daily driver. It has all the essential amenities I need. Due to its light weight and compact size, it is a big advantage in terms of maneuvering thru traffic in rush hours. I can stay clutch-in as low as 700 rpm in 1st and 2nd without jerks, and the pick up from such low rpm is still very good.

To me, the most funny thing is, this 3rd gen SE is more rare in our city than any of my previously owned sports cars, German or Japanese. I've only seen another SE once, and don't even know if it is a 5-spd.

I did test drive the Veloster, Accent, and Elantra GT last summer before the Yaris, none of them were good. To me, the suspension setup need more work as they all handled very sloppy over turns with dip. Their steerings also felt weird, felt like a huge dead zone in the center, suspect excessive free-play, but they're all new demos with very little mileage??? We tried all 3 cars one after the other, and they all behaved the same.

We also tested the Mazda 3 skyactiv, was our top choice till we found the ride unacceptably harsh, much more so than the G37s. And a bunch of other small compacts from various brands, in fact, the Yaris was started at the bottom of our list. Yet, it came through as the most logical choice, and indeed we like it even more after we owned it.

So, the quick answer is, "no, I wouldn't want to pick another car".

[Septembersrain]

Originally Posted by veewonwon

Very happy '12 SE 5-spd owner. 10 months, 12,000 kms. It does not have a super sharp (or touchy & artificial) throttle response like the Civic, but like others mentioned, it is very linear, and snappy enough in stop-and-go traffic. Brakes are very good on those skinny low-resistance tires. And I do prefer the quicker steering ratio on the SE, and the nice thick leather wrapped steering wheel

Coming from the G37s 6mt coupe (previous DR) and RX-8 6mt, I don't find I miss much as a city daily driver. It has all the essential amenities I need. Due to its light weight and compact size, it is a big advantage in terms of maneuvering thru traffic in rush hours. I can stay clutch-in as low as 700 rpm in 1st and 2nd without jerks, and the pick up from such low rpm is still very good.

To me, the most funny thing is, this 3rd gen SE is more rare in our city than any of my previously owned sports cars, German or Japanese. I've only seen another SE once, and don't even know if it is a 5-spd.

I did test drive the Veloster, Accent, and Elantra GT last summer before the Yaris, none of them were good. To me, the suspension setup need more work as they all handled very sloppy over turns with dip. Their steerings also felt weird, felt like a huge dead zone in the center, suspect excessive free-play, but they're all new demos with very little mileage??? We tried all 3 cars one after the other, and they all behaved the same.

We also tested the Mazda 3 skyactiv, was our top choice till we found the ride unacceptably harsh, much more so than the G37s. And a bunch of other small compacts from various brands, in fact, the Yaris was started at the bottom of our list. Yet, it came through as the most logical choice, and indeed we like it even more after we owned it.

So, the quick answer is, "no, I wouldn't want to pick another car".

Question for you, What size tires do you have on your Yaris?
I test drove a ton of different cars too and hadn't considered the Yaris at all.
That was until I got it as a rental while my car was in the shop that is...

[veewonwon]

Originally Posted by Septembersrain

Question for you, What size tires do you have on your Yaris?
I test drove a ton of different cars too and hadn't considered the Yaris at all.
That was until I got it as a rental while my car was in the shop that is...

For summer, I'm using stock 195/50-16 Bridgestone Turanza tires. Winter's with 185/60-15 X-Ice 3.

[The Squirrel Mafia]

Very interesting responses. I do need to test drive a 2013 SE with a 5-speed, but they seem to be as rare as a hen's tooth.

Just read up that Toyota is planning to move their Yaris productoin from Japan to France. I wonder if that's gong to impace the quality. Hmmmm....



@ veewonwon: Funny. I've been wanting to get a 2004 Infiniti G35 sedan with a 6-speed manual to play around with. That of a slighty newer 2007 or 2008 G35 sedan with a 6-speed manual. Do not want 2005 to 2006 G35 revups. Too many issues.

[veewonwon]

Originally Posted by The Squirrel Mafia

@ veewonwon: Funny. I've been wanting to get a 2004 Infiniti G35 sedan with a 6-speed manual to play around with. That of a slighty newer 2007 or 2008 G35 sedan with a 6-speed manual. Do not want 2005 to 2006 G35 revups. Too many issues.

I'd a 3-yr leased '04 G35 6MT Coupe before, it was more raw (and more fun) than the G37s, didn't had much issues with it for about 48,000km, except for one warranty work on re-torque the rear suspension members as they're making some clicking sound during acceleration. Maintenance was on the high side, those Brembo pads goes down fast, and I used as little brakes as I normally would, glad they're very easy to replace; the engine ran rough on high rev (5k+), not better than the 1NZ-FE; the HID headlights are one of the worst I came across; factory tires worn down very quickly; interior plastic was no better than the Yaris. Other than the few things mentioned above, the car ran fine, and performed well. Overall, a pretty good GT car.

[The Squirrel Mafia]

^ Good to know. I test drove a 2013 G37 6MT sedan. Very nice & decently fast, but I don't think it's worth its $42,000 asking price. Seems a bit pricey for what you get, but then again, inflation & all that takes a toll on everything. That or maybe I'm expecting too much.

I'm still looking to test drive the 2013 Yaris SE with a 5-speed. I'm going to try this weekend.

[tooter]

Originally Posted by The Squirrel Mafia

Very interesting responses. I do need to test drive a 2013 SE with a 5-speed, but they seem to be as rare as a hen's tooth.

SE5's aren't the only rare Yaris'...
At the time I was looking for a new 2012 L base model 5 speed. There were only three in the whole state of California. It was less than 17 hours between the time one of them was located and when I bought it.The sales manager said that only 1.5% of the 2012's come with manual transmissions. I read that percentage has gone up this year due to the more frugal people demanding better fuel economy.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by The Squirrel Mafia

Very interesting responses. I do need to test drive a 2013 SE with a 5-speed, but they seem to be as rare as a hen's tooth.

Tooter is right, and that scenario existed even 5 years before that. I was in Chicopee, Massachusetts when I made the decision to buy right away (I already knew I would get a Yaris). I searched the inventory of every Toyota dealer in the Northeastern U.S. (given my location at that moment) and California (in case buying a car in the state I lived in was going to be much easier than buying one in another state). There were only five 5-speed manual Liftbacks in the entire Northeast and four (might have been five) in the entire state of California.

I finished my search (hundreds of dealerships), ranked the 5 in the Northeast in terms of desirability, and left immediately to head to #1 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I arrived in Cambridge and found the dealership had lied re their listing. That particular car/vin# was still out on the boat with no definite arrival date! I immediately headed toward choice #2 in Rhode Island, and a few hours later made that purchase.