Yaris sales hit new low...

[Onwrdigo]

Kudos to the knowledge on here!

So I know how my '05 xB automatic does in really bad winter stuff (awesome). I have yet to try my '13 LE Yaris yet in the nasty. So does anyone in any region know how a Yaris Automatic (whether it be an LE or SE) does in the stuff with an experienced winter driver??

The Yaris is lower to the ground (somewhat) than my xB which could be a determining factor depending on road conditions. But with my xB and Yaris having the same engine and transmission, they both have this 1st gear that is sort of a "creeper gear" when you let-off the brake (but have not touched the accelerator pedal) giving you some ever-so-slightly "pull-traction" as to not spin the wheels. Last winter in the xB when I was stopped waiting for traffic on a snow/ice covered hill trying to get home in a traffic jam, I had a Jeep Wrangler in front of me and a GMC Yukon in back of me while we watched cars slide down the hill coming in the opposite direction. Luckily, nobody hit us. When it was our turn to go "up" the hill, the Wrangler struggled for a second and then went on up slowly. I just let off of the brake and my xB just grabbed away and started to go up the hill ever so "slowly but surely" without touching the accelerator. The Yukon driver spun-out for about ten seconds and then finally grabbed-on and started following me up the hill. We all made it. (All this while we passed various cars..RWD,FWD, 4WD parked/abandoned on the side of the hill by their drivers. We actually had to go around cars/trucks abandoned in the middle of the road as well). I'll tell you, having been forced/taught in college on how to navigate this stuff also helped I am sure. Our professors all drove old 4WD Trucks and Subaru's (or pretty much anything with "chains") to campus and never canceled class and would dock you a point or two if you missed class due to weather....they were "tough".

I am curious as to how the Yaris will do with my experience in the stuff. I guess I will park the xB and drive the Yaris when it threatens to dump snow/ice next time while I am at work.

BTW, Toyota.com has "finally" put up the 2015 info officially on their website for the Yaris.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by Onwrdigo

Kudos to the knowledge on here!

So I know how my '05 xB automatic does in really bad winter stuff (awesome). I have yet to try my '13 LE Yaris yet in the nasty. So does anyone in any region know how a Yaris Automatic (whether it be an LE or SE) does in the stuff with an experienced winter driver??

The Yaris is lower to the ground (somewhat) than my xB which could be a determining factor depending on road conditions. But with my xB and Yaris having the same engine and transmission, they both have this 1st gear that is sort of a "creeper gear" when you let-off the brake (but have not touched the accelerator pedal) giving you some ever-so-slightly "pull-traction" as to not spin the wheels. Last winter in the xB when I was stopped waiting for traffic on a snow/ice covered hill trying to get home in a traffic jam, I had a Jeep Wrangler in front of me and a GMC Yukon in back of me while we watched cars slide down the hill coming in the opposite direction. Luckily, nobody hit us. When it was our turn to go "up" the hill, the Wrangler struggled for a second and then went on up slowly. I just let off of the brake and my xB just grabbed away and started to go up the hill ever so "slowly but surely" without touching the accelerator. The Yukon driver spun-out for about ten seconds and then finally grabbed-on and started following me up the hill. We all made it. (All this while we passed various cars..RWD,FWD, 4WD parked/abandoned on the side of the hill by their drivers. We actually had to go around cars/trucks abandoned in the middle of the road as well). I'll tell you, having been forced/taught in college on how to navigate this stuff also helped I am sure. Our professors all drove old 4WD Trucks and Subaru's (or pretty much anything with "chains") to campus and never canceled class and would dock you a point or two if you missed class due to weather....they were "tough".

I am curious as to how the Yaris will do with my experience in the stuff. I guess I will park the xB and drive the Yaris when it threatens to dump snow/ice next time while I am at work.

BTW, Toyota.com has "finally" put up the 2015 info officially on their website for the Yaris.

Sorry if this is slightly off topic, but what MPG numbers do you usually get with your xB ? I'm thinking about getting a late 1st Gen xB once my 07 Yaris needs more money to be sunk into it than makes sense. I had been thinking about a Tacoma as well, but it's been too long since Toyota has made their 'smallest engine in a pickup' (the one tooter has in his 2012 Tacoma...or an even smaller one) available with the longer bed. A guy on You Tube took out the back seat in a 1st Gen xB and created a camper (good for a night's sleep or two in a pinch). The only problem is that I'm too tall for the particular way he set things up (he left the front passenger seat in). If CTScott eventually develops one of his modules (for the xB) that keeps the airbag system working properly with the front passenger seat out...the remainder of the You Tube guy's set up would work for me. A 2nd Gen Prius might also fill the bill, but I'm thinking a 1st Gen xB might be better than a 2nd Gen Prius re mountain driving (ski trips).