WHY do I want one so bad?

[roxy1]

Originally Posted by YarisOwnersDad

except I wonder how close the Corolla would come to the fuel economy of the Yaris?

Tom

well, i can answer that apples to apples. i traded my 2007 yaris hb manual transmission for a 2009 corolla manual transmission. on the exact same routes with the same driving style, i average 1.5-2 mpg's less than my yaris did. during the spring/summer/early fall i avg 39.5 mpg (calculated, not on my mileage computer, which runs 1-2 mpg high) )with the corolla on 80% highway and light suburban driving. so, the yaris holds very little mileage advantage.

as for the advantages over the yaris sedan, the telescoping wheel and height adjustable seat on the corolla makes for a very comfortable seating position. the car is decidedly much quieter and smoother on the highway. that bit of extra torque is noticeable (something you would REALLY notice going from the cobalt to a yaris). the clutch and shifting action is much smoother, a dream compared to the bizarre uptake and notchy shifter on the yaris. it rolls less around turns. the one single advantage of a yaris sedan is for $15k you would be able to have power windows/locks (and maybe cruise), where a $15k corolla would be a base model w/o these. i added power locks/keyless entry for $300, so i just miss out on the PW. i paid $14900 for the corolla.

having said that, a telescoping steering wheel would have kept me in my Yaris hatchback. it looks unique, the mileage was great, and i had fun driving it. it was just very uncomfortable for me on trips over 15 minutes.

as for being japanese built, my yaris definitely came with more rattles than my corolla. japanese workers arent as die hard loyal as they were a decade ago. they dont have lifetime job security like they used to and toyota and honda have had unprecedented layoffs in japan in the past year. there has been much press in japan about how disgruntled toyota's assembly line workers are due to increase workloads. the quality control is the same at TMMC and NUMMI as it is in japan. in fact the TMMC plant in canada, which has made the corolla since 1988, has won seven plant quality awards. most of the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th gen corollas sold in the usa were built at one of those two plants and those corollas clearly have a reputation for reliability and longevity. built in japan or canada or california is a non issue, imo.

i doubt if anyone would cross the next gen yaris off their list just because it was going to be built at TMMC in Canada. (just an example. don't know where it will be built)