Manual transmission

[DebbyM46227]

Mine usually idles at around 600 RPM.

As far as how the clutch feels, it took me about a year to get used to the Yaris clutch and I'd been driving MT cars for a long time. I think the Yaris is my 14th MT car and it's been the hardest to master.

But I will say one thing....earlier this week the dealership replaced my clutch and to save money I opted for them to use a non-Toyota clutch kit. It's a Sachs now, and it's been so much easier.

[Deathegg]

My '10 hatch is hard to drive smoothly, and in fact makes me look like a rank amateur even after my 30 years of driving a manual. A few factors are involved regarding the yaris, IMO:

* Clutch take-up is quick, and almost an "on-off" affair.
* Accelerator pedal is simply connected to a switch, instead of being analog (via a cable to the engine), and it's not calibrated quite right. First, I can press the pedal about 1/2", and nothing happens. In the next 1/2", I get response. Not a smooth transition. Second, there's actually a delay between your foot pressing the pedal and getting the response. It's the thing I hate most about my car

These things contribute to the yaris being a hard car to drive smoothly. I'm used to it, and actually prefer to take off at a low rpm, instead of revving it a bit. But still bad engineering by Toyota. And yes, wearing different shoes than what you're used to can make a difference as well.

[Kar98]

LOL, I always use the parking brake for taking off any time there's a detectable incline ;)

It's the skilled driver's hill-assist feature :D

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by Kar98

LOL, I always use the parking brake for taking off any time there's a detectable incline ;)

It's the skilled driver's hill-assist feature :D

I should have proofread my previous post before posting . Leaving out a few words changes the whole meaning. I left out 'without using the parking brake' at the end of the 'PDG sentence'. Re clutch wear, using the parking brake probably is better than not using the parking brake. In past cars, especially my Suzuki, I could stay at a standstill in gear on a pretty good incline and have no 'backward lag' on launch...and I've been fortunate enough to never have to replace a clutch (with two of those seven MT cars going over 195k miles and three of them over 150k miles. I was worried about backward lag on that ramp because of the guy behind me...almost right on my bumper. IMO, the only state worse than Texas re tailgating on the road (including the hunt for parking spaces) is Florida. Neither Texas (at least re major population centers) nor Florida is a hotbed of encountering these situations.....I don't know if that is good or bad . One doesn't have to think about it much, but there's not as much opportunity to keep the skill in practice.

[matti]

I have a 2012 Yaris and always liked the clutch-feel. My wife has a 2009 Honda Fit Sport and that clutch gives me fits.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by matti

I have a 2012 Yaris and always liked the clutch-feel. My wife has a 2009 Honda Fit Sport and that clutch gives me fits.

Perhaps I will like the feel of the clutch in such situations (only time encountered so far in my '14) after I have more miles on the car .

[IllusionX]

I had driven a 2010 Fit a while back. The clutch feels like the new Corolla. Ie, very light. I couldn't drive my yaris properly for a few miles after test driving a 6MT Corolla.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by IllusionX

test driving a 6MT Corolla.

A bit OT, but MSN just posted 'the 10 coolest cars we can't get here' (in the U.S., (and Canada?))...

...among them...the Honda Civic Type R that the European continent is about to get.....275hp turbo 2.0 liter 4 with a 6 speed manual ......and the VW Scirocco Type R .

[attrapereves]

I drove a Chevy Sonic before getting my Yaris. The Sonic had a very high catch point. The car would also give itself a little bit of gas, meaning that from a complete stop you rarely had to give the car any gas. It was annoying at times, but also helpful.

One thing I find particularly difficult with the Yaris is the accelerator. It's easy to not give it enough gas, but just as easy to give it way too much and end up revving up to 3000rpm. I also find it hard to determine where the clutch catch point is. Like another poster said, switching from sneakers to boots can mess with you too. I've driven several manuals and the Yaris is one of the most difficult.

One question... About how much does it cost to replace the clutch on these cars?

[DebbyM46227]

Originally Posted by attrapereves

One question... About how much does it cost to replace the clutch on these cars?

Mine was replaced last week at the dealer. I had a choice of Toyota parts for $1018.00 or non-Toyota parts for $853.00 - I chose non-Toyota parts and they used a Sachs clutch kit. I also filed a dispute with Toyota over a clutch needing replaced with only 33,000 miles on my car. I never ride the clutch or hold it in at stoplights and I've never had a clutch needing replaced EVER prior to this with any of my cars.

[CoryM]

The Yaris really isn't a forgiving car to get going. If it makes you feel better, I have stalled it more than any of my other 25+ cars combined. The clutch feel isn't great, prone to clutch-shudder, it has no torque, the engine is too quiet to hear half the time, idles low (mine is also 550rpm hot. Maybe a Cdn Yaris thing?), and the drive-by-wire is pretty slow.

It's pretty important to give the throttle a blip before engaging the clutch when stopped. It increases the exhaust velocity, which gains you a bit of much needed torque. Blip the throttle, then as the RPMs are coming down, engage the clutch and apply gas.

Cheers.

[ern-diz]

Originally Posted by CoryM

...The clutch feel isn't great, prone to clutch-shudder...

Totally agree with this. I felt a big difference when first coming over to the Yaris from my Civic.

[El Kapitan]

they've been screwing us over on civic engine choices in NA for years now.

in regards to the MT for the yaris, i notice the same quirks that you guys do. also, i have to back up for some distance to get into my carport and the yaris is the only MT i have driven that wants to stall in reverse. the other MTs would lurch along but not require any extra gas pedal work on level ground. i wonder if this might have to do with the DFCO? i am in gear with my foot off the pedal and isn't DFCO supposed to cut fuel in those situtations?

i'm not a big fan of drive by wire but it seems here to stay. can anyone remember the name of that device which lets you change how quickly your DBW responds to your foot pressure? it looks kind of like a scanguage... i know that several people here on the forum have it.

[428CobraJet]

Our clutch interaction is terrible. Fortunately our gearbox is awesome.

[bentjazz]

nook,
I see you have over 300,000 miles on your Yaris. Good job! We've been waiting for this. :-) How long are you gonna keep your old Yaris?

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by bentjazz

nook,
I see you have over 300,000 miles on your Yaris. Good job! We've been waiting for this. :-) How long are you gonna keep your old Yaris?

The damaged (driver side) fender started pulling away from the windshield a bit in the corner. I don't know if that is a result of suspension or other internal damage from my 'fender bender' in October with the Expedition, or from accidentally opening the driver side door (the few inches that it will open) a few times. On the way back from the Ennis/Dallas area on 2/5/15 I did 70-75mph for the first time (happened to be on the 75 MPH limit part of I-45) since the clash with the Expedition. The next day I opened up the hood to disconnect one of the battery cables (to combat a draw on the battery while I leave it for a while), and I noticed that the clamp, etc = busted apart ...nothing anchoring the battery.....wasn't that way a few days before that. Higher speed = shaking = caused that? Not a good sign. Through sometime in August, I'm just going to use it to go to Kroger (the back way...only a few two lane roads with shoulders (one 40 MPH limit and others 30 MPH limit or less) ...and no signals...only stop signs). Then I'll probably have a local shop I trust look it over. If the clash with the Expedition (or Explorer...can't remember which it was....just remember that the driver was a 16 year old who had only had his DL for a few weeks) rendered it unsafe to drive (regular use), I'll probably donate it to the Wounded Warrior Project (if they take cars) before having to pay the registration again and continue to insure it. The extra insurance is costing me less than $9 per month right now, but I'm sure the clash with the SUV will cause my rate to increase. My policy renews 4 days after my registration expires. If the shop says the only damage is cosmetic, and the inconvenience of not being able to open the driver side door, then I might make a different/currently undetermined decision re the fate of 'my egg'. The car had 120 miles on it when I drove away from the dealership (a few test drives + the family owned two Toyota dealerships...driven from their dealership in Northern CT to their location near the coast in RI), so I've driven it 300,004 miles. When I hit 300,000 miles since driving away from the dealership, that was about 2 1/2 days shy of 100 months since driving away from the dealership.

[Ben_]

It took me a long time getting used to also. One thing I do at the track and at stop lights to get a good take off is hit the gas and then wait till the rmp is at a good level (1000-4000 depending on where I'm driving) and let the clutch slip till the rpm I started at meets wheel speed. Upshift to second somewhere between 1800 and 6800

[bentjazz]

I hope my Yaris lasts me 300,000 miles. I'm going to keep it as long as I can, and with proper maintenance I hope to have this car 10+ years in the future....