2009 Toyota Yaris
by Jim Prueter -01/2009

Yaris: Good for what ails us

We Americans have pretty much always shied away from small cars in favor of large SUVs, pickup trucks and full-sized sedans. There’s nothing like an impending recession and $4 gasoline to change our opinion.

Last May and June, Toyota couldn’t build enough Priuses to satisfy our appetites. Ditto for small cars like Nissan Versa, Honda Civic, Ford Focus and our test vehicle this week, Toyota Yaris. These vehicles were literally flying off dealer lots, with Prius commanding window-sticker-plus pricing and SUVs gathering dust, even with rebates up to $7,500.

Fast-forward six months to January 2009. I’m seeing regular unleaded for $1.42 a gallon, and we’re back to our old ways. The number-one selling vehicle in the U.S. is the full-sized Ford F-150; number two is the Chevy Silverado pickup. Prius sales are down 68 percent with prices rumored to be up to $1000 below dealer invoice. Civic, Focus and Versa sales are all down more than 50 percent.

So to paraphrase the infamous words of Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry, you have to ask yourself this question: “Do you feel lucky?”

If it’s time for you to buy a car, you’re likely considering (at least dreaming) about something slightly more than you need, a bit more luxurious, a bit larger, something with a bit more gravitas and a look of prosperity.

After all, none of us buy just what we need. We don’t absolutely need oversized tires and chrome alloy wheels, power leather seats, satellite audio systems with MP3 compatibility and a six-disc CD changer. But those things do afford the opportunity to escape a bit during our daily commute, especially with falling 401k values and uncertain employment prospects on our mind.

But buying over your head in this environment isn’t a practical thing to do. A higher car payment and a sudden increase in gas prices (do any of us really believe $1.50 gas will last forever?) could cause stress and anxiety even our iPod can’t overcome. So, “Do you feel lucky?”

Now that I have you feeling less rambunctious, let’s consider this week’s tester: the 2009 Toyota Yaris. It’s the least expensive Toyota model and it’s a pretty good car. Yaris is available in a sedan as well as a three-door liftback and new-for-this-year five-door liftback. Model trims include base and S variants.

We drove the five-door liftback with a base price of $13,305. It came equipped with the optional power package, including power windows/locks/mirrors, AM/FM/CD player with MP3/WMA playback, satellite-radio capability, rear window wiper and defroster, 15-inch alloy wheels, remote keyless entry and carpeted floor mats. Total list price, including shipping, was $16,734. Automatic transmission, tilt steering and air conditioning are standard.

The five-door and sedan are the biggest of the three. The rear seat in our liftback slid fore and aft for more legroom or cargo space. Remarkable for small cars, but all Yaris models had ample adult legroom, even for this tall driver.

We especially enjoyed zipping around our heavily populated urban area and its suburbs. Steering is quick, parking a snap and the ride compliant and smooth. Mind you, this isn’t like driving a Mini Cooper but handling feels good and we thought the 106 horsepower plenty sufficient. Visibility is excellent, and we had no complaints about the brakes.

Overall we averaged just over 33 miles per gallon in mixed city/highway driving, bit disappointing for a vehicle this size. We expected closer to 40 mpg.

As expected, the engine does get buzzy sounding under full acceleration, and the interior noise level is certainly louder than pricier sedans. But it’s not unbearable. The seats are comfortable, something we can’t always say about economy cars.

Our tester came with an automatic transmission, but we’ve also driven a manual shifting Yaris that operated smoothly. The clutch is very light-touch so driving and shifting in traffic isn’t a burden.

The interior is rather plain with too much hard plastic. Some may find the dash quirky looking with the main gauges sitting on top of the dashboard in the center rather than directly in front of the driver. We first saw this in the Toyota Echo, which Yaris replaced two years ago.

Outside, Yaris is rather conservative looking with a front nose that strongly resembles the Camry and Corolla.

Standard safety gear includes basic belts, dual front and front-seat-mounted airbags, and front and rear side-curtain airbags, four wheel anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, child-protector rear door locks, and tire-pressure monitoring system.

Crash test ratings are always important but especially so in small cars where drivers and passengers may not feel as safe. Yaris earned the highest possible rating of “Good” from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in both front and side impact crash tests. In crash test by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the three-door Yaris earned the highest possible five stars for driver protection in front and side impacts, and four stars for front passenger protection in front and side impacts. The five-door Yaris earned four stars for all front and rear impacts.

Overall, the Yaris is pleasant to drive and roomier than expected. It’s a pretty good choice and should please most owners. But we also think there are other small cars that warrant a look for this size vehicle. We especially liked the Nissan Versa, which has a better-looking interior and seems roomier and quieter than Yaris. We also like the Honda Fit and think it has good bang for the buck. Also, with options the Yaris price quickly gets you into Corolla range, which is substantially more vehicle for about the same money.