2016 Yaris Sx auto

[thtupid]

Hello all. I thought i'd just give a little review of this car since my wife got it not too long ago. Maybe it'll help one or two people on deciding on whether or not a yaris is good enough for them. In the past I've driven a few small cars including the echo, Hyundai i20, Suzuki swift...an old accent...that's about it. hehe

From the get go tho, Í was impressed by the level of equipment in the thing for such a small car. I guess the world has moved on from just the bare minimum. I've got a touch screen with pretty good Bluetooth, electric windows and mirrors, cruise control, a rear view camera, funny stitching on the plastic gear nob, a fantastic feeling steering wheel, two glove boxes...yeah it's quite good considering it's almost the same as my camry atara sx from 2012 (says more about how that car LACKED equipment really for it's price). It has a single windscreen blade wiper that spits water across the wiper instead of onto the windscreen. Which is pretty cool. There is no intermittent wipe on the rear tho...just on and off.

The 1.5 litre engine is pretty sweet too and feels strong even on the freeway. In fact the reason we got the 1.5 and not the base model 1.3 (which has just about the exact equipment level) is that it was very easy to maintain speed with the 1.5. It is also very smooth although a buzzy when driven hard. My biggest gripe with the drive train though is the 4 speed auto. It's perfectly fine around town. But you just want that extra gear to shift down to when on the freeway so it doesn't sit at 2500rpm (or something like that). Also, when pushed the gap between 1st and 2nd is huge so you rev the crap out of it (relatively...I haven't dared take it to the redline...coz...new car) and then you lose all the power when the gear changes and you're back at 2000rpm again (is that what a large gear ratio means?). I mean, yes 4 speed is totally adequate for around town. It's also very smooth when driven properly. But it's like saying that all cars should come with racing tyres because it is totally adequate when it is dry. The transmission just leaves you wanting more. And yes the engine and tranny combo is the same since 2000 I believe. Or even before. Refined more now yes. But still...when other countries get the NR series and we're still stuck with the NZ...Fuel economy wise i'm sitting at low 7s/100km. A full tank of petrol lasts me a little over a week of town and freeway driving just like the camry does. However, unlike the camry, the fillup is around 35-40 bucks where the camry is usually around 50-60 bucks.  

The car itself seems very refined. It rides surprisingly well as it smooths out most bumps (i'm no car journo so I cant comment on how it rides around corners and stuff) and even speed humps aren't a back breaker. It handles decently too. The steering is nicely weighted and...well...just nice (great review thtupid).

Space wise, it is decent for it's size. I'm not a tall guy...178cm'ish and I sit perfectly fine in the back when the seat isn't all the way back. The boot is large and has a "secret compartment" to it...you take off the intermittent cover to reveal an even deeper section. Unfortunately for me tho...i'm relatively fat and when I sit in it the car noticeably sinks...makes me feel self conscious. My camry doesn't do that...

So here are the negatives. The car feels somewhat cheap. The door handles on the inside look cheap, the sun visor feels like cardboard, there is a blank on the steering wheel button that only the zr has access too, there is no "back" button on the steering wheel buttons so you have to make do pressing the touch screen which may get blanked out when you're on the move, there are no sunglasses holders, the centre console does not have an arm rest (which is pretty standard in light cars I admit) but also has no storage compartments, the cup holders are in a weird spot...the sound system, although has 6 speakers, sound muffled and...well...crap. There is no proper equaliser to use...you just make do with fiddling with the base, middle range and treble. That's it (although to be fair that's the case with the camry also but at least with the camry the speakers are half decent...not fantastic...half decent). I mentioned there was a rear view camera. It is very handy yes. But VERY BLURRRY! It is almost useless at night time with the amount of noise it has in the image! This is compared to the camry which is very clear even at night time. Materials wise it just feels like a step backwards from the echo. The seats have virtually no side support and although the seat does go up and down, when you're fully down; and provided you are fat like I am...it's very stiff to raise back up again and if I force it i'm scared i'll break it. So I end up lifting myself up slightly to lessen the load then the chair raises. The steering has height and reach adjustment. But it doesn't go up high enough nor out enough. So I'm basically steering at waist height near my knees (bit over exaggeration but not too much) just so I can get my legs comfortable. My wife is around 160 tho and it's perfect for her but not for me. The rear view mirror looks flimsy as well...I have a feeling it may fall off...may get it looked at when 1k service comes...

All in all, it's not bad for a light car. The colour (aura blue) is sweeeet! My wife literally bought it for the colour and brand. It's also her first car (she's still on her Ls). I guess if you are willing to live with the somewhat cheap feel, and the polarising look (I love it btw), it's the car for you. It has a few airbags but I haven't tested them yet fortunately. There is also a switch to turn off traction control...which I don't see the point in a car like this...

 

There you have it folks. I apologise for the spelling of "tho" and grammatical errors. I have not proof read this.