Test Drive: 2012 Toyota Yaris LE 5-Door

 

By Kevin Harrison

It’s a formula that has worked for a long time: make something cheap to buy and cheap to run and you’ll penetrate a market seldom paid any attention to which is people who think cars are merely designed to get you from point A to point B. Us car nuts generally are not a part of this crowd. We love to talk about horsepower and handling, style and exhaust notes. Price may be a factor as to whether or not we can afford a particular vehicle, but even when we can’t we still love to study up the specs for a good old fashioned Ferrari vs. Lamborghini debate.

But the fact of the matter is, car nuts are few and far between and it’s really those who don’t care about cars who control the market. Strange, no? Since this automotive indifference is so prevalent, it’s why we’re seeing the death of the manual transmission. It’s why we’re seeing hybrid/electric technology in sports cars. It’s why steering feel has taken a back seat to comfort.

These people who want basic transportation are more concerned about safety, reliability and fuel efficiency and there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that. As such, Toyota has taken a good portion of that market starting with the Tercel, which then morphed into the Echo and now to the Yaris.

The formula has worked for Toyota for a long time. Will it continue to do the trick, or will the competition give the popular subcompact a run for its money?

Toyota has redesigned the Yaris for 2012 and while the original design was never seen as being aggressive, this one can certainly make the case for itself. The front fascia is much less bug-eyed and the rear end is much more agreeable as well with those chiseled tail lights and sloped rear hatch. You’re not going to generate too many stares in the Yaris, especially with my tester’s rather boring silver paint, but again, the average Yaris customer likely doesn’t care too much about that sort of thing.

Inside the Yaris is much improved. I was never a fan of having the dash which houses the speedometer in the centre of the console so I was pleased to see that it had moved to its proper place; behind the steering wheel. This makes it more natural for the driver. The dash layout is much more conservative than before, however it makes it much more user friendly as a result. There are a few hard plastics sprinkled throughout, however they are generally found in places that people wouldn’t normally touch in the first place. Softer plastics on the door handles and centre arm rest are of good quality. It’s been a long time since I’ve driven a press vehicle with no buttons on the steering wheel so the sparsity took a bit to get used to at first but sure enough doing things the good old fashioned way came quite naturally. The seats are reasonably comfortable, although rear leg room is fairly tight. Cargo room is decent at 13 cubic feet and the rear seats fold 60/40. As a side bar, one thing I really liked was the single blade windshield wiper like Mercedes used to use. It looks pretty neat while in motion and it saves the owner from having to replace two wipers at the same time.

One complaint I had was never actually being able to find a comfortable seating position. The driver’s seat didn’t move down far enough and the steering wheel could not be tilted up high enough (it also does not telescope either). As a result, I frequently bumped my left knee against the bottom of the wheel every time I used the clutch. By the end of the week, I got used to it, but being uncomfortable is not something one should simply get used to, especially on a large purchase such as a car. In addition, I found it a bit difficult to get the Yaris going in first gear. It seemed as though the clutch would always bite at a different spot each time, thus making it difficult to get used to.

 The Yaris carries over the same 1.5 litre four cylinder engine found in the old Yaris which makes 106 horsepower and 103 pound feet of torque. If those numbers sound underwhelming, well, they are. It takes quite a bit of effort to get the Yaris up to speed. Luckily with the 5-speed manual you can get the most out of the engine, but the fact is there isn’t a lot for the engine to give in the first place. Even though the Yaris is a small car, it’s still feels quite underpowered. While I wasn’t expecting 0-100 times in the 3 seconds range, I was still expecting a bit more zip which is something the Yaris’ competitors seem to manage.

The Yaris will pout if you try to go test out the handling. It’s general size helps it retain some dignity in this department, however with those small wheels, heavy weight and gutless engine, the Yaris will not induce any sort of thrills in the bends. This could partially be blamed on the winter tires, but I honestly don’t think summer tires would help much anyway. While the Yaris is not meant to handling like a BMW, its touted ‘European tuned suspension’ left me quite disappointed. Steering feel is fairly numb, however it is quite direct.

Fuel efficiency isn’t bad, however it’s also not going to blow you away either. The Yaris is rated at 6.6 L/100 kms city and 5.2 L/100 kms highway. While those numbers look good on paper, the fact of the matter is some of the Yaris’ competitors will best those numbers, even with bigger engines which produce more power. On top of that, if you opt for the 4-speed automatic, those efficiency ratings drop to 6.8 city and 5.5 highway.

And this is really where the problem exists for the Yaris. It is by far much improved over the old model, but the issue is, so are its competitors. So much so that they best the Yaris in many ways. However, there are two things that that Yaris has up its sleeve that a lot of the competition does not have. You’ve likely seen Toyota’s marketing department claim the Yaris has ‘epic reliability’. Despite the overuse and the incorrect use of the word ‘epic’, Toyota does indeed have a point. Since the overall power train and internal components of the Yaris have been carried over from the old model, which has indeed proved itself to be a dependable little car, they do have some claim to the reliability factor. The Toyota name alone is synonymous with reliability and it’s a big reason why the Yaris will likely keep its resale value – perhaps more than its competitors such as the Kia Rio and Hyundai Accent, both of which have a bit of catching up to do in this regard.

Typically, most manufacturers send their top of the line, fully loaded models to the media in order to wow them. But the fact of the matter is, it’s pretty rare for manufacturers to sell a car with every single option, which therefore makes the review a bit unrealistic. Toyota has decided to send a mid-trim level version of their entry level car and they were smart to do so because this is the car that most buyers will have their eyes on. Kudos for them for recognizing their market.

And that’s really why the Yaris will do well for Toyota. Despite its faults, they are faults that can be overlooked by the people who want nothing but a regular car. The competition might be getting stiff, but for most, the good old Toyota name and reliability combined with a better looking, better redesigned interior with respectable fuel economy means everything. So long as Toyota doesn’t let the Yaris become completely uncompetitive, the Yaris will still find itself in many driveways across the country. Not messing about too much with something that works really does, well, work!

As Tested Price: $15,990

Pros:

  • More aggressive exterior styling
  • Much improved, more functional interior
  • Likely reliable and will hold its value
  • Decent cargo area
  • Easy to park

Cons:

  • Engine carry over means it’s a bit underwhelming
  • Difficult to get used to seating position and manual stick
  • Handling could be improved
  • Competitors have more features for similar price

Overall: 6.5/10

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