Why the Toyota Yaris isn't as bad of a car as it seems
When I show people what I drive, the universal reaction is “Blugh, a Yaris!”. It’s reputation as being a slow, crappy car is exaggerated, and that’s why I’m here to talk about why this isn’t as bad of a car as people say it is.
It handles very well
Despite being one of the cheapest cars you could buy in mid-2006, the handling on this car is surprisingly great. It’s more nimble than a lot of subcompacts, and can fly through corners with ease. The steering feels just right, and can be a joy to drive through curvy backroads.
The engine is great for tuning
In it’s stock form, the 109hp 1.5l 4-banger is pretty anemic and underpowered. Once you get to tuning it however, the true potential of this small engine is very surprising. While most can get 300-400hp, some have even reported getting over 500hp with enough modding. This engine is intentionally limited from the factory in the name of fuel economy, so it’s fairly easy to unlock the extra power it can make.
They're extremely reliable
Toyota’s cars are known for their reliability, and the Yaris lives up to that reputation. In the 10 years that I’ve owned my Yaris, the only engine component that has had to be replaced is a water pump. The 1nz-fe engine can handle a lot of abuse without breaking down, and even if it does manage to break something, repairs tend to stay affordable since the engine is so common among other Toyota cars.
They make for great sleepers
Because of the engine’s potential, the car’s great handling, it’s typical Yoyota look, and it’s bad reputation, the Yaris makes for a great sleeper. Enough engine tuning and handling upgrades, and this car can smoke a lot of cars of similar size. People might laugh when they see you at the starting line, but it will surprise everyone by the time it hits the finish line.
It's got a decent community behind it
The Yarisworld forum has a great community for these cars. There are plenty of guides and threads of other peoples’ Yaris builds. People are generally friendly and very helpful when you ask something about the car. Be warned, however: Most of the community is in south america and asia, and the ones in america typically talk about the hatchback more than the sedan.
The Toyota Yaris sedan gets a bad rap as a car, but can actually be a pretty good car if you know how to make it fun. It does, however, have it’s fair share of problems. I might cover those in a future post.
Comments
one of the best yaris in my country, indonesia✌
Nice!
I had to drive a 2014 Yaris 5-door hatch as a rental when my Focus 3-door hatch got rear ended. The Yaris lost several million points right out of the gate because it was obviously automatic, and I had to open the windows on a rainy day just to adjust the mirrors because Toyota forgot to put the little sticks on the inside. It sounded like the least interesting car in the world, and drove that way the entire week I had it. What I liked was that it was very comfortable and roomy, and it used only 7 gallons of gas. At the end of the day though, I wouldn’t buy one. I can see why people like them, but they’re not for me.
The sedan version is actually a different car than the hatch, so much so that America and Europe are the only places that have the sedan and hatch under the same name. Interesting that they wouldn’t put the adjustment sticks in the car, as mine does have them.
but how much did you spend on it? you said it was cheap but how cheap?
$13000 USD in 2006.
They are fantastic cars.. there is a HUGE aftermarket for parts.. and the stock internals are good for 300HP all day long..
Ehh, I wouldn’t say that the aftermarket is huge, at least, in America. It’s a bit better than average, however.
i drive yaris sedan (vios) once , the handling is bad when you turning in highspeed corner ,
True, but otherwise the steering feels just right. No real understeer or oversteer