it's worth it
Pros:
peppy engine, roomy, lots of headroom, very practical, good towing strength for 4 cylinders
Cons:
engine noise at low rpms, no arm rests, overly sensitive cruise control
The Bottom Line:
if you want a 4 cylinder car buy this one. roomy, practical, well engineered, good mileage, and kind of sporty looking.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
i read the other reviews on this car and they seem planted by pontiac, they're so positive....and indeed the car is great. but i thought i'd write to highlight a few of the drawbacks, just so you get a fair and balanced opinion. i too first saw the car and drove it as a rental from Enterprise. i liked it immediately. and when i found it was a toyota product, i decided it would be my next car and i don't regret getting it. but it is "throaty" at low rpms, doesn't have arm rests (maybe that's a guy thing?) so i put a pillow on the center console.
also, the tires seem poor for the winter up here in minnesota....but i suppose that's true of most new cars where they skimp on tire quality to save a few bucks.
mine was rated for 34 miles per gallon highway, and i've never gotten better than 30, although the car is barely broke in, and we have oxygenated gasoline in minnesota during the winter....10% ethanol. that probably inhibits the mileage a bit.
finally, the cruise control is engineered to stay exactly on speed, with very little flexibility, so if you go up a small incline, rather than gradually compensating with additional gas, the car automatically downshifts into overdrive to maintain precisely the preset speed with no delay. it's a little irritating having it kick in and out of overdrive like that frequently. so i use cruise only on a fairly level surface.
overall though, the car is great, and all the positive stuff the other people wrote is true. just wanted to add some balance is all.
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