Basic Transportation - 2008 Yaris Sedan

Those who have read my automotive reviews, they are normally the performance-oriented kind. Even when I was going for something more street-worthy, it had to be something that performed just as well on the autocross circuit as well as livable on a daily basis. Well, for the past month, my friend was looking at cars that were economical and affordable, and performance should take a back seat. This means cars in the same class as the Chevy Aveo, Toyota Yaris, and the Scion xA.

I have yet another friend (a brother of my first friend) looking at economical cars that are also affordable, but should be roomy enough for cargo. Cars in his class was more expensive than his brother's, which included the VW Rabit, 2008 Toyota Matrix (he did not like the 2009 redesign), and 2009 Toyota Corolla.

Being an automotive enthusiast, I was asked by both to help them out. So this month, expect to see a rash of automotive reviews from your's truly!

2008 Toyota Yaris
While my friend econo car choice was the 2008 Chevy Aveo LS, the Yaris was also looked at. Like the Aveo, it comes in two body styles - hatch and sedan. Each body style have two trims each. The standard and the S. The S's most distinct difference from a distance is a sportier looking front and side skirts as well as a spoiler and alloy wheels.

The hatchback is actually smaller than the sedan, and as such, counter intuitive. The hatch is less expensive and have less cargo and passenger room than the sedan. Who would have thought? Because of this, the hatchback was not considered in his round up, and the eye was mostly on the standard (non-S) Yaris sedan.

The standard Yaris sedan starts at $12,225 MSRP, but with a 4-speed automatic transmission, it is $12.950. This is slightly more than the Chevy Aveo LS auto he bought. So what does the Yaris have that the Aveo don't?

Styling
When I first saw the Yaris, I actually loved the styling. It's small and cute. The hatchback was especially attractive with it's egg-like shape. It's a good and smart looking car that I would have liked to start out in high school. The sedan still have a bit of that egg-like DNA, but being a sedan, it's hard to describe it that way. Instead, some of the inherited egg qualities from the hatchback is still there. The roundness of the front facia and roof line, as well as the clean line-less side profile all attribute to this.

Just like the Aveo, the nose of the car is short and stout, and so is the rear. Very much, in fact, it doesn't look like the space at either end can hold an engine or various cargo.

The doors lack of any crease or lines, which continues the smooth, sleek, shaven look. And the rear, wel...it's very minimalist, but done in a very non-boring way.

In all, the Yaris is one sexy looking econo car. That's hard to pull off in this price range.

Interior
Inside the car, it feels as small as it looks. While there is decent room in the front, the rear is too small for any passengers. If you need to move your front seat back, there is absolutely little to no room for the passenger's legs. In a pinch, the driver and front passenger can scoot up a bit to accommodate rear passengers. This means that no one, including the driver, will be comfortable during that ride. A horrible compromise.

The front seat is comfortable enough, despite still feeling cheap. It feels like it could use a bit more padding. The rear feels cramped, but otherwise, the seats feel better padded than the front. I'm not the tallest person in the world (5'11"), but I cannot stand sitting in the back at all. Leg room is the problem, and it is just very uncomfortable as if blood circulation was being cut off.

The doors actually feel a bit heftier than the Aveo, giving it a better build-quality feel to it. The harsh plastic dash is more prominent since it's mostly bare and a larger surface area for everyone to notice. This is especially true since the gauges are in the center. Where traditional gauges are is just a blank expansive area to show off that dark gray plastic. The passenger's area mirror the same gray plastic dash so it looks symmetrical. I guess it's cheaper to make this car a world car this way (some countries drive on the right side, while others drive on the left).

While it's easy to make fun of the center gauge, it's actually pretty attractive. The Yaris's theme seem to keep everything simple, and so the dash looks this way. However, the theme seem to also include being centered. What I mean is that EVERYTHING - the gauges, the controls, etc... are all in the center. Silver plastic line the center, which highlights the vents, and the simple 3-dial controls for heating and AC. The 3 dials are arranged vertically, which keeps the "everything in the middle" look.

With the silver highlighted center stack, the stereo looks out of place. It's a standard dual-din AM/FM CD/MP3/WMA player and is black in color, which detracts a bit from the silver plastic around it. The sound quality of the system sound decent. While the highs aren't as high as they can be, and the lows aren't mind-blowing, they work well enough to keep commuters happy during their drive. It certainly sound better than the Aveo, and seem to fill the small interior better. It is, however, only offered with a mandatory package (Option A).

The 60/40 rear-folding seats allows you to fit cargo through the trunk and into the passenger area for those lenghty packages. Trunk space is pretty decent despite the stout look from the outside, but still seem smaller than the Aveo.

The steering wheel does tilt, but does not telescope. This is actually an amazing feature for a car at this price, as there are many that still do not include this feature.

While the Aveo comes with a cigarette lighter, the Yaris does not. Instead, a plastic cover seals the 12v power outlet from dirt and debris.

Rounding the features is the power windows and locks. Both are actually part of the mandatory Option A package along with the stereo.

This Option A package adds $840 to the MSRP, so after pricing it out, the Yaris turns out to be around $14k with destination charges!

Performance and Handling
The 1.5 liter DOHC 16-valve VVT-i 4-cylinder engine puts out 106 hp and 103 lb/ft of torque. This is slightly more than the Aveo and a slightly smaller displacement (103 hp vs 106 hp at 1.6L vs 1.5L). However, throttle response on the Yaris seems peppier than the Aveo, and seem to pull away from a pack of cars easier.

Braking feels pretty good, too. On hard stops, the Yaris is composed, but does have a bit more nose dive than the Aveo. ABS is optional in the standard trim, but the test car we drove did not have it. This is fine, since my friend would have not included it in his package anyways (it's all about money).

Steering and handling isn't bad for this kind of car. Steering is a bit numb and does not communicate the road to the driver very well. The actual handling of the car is pretty good for a econo car suspension that is geared more towards comfort than sport handling. The turn radius for the car is very good, and have surprised me several times when trying to maneuver around the dealership's tight parking lot.

Overall, the Yaris reminds me of a smaller (is that possible?) yet slightly taller Tercel. Being small, it's actually fun tossing the car around, but it does require some patience when accelerating up the on-ramp.

Conclusion
Because it just feels so much smaller and tighter inside, the Aveo seems more comfortable and livable overall. The Yaris is a great commuter car and have one of the best fuel economy in it's class. It's perfect for the daily commute to work, but not if you're someone who have many passengers.

To sum it up, the Yaris would be the car I would get if I have already have a dedicated summer fun car to play with. It's a car that makes you feel good about racking the miles up on. It also feels good that you're saving at the pump while racking up those miles.

Put other people and cargo in the mix, and you might want to rethink the Yaris.