2008 Toyota Yaris: Like a Blue Streak

Toyota’s smallest car on the lot is the Yaris. So it should come as no surprise to learn Yaris is a minimalist offering, a subcompact, fuel efficient car that’s priced right. Both a hatchback and sedan are offered. Either way it is basic transportation, albeit one with enough pizzazz to endear it to anyone who spends even a little time behind the wheel. I drove a four-door Yaris sedan for a week, logging about 300 miles. Here’s what I found.

Beneath the hood lies a diminutive four-cylinder engine that displaces 1.5 liters and is rated 106 horsepower. You’re right, that’s not a lot of muscle. But keep in mind Yaris is a lightweight car barely weighing 2000 pounds. So as a result it doesn’t need as big of an engine as does a midsize sedan. My Yaris test car came with a sophisticated electronically controlled automatic transmission. Acceleration was brisk. Zero to sixty mph clocked in at about nine point five seconds. For the record, that’s a little faster than the competition. Merging onto the interstate posed no problem. It was only when I loaded up the car with three other adults and headed out of town that I began to wish for just a little more oomph.

Another given, fuel economy was stellar. On a tank full of gas I averaged a little better than 31 mpg, with just about an even mix of highway and city driving. With just me in the car I measured 37 mpg at highway speeds. That's the beauty of fuel efficient cars. You should also know that standard transmission is also offered. It accelerates a little faster and burns even less gas.

Technophiles will be interested to learn the throttle isn’t mechanical but electronic, and that the power steering isn’t hydraulic but electronic. Unfortunately there isn’t room here to delve deeply into the technology. Suffice it to say the variable valve timing engine relies on firmware to give it and the automatic transmission their marching orders, paying big dividends in horsepower and fuel economy. In other words, it’s a way to make a small engine behave like a big one for a lot less money.

Handling manners made me very happy. Base tires are a respectable set of P175/65R14s, while my test car came with even more capable 15 inch tires mounted on alloy wheels. Road grip was very good in tight turns. Steering was precise. The car felt nimble in parking lots. The ride quality was also pretty darn good, given the obvious limitations of a short wheelbase.

A long day on the road would be no problem.

Creature comforts are more than adequate for a car of this class. The steering wheel tilts, the front buckets adjusts for height. Getting comfortable took about a minute. How roomy is Yaris? Small car or not, only the really big and tall will feel claustrophobic. Front and back seats are well proportioned, again, given the obvious limitations of a compact car.

Trunk space is pretty good. In fact, I found more room than I expected the area that’s accessed though a wide opening with a low lift over height. The rear seats split and fold 60/40 opening up even more cargo room, but at the expense of hauling back seat passengers. The spare tire is a temporary, a concession to both purchase price and trunk space. Expedient cargo hauling revealed an interesting tidbit of information. I folded the front and rear seats and then tucked in a ten foot section of PVC tubing. The white plastic tube stretched from under the dashboard back over the seats, and into the trunk. The lid closed. Alas, a sheet of plywood just won’t go.

For safety sake there is a complement of advanced technology dual front airbags, side impact beams and a center high-mount brake light. Front side and curtain side airbags are optional and priced at $650. ABS as a standalone costs an additional $300.

Remember in the beginning when we said Yaris is a minimalist’s dream? Understandably the low purchase price affects the standard items, limited to air conditioning, intermittent windshield wipers, a rear window defogger, a digital clack, a tachometer, visor mirrors, map lights a full tank of gasoline. Upholstery is cloth.

My test sedan came without a radio as a standard, but was fitted with the audio prep package replete with four speakers and an in-glass antenna. Not to worry, the Power Package (code PP) bestowed it with an AM/FM/CD integrated Audio system with MP3/WMA playback. Also included were ABS, the 15-inch alloy wheels, power windows and outside mirrors, cruise control, an upgraded interior, plus a rear window defroster.