2011 Toyota Yaris Reviews

Ewan Kennedy road tests and review the 2005, 2006, 2011, 2014 and 2015 Toyota Yaris as a used buy. The Toyota Yaris is a smaller brother to the big selling Toyota Corolla but is still a reasonable size and may well be all you need if you only ever need to carry one or two people. Indeed, a Yaris can be used as a

The market for littlies is one of the toughest in the business, no more so than in 2011 when Toyota's incoming new Yaris had to face up to more than 30 rivals.NEWA carmaker not only has to deliver a car at a super low price in the class, it also has to have lots of gear, the very recipe that the Koreans have turned into an art form.It's little wonder the Korean carmakers have been the little car rulers for some time now. They really rewrote the rules for cars at the entry level of the market some time ago, hitting the Japanese where it hurts the most.It was only to be expected that a carmaker like Toyota that takes great pride in leading every market segment in which it competes hit back.The new Yaris in 2011 was the company's little car response to the Korean push.Buyers had four models to choose from; there were four models in 3-door and five-door hatch body styles, with a choice of 1.3 and 1.5-litre petrol engines.The range opened with the price competitive YR, then stepped up to the YRS, and on to the sporty ZR before topping out with the feature-packed YRX.An extra 100 mm in length garnered a larger boot and more legroom for the rear seat passengers.Inside there was enough space to feel right at home, the seats were comfortable and all the controls were well laid-out and attractively displayed.Toyota offered Yaris buyers the choice of two four-cylinder engines, a 67 kW 1.3-litre blighter and a larger 80 kW 1.5-litre unit.Both were quite economical after a tune-up by Toyota's engineers, although the four-speed auto seemed a touch out of date.Buyers could opt for the auto or a five-speed manual, but you would normally expect them to go for the self-changer simply for convenience.There was a lot to like about the Yaris, and it didn't disappoint on the road either. It looked good and thanks to local tuning of the suspension handles our roads well too.NOWIt's getting boring to talk about Toyota's renowned build quality and reliability, but the company has set the benchmark that has had others striving to match.Car buyers wanting to buy a no-fuss car have come to rely on the Toyota qualities and that has kept resale values tootling along nicely.While Toyotas are not completely free of troubles, they are generally sound from engineering and build perspectives, something backed up by the relatively few complaints received at Carsguide HQ.The Yaris appears to be standing up well under the stresses of everyday life on the roads, although to be fair the 2011 model is only three years into its life and that means the earliest of the model has only done 60,000 km or so.With so few kays under its wheels it shouldn't be a surprise that there are few complaints about it from owners.At this point it's mainly a check of how well the current owner has maintained the car you're thinking of buying. If it comes with a service record that stands up to scrutiny, great, if not walk away.Fresh oil is the lifeblood of all engines, but it's even more critical today with the tight tolerances carmakers are using.Opt to ignore oil change recommendations and you run the real risk of losing an engine because it's gunked up with sludge.Toyota recently announced a recall of the previous model Yaris for a faulty seat track, but the recall doesn't affect the latest model.SMITHY SAYSLike all Toyotas the Yaris ticks the right boxes in the little car class.Toyota Yaris 2011-2013Price new: $14,990 to $21,390Engine: 1.3-litre, 4-cylinder, 67 kW/121 Nm; 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder, 80 kW/141 NmTransmission: 5-speed manual, 4-speed automatic, FWDEconomy: 5.7 L/100 km (1.3), 5.8 L/100 km (1.5)Body: 3-door hatch, 5-door hatchVariants: YR, YRS, ZR, YRXSafety: 5-star ANCAP

Toyota Yaris is the smallest car in the Japanese giant's range that's sold in Australia. It replaced the popular Toyota Echo in November 2005, in turn Echo had superseded the not particularly popular Toyota Starlet in 1999.Yaris is a significantly larger car than Echo and can seat four adults in more comfort than you might expect. It can be used as a family car if the children are in their pre-teen year and even, with some compromises, can carry four adults.The boot is on the small side in the three and five-door hatchbacks, but their rear seat slides forwards, as well as folds flat so you can juggle the amount of luggage/people room you need. A four-door sedan arrived in March 2006 and has a lot more boot space than the hatches.Rough sealed roads can challenge the suspension and the ride is fairly bumpy on occasions. Tyre noise on some coarse chip surfaces is loud enough to be unpleasant. The handling is nicely balanced for a small Japanese car, though you wouldn't mistake it for a European machine. Yaris has understeer if you push really hard, but there's no sign of it at sensible speeds.Noise and vibration are well damped and on good roads and motorways it offers the sort of refinement you would expect from a car that's a full size larger. Power comes from four-cylinder engines of 1.3- or 1.5-litre capacity. Both use variable valve timing to give reasonable torque across the rev range. The engine isn't all that happy to rev to the top of the tacho, but Yaris isn't that type of car so that's hardly a problem.The manual gearbox is a five-speed unit, the automatic transmission has only four forward gears. A good home mechanic will be able to do a lot of the work that doesn't affect the safety of the car. Underbonnet room is understandably tight so expect some frustration and the occasional dribbles of blood.There are Toyota dealers all over Australia, indeed due to the popularity of the marque in country areas Toyota is probably represented in more out of the way places than any other maker. On the other hand, remote outback dealers may not have parts in stock for the Yaris, meaning you may have to wait for unusual bits to be freighted up from the city.Insurance costs are generally good and there doesn't seem to be a great variation from company to company. Nevertheless it's still smart to shop around, always being sure to compare apples with apples in the way of cover and/or extras.WHAT TO LOOK FOR Rust is not likely unless the car has been badly repaired after a crash. So if you do find rust be very suspicious.Trim, seats, dash top and carpets should all be in close to new condition with no tears or other damage. Look out for the interior of a car has been mistreated by bored children. And check the boot in case someone has crammed stuff into there to the extent of damaging the opening.Make sure the engine starts promptly, idles smoothly, accelerates without hesitation and doesn't blow smoke when worked hard.Manual gearboxes should be smooth and quiet in operation and not clash gears on fast downchanges from third to second.Automatics should be smooth and there shouldn't be any delay in it going into gear from Neutral or Park.The brakes shouldn't pull the car to one side no matter how hard they are applied. Make sure the ABS operates correctly – feel for a pulsing through the pedal when you hit it hard indicating the ABS is in action. Don't forget to check the rear view mirror first!If there's the slightest doubt about anything in the Toyota Yaris, have a professional do the final inspection and get a quote for all defects, even apparently minor ones.CAR BUYING TIPSmall cars used in city areas wear more quickly than big cars in the country. So don't let low kilometre readings cloud your judgement.

IT wasn't too long ago that the cheapest class of new car was something of a driveaway then chuckaway choice.Hyundai's Excel was a game-changing device that appealed not so much for its compact, urban-friendly size, but because here was a functional new car for $13,990 with five years' warranty coverage. If it was a rudimentary device, it was also less than half the price of a new Commodore or Falcon -- the default choices in those days. Great numbers of these were used, abused (many a bonnet was never so much as opened, let alone routine maintenance performed) and, yes, chucked away for whatever trade-in or private buy could be eked. Much has changed.While still driven by price -- a new Suzuki Alto has an $11,790 starting price -- the city car segment is no more driven by that than any. These are proper cars, stuffed with the technical, safety and feature comfort equipment of anything bigger and more expensive -- think the full outfit of airbags, the latest engines and Bluetooth streaming.At least the most recent are, which is why those you see on this page are no more than five years old. Competition is feverish for the 130,000-odd annual sales in this segment.As the weekday traffic conditions of Melbourne and Sydney have increasingly come to resemble those of Rome or London, it's started to dawn on us that small of size (less than 4m long) and frugal of thirst (under 6L/100km) is just what's required for a commute that's typically less than 15km.They're also sound family second cars, useful for a dash down the shops, and ideal for the leaner driver in your clan. Being small and not over imbued with power, a city car is a great starting point for the L-Plater to acquire the basics.HOT TIPSManuals almost always work better with small engines.Cheap cars aren't always maintained so buy from a dealer.Ensure your selection has the latest safety upgrades -- they used to be optional on city cars.2011 Honda Jazz GLI GEEngine: 1.3-litre 4-cylinder petrolTransmission: 5-speed automaticThirst: 6.6L/100km CARSGUIDE SAYSThe spacious and practical Jazz is a favourite for its use of interior space. The 2011 safety upgrades bring it up to class standard.2007 Toyota YarisEngine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrolTransmission: 5-speed manualThirst: 5.8L/100km CARSGUIDE SAYSThere's been a new generation Yaris since but it retains much of this car's hardware. Indeed, some argue the interior fit and finish is superior on the older car. If this automatic sedan is about to see 100,000km, we know owners who are happily north of 150,000 with nothing to complain of.2008 Mazda 2 GenkiEngine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrolTransmission: 5-speed automaticThirst: 6.8L/100km CARSGUIDE SAYSThe first of Mazda's jellybean 2s still sells on looks alone five years after it replaced the staid, boxy first generation model. The 100K on the clock is generally no big deal. Against the high klicks is the kit of the top spec Genki, which came with the full complement of safety kit airbags which were originally optional on the lesser variances.

The Yaris is one of the favoured children in the Toyota family. The baby Toyota's looks, price and practicality gave it the light-car class lead from 2003 to 2008. Then the cut-price Hyundai Getz topped the charts for the next two years, by 196 and 95 vehicles respectively. This year has literally been a disaster for the Japanese company - but the third-gen Yaris is giving it hope for a more productive start to 2012.VALUEThe Getz reminded Toyota how price-sensitive the light-car class is. That's why the entry level three-door base model holds the same $14,990 price it had in 2005. The five-door YR is tipped to be the top seller and it starts at $15,690. Switching from the five-speed manual to the four-speed auto costs $1600 and cruise control is the only option at $650. The YR has a 1.3-litre engine, cruise control, a trip meter/fuel calculator display and voice control audio system with Bluetooth and USB/iPod connectivity.The YRS adds a 1.5-litre engine, 15-inch wheels and a touch-screen audio and will sell as a three or five-door model for $16,890 and $17,390 respectively. A sportier looking ZR is $18,990 in three door manual form and the range-topping YRX will be sold as a five-door auto from $21,390.That stacks up competitively against the Volkswagen Polo ($16,690-$22,350), five-door Mazda2 ($15,790-$20,495) and Ford Fiesta ($16,990-$20,990). The downside is the engines and transmissions carry over from the previous model.DESIGNIt won't admit the last model was seen as a "chick's car" but Toyota concedes the majority of Yaris customers are women.  That was costing it half the market and the new car in general - and bodykitted ZR in particular - have been muscled up to be more attractive to both sexes.Toyota executive director Matthew Callachor says "it is designed to have greater appeal to men without alienating women" and product planner Greg Gardner confirms women "are prepared to buy what is perceived as a man's car where men are not necessarily prepared to buy what is seen as a woman's car."The new audio units have simplified the cabin layout especially on the touch-screen models, though we're not sure about the Frisbee-sized hazard lights button. The instruments are clear and now back in front of the driver where they belong and the 100mm growth in size brings a bigger boot and 35mm of extra knee room for back seat passengers.TECHNOLOGYNoise suppression is worth talking about in the Yaris. The engineers have added insulation in the centre console, bonnet and floor it's a more comfortable cabin for it, even under hard acceleration. The top-spec YRX and ZR models pick up a touchscreen audio and satnav system with Suna traffic alerts. The drivetrains have been tickled to improve fuel efficiency by up to .4 litres/100km and they still run on regular unleaded. The 1.3-litre engine is good for 67kW/121Nm and the manual gearbox uses an official 5.7 lit res/100km, while the 1.5-litre engine produces 80kW/141Nm and 5.8 litre/100kms. Toyota defends keeping the four-speed auto on the basis that fuel use in both engines is just 6.3 litres/100km.SAFETYToyota has lifted the light-car game with seven airbags and stability control standard fit. The Yaris hasn't been crash-tested yet but the outgoing model was a five-star car and the new one is bigger and stronger.Deceleration comes from 255mm front discs and 200mm drums on the back, all kept in line by ABS brakes with brake assist and emergency brake force distribution. The bonnet has also been redesigned to be less damaging to stray pedestrians.DRIVINGBeing handed the keys to a pink car doesn't do much to improve the macho perception of the Yaris. You don't notice the colour from behind the wheel (and there's nine others to choose from) but you do notice the electric steering is light but more direct and the Yaris refuses to bottom out on hits that should have the torsion beam rear end bouncing.Both have been tuned with local input and front spring rates are up by 18 per cent and the rears stiffened by 26 per cent compared to the Japanese-spec defaults.It looks good on the road and is a fun car to scoot through the city in. It can't be hustled like a Polo and doesn't handle like a Mazda2 ... but it's not a hot hatch and, dressed-up ZR aside, doesn't pretend to be.This vehicle is aimed at mainstream buyers looking for a safe, solid car with style and space. It will spend most of its time commuting to and from work with the occasional weekend away — and it fulfils that design brief as well as any car on the market.VERDICTThe light-car leader is back in the game, but the game's getting tougher. The Yaris is taking on 31 other models in a segment worth about 140,000 cars next year. With the Getz gone, its chances are good, given the sharp prices, smart features list and the Toyota reputation for reliability.

An all-new, bigger and better Toyota Yaris has just been unwrapped in Japan. It promises a much tougher rival in Australia to cars such as the Ford Fiesta and Mazda2, but there are still plenty of questions through the countdown to its planning arrival in September.They include doubts over production at Toyota's Miyagi assembly plant, which is still offline following the Japanese earthquake. Various sources point to a production shutdown until sometime in May because of the difficulty in re-connecting essential services - including natural gas - to the factory.Toyota Australia also says there will be tweaking to the Yaris before it comes here, most notably the replacement of the CVT transmission popular in Japan with a regular four-speed automatic gearbox. The company is also promising a full five-star NCAP ranking for the basic Yaris three-door hatch.VALUEToyota has targeted top-line European rivals including the Volkswagen Polo - the reigning Carsguide Car of the Year - but it is still built to a price and some people will find marginalised features.The price of the Yaris currently starts at $14,990, or $16,590 as an automatic, and Toyota will be aiming to hold the line with the new model. It plans also to continue with its current strategy of using three and five-door hatchback bodies with either 1.3 or 1.5-litre engines. There will be three equipment grades.TECHNOLOGYThe most impressive thing about the new Yaris is the 1.3-litre engine's Smart-Stop Package. Taking just 0.35 seconds to restart after seamlessly cutting the engine at idle, the smart-stop works to improve fuel economy to an excellent 4.59 litres/100km.But, surprisingly, the start-stop is only offered on the 1.3 litre due to its hefty $750 pricetag. And, more strikingly, VSC and TRC traction controls, which are standard on the 1.3 litre, are not even offered as options on other models, although this will not be the situation in Australia with stability control now compulsory on all cars sold here.DESIGN"We need to stand out more. That is one reason why the new Yaris has grown in size and taken on an edgier look compared to it's predecessor," says deputy chief engineer Yoshinari Toyomura.Checking out the new Yaris on Tokyo streets, we immediately see what he means. The new B-segment bigwig is 85mm longer with a wheelbase that gains 50mm. The car does feel bigger, but the company's efforts to minimize costs while improving packaging have met with mixed resultsSAFETYToyota already gets a five-star NCAP rating with the five-door Yaris including the safety pack - with front-side-head airbags - and four stars for the three-door with frontal airbags.It promises better for the new model and Australian buyers can also expect the usual ABS brakes and ESP stability control to satisfy local regulations and consumers.DRIVINGTuned for optimum fuel economy and CO2 emissions, the 1.3-litre Yaris is adequate but not quick. Mated to a revised CVT transmission, it pulls sufficiently from around 2000 revs and stays strong enough through the mid-ranges, we think, because this car did not have a tachometer.Aussie cars will get a five-speed manual, and a tacho. To keep up with rivals, the Yaris has stiffened body rigidity, a more compliant ride and better weighted, more responsive steering. Local specifications will be crucial, really, to the potential success of the car in an incredibly tough sector of the market.The new Yaris is more spacious, does handle better than the old model and looks considerably smarter, but it feels like it's been short-changed on a few interior elements and performance is middling rather than genuinely impressive. It'll need those missing toys if it's to stand out from the crowd when it arrives here later this year.VERDICTBuilt to satisfy the bottom dollar, the new Yaris generates good first impressions, but leaves question marks with its packaging and potential impact in Australia.