Identical Twin Toyotas: 2008 Toyota Yarises

Yaris for 2008, Toyota's entry-level car in the US market, is actually two distinct cars.

Sharing a common platform and powertrain, the Yaris 3-door Liftback and 4-door sedan were developed separately.

The Liftback was designed at Toyota's European studios. At Toyota's Japanese design studios a completely distinct engineering team drew up the sedan. Yaris has a split personality: two similar cars targeted at different demographics. So a significant controversy has grown in the forums: what is the plural form of "Yaris"? Yarii? Yarises?

Yaris Liftback is constructed on a 96.9-inch wheelbase version of the platform, while the sedan is stretched to a 100.4-inch wheelbase. The sedan is a bigger car, with an outside legnth of 169.3 inches to the Liftback's 150 inches.

The Yaris three-door hatchback theoretically starts at around $11K, the four-door sedan is about $1K higher. A sport variant of the sedan, the "S" adds another $2,300 to the base tab.

Yaris for 2008 is identical to the 2007, except for a tire pressure monitoring system, standard on both models.

The Name Game: Vitz, Belta, Echo, and Yaris

Yarises replaced the servicable but homely Toyota Echo, which never caught on in America. Yaris, designed by Greek automobile designer Sotiris Kovos, has been around in Europe since 1999, and is popular there.

Toyota has created confusion by naming these very similar cars differently across markets in Europe, the Americas, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Toyota Vitz, sold in Japan, is basically the same as the US Yaris Liftback, and the Yaris sedan is called the Belta. A 5 door hatchback version didn't make it to the US, where Scion xD competes.

Echo sold well in Canada, so Toyota offered the 3 and 5-door Echo hatchbacks to Canadian customers in 2004.

Canadian Yarises have slightly larger bumpers, to meet Canadian Government requirements. Toyotas option package names are different for US and Canadian Yarises; CE, LE, and RS option groups in Canada, verses convenience, power, and all-weather guard packages in the 'States.

Bottom Fishing: The Subcompact Market

As recently as 2002 small-car sales were falling, with 13.7% of new-vehicle sales. But gas price spikes, higher interest rates, and a looming recession have focused consumers on small cars: sales are up to 15.4% share and rising.

A slow but steady paradigm shift is overtaking America. More and more people are questioning whether very big cars are really better. Globalization means a car must sell worldwide or wither. Small cars sell everywhere.

Henry Ford II coined a phrase that became an industry axiom: "small cars make small profits."

So why are Toyotas, Nissans, Hondas, Hyundais, Kias, and Chrysler's new Chinese Cherys all racing to America's small car unfriendly market? Because a whopping 45% of B-segment buyers will trade up to higher margin products. 30% will establish brand loyalties with their first purchase. Customer capture at this stage is cheaper than Super Bowl ads later.

Some say Yaris competes directly with Scion, Toyota's existing U.S. entry-level brand. But Scion is marketed as hip. Yaris is for "mainstream" youth, which were known when I was a youth as "squares" in the fifties and "straights" in the 60's.

Toyota targeted Yaris at customers 35 to 45 years old, 45% single, and 45% college-educated. In fact, the median age of Yaris buyers is a low 40.

This entry-level market was crowded before Yaris came.

Honda Fit and Nissan Versa were new in 2007.

Korean-built competition, Kia Rio, Hyundai Accent, and Chevy Aveo, have set a floor on price. But China's Chery, coming disguised as a small 2008 Dodge, is racing to under-sell even them.

Yaris had to be cheap to competitive, so Toyota built it's Yarises to be advertised at rock-bottom prices. Standard equipment on Yaris includes air conditioning, tilt steering wheel, tinted glass, digital clock, a map light, intermittent windshield wipers with mist control, dual sunvisors with vanity mirrors, and dual front airbags.

Wasn't that enough?

Nope.

Many first time buyers won't notice that side curtain air bags are optional.

Yaris was 2006 segment sales leader, according to the J.D. Power and Associates Sales Report. The twin Yarises sold 70,308 units in their first year on the market. Chevrolet Aveo did 58,244, and Hyundai Accent moved 34,735.

B-Segment Sales for first quarter 2007 saw Yaris still on top, trailed by Nissan Versa, with Aveo in third place, followed by Honda fit. Scion xB, Kia Rio, MINI Cooper, Hyundai Accent, and Scion xA round out the field.

The Subcompact Safety Shell Game

"People are looking for ways to save fuel,
and they need to know that if they decide to buy a much smaller vehicle, they are putting themselves
and their families at risk."

Adrian Lund, President,
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Buyers of B-segment cars are young and usually money-conscious.

J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Avoider Study and Escaped Shopper Study found these customers consider fuel economy, reliability, and cheap maintenance, as top priorities.

Manufacturers have noticed that this payment-shopper segment is very naive about safety.

The coming Chinese Chery QQ cars, undercutting the segment on price, do so by sorely neglecting safety features. These new Chinese cars are blatantly unsafe, and will be upgraded to minimum US standards for import. Toyota could use this threat as an opportunity to take subcompact market share from safety and quality innovator Honda.

So 2008 Toyota Yarises scrimp on standard safety technology to achieve a price point seen mostly in advertising. Side air bags, anti-lock brakes, traction control, and driver knee airbag are "available." These are wrapped in pricey option groups, bumping the typical Yaris sticker price thousands higher.

Yaris dual-stage front airbags pop open at a higher or lower speed, depending on collision impact, and front passenger seat sensors adjust bag deployment to the passenger's size. Door beams combine to give Yaris an acceptable four stars for front collision and rollover in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tests.

But side impacts earn Yaris only three NHTSA stars, due to the absence of side air bags.

At the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Yaris sedan gained a "Poor" side crash test score without side air bags, and a "Good" when equipped with them. Side-impact crash fatalities trail only front crash deaths. Side hits killed 9,200 Americans in 2005. Safety technology should not be confined to higher-priced cars.

Optional safety equipment on the Yarii includes front seat-mounted side airbags, front and rear side curtain airbags (about $650), anti-lock brakes (around $300).

Honda Fit comes standard with antilock brakes and six air bags including side-curtains.

Yaris Shines in Fuel Economy, Quality, and Reliability

The 2007 Yaris received EPA fuel economy ratings of 40 miles per gallon (6 Liters/100 km) highway and 34 miles per gallon (7 Liters/100 km) city, among the highest in the subcompact segment. These have recently been revised down to 29 city, 36 highway, and 32 combined for the manual transmission, and 29 city, 35 highway, and 31 combined for the automatic.

EPA has yet to post 2008 mileage estimates for Yaris, but they should stand unchanged.

Real-world user reports and road tests vary. A Consumers Report test averaged 33 mpg overall with the 5-speed stickshift. Editors at cnet.com thrashed the Yaris hard, obtaining 31 mpg in mixed city and freeway driving. Forum owners report averaging 38 mpg for freeway commuting. Hypermiler claims run to 49 mpg, but most people will not duplicate this, it involves motor-off coasting and dangerously close drafting.

A fuel tank capacity of 11.1 gallons (42 liters) allows an adequate range.

Consumer Reports says Yaris trails overall in the sub-compact class, despite an above-average reputation for reliability. Yaris's predecessor, Toyota Echo, was highly rated for reliability. Yarii are built in Toyota City, Japan and Valenciennes, France.

Forum posts by owners are overwhelmingly positive. Minor gripes like rattles from the car interior are the main complaints, as opposed to major warranty claim issues.

Drive Train

Both Yarises are built on a new platform that's longer and wider than its European predecessor. Braces and cross members provide a rigid structure designed to reduce vibration.

The Toyota Belta sedan, sold in Japan, as well as the Toyota Vitz, use the same Yaris platform.

Yaris' engine, shared with Scion xA and xB, is completely modern; 1.5 Litre, 4-cylinder, Aluminum block, dual overhead camshaft (DOHC), 4-valve per cylinder, Variable Valve Timing with Intelligence (VVT-i), Sequential Multiport Electronic Fuel Injection, transverse mount.

Modulated by Toyota's Electronic Throttle Control System with Intelligence (ETCS-i), this engine produces 106 horsepower (79kW) at 6,000 rpm.

The little mill delivers smooth power all the way across the rpm range.

MacPherson gas strut front coil spring suspension and torsion beam rear suspension with front stabilizer bar attach to the platform.

Yaris offers two Toyota transmissions, a 5-speed manual and 4-speed electronically controlled automatic. Uphill starts with the manual gearbox are said to require considerable clutch slipping.

Power assist ventilated front disc/rear drum brakes are standard. Consumer Reports' test car, with standard brakes, stopped from 60 mph in a long 139 feet.

Equipped with the optional Antilock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Yaris did 60-0 in a much better 122 feet in edmunds.com tests.

Here again, we find safety optional on the little Toyotas.

Fuel saving electric power rack and pinion steering does not detract from the Yarises' driving manners, as it has in some cars. Standard 14-inch wheels and tires give the car an awkward appearance, and owners opt for guess what kind of 15-inch steel wheels? Optional, of course.

Performance

One hundred six horsepower makes my 550 pound Honda VFR motorcycle accelerate nicely.

That same power, in the 2,300-pound Yaris, yields sluggish green light starts with the automatic transmission.

Zero to sixty times run 9.5 to 11.4 at various testers, about average in the subcompact segment, and consistent with very good fuel economy.

Autos.com gave Yaris 4 stars for performance and handling. User and tester reports claim easy freeway cruising to 75 mph. The highest top speed claim I have found, from an edmunds.com forum, is a little over 90 mph.

Turning circle diameter is quoted at 32.6 feet.

There is lots of chatter in the forums about a skittish rear end at speed. Owners are adding a heavier, under-$200 TRD rear sway bar, as a remedy. These are in such demand that some dealerships pre-fit them as dealer-installed options.

Owners and reviewers report Yaris has a nice ride for a small car.

Yaris Interior

Toyota has kept price low without making the two Yarises' interiors, which are somewhat different, from looking too cheap.

The first thing to know about the Yarii's interior is that the instruments are located above the center stack instead of behind the steering wheel. Many people report annoyance on initial contact with this arrangement.

I had a center speedo in my 1958 Morris Minor: it just takes a while to get used to the center location. Toyota has tried to spin this as a safety feature, but the reason is to build one dash for left and right drive cars for a global market where people can't seem drive on the same side of the road. More expensive cars will easily absorb the additional costs of tailoring to local markets.

Some users have noticed the lack of nighttime illumination of the steering wheel. This makes it more difficult and dangerous to multi-task while driving in the dark.

The two little Toyotas have different gauge clusters and control knob layouts. Notable is the absence of a tach in the manual trans hatchback. Three glove boxes, including one in front of the steering wheel where the speedometer would normally be, adorn the Yaris Liftback.

The Liftback style Yaris's front seats are adjustable four ways, while the sedan's are six way adjustable. The radio antenna, in the rear window glass of the sedan, is roof-mounted on the hatch.

The Liftback's optional sliding and reclining rear seats add versatility. While there are numerous nooks and crannies, critics call attention to inadequate cup holders and absent cellphone/ipod support.

Road noise is pronounced: cnet.com recorded 73 dBA (decibels) at highway speeeds.

Air conditioning, tilt steering wheel, and intermittent wipers are standard on Yaris. Can't complain.

Short seat bottoms may provide insufficient thigh support for taller people.

If the driver is tall, the shorter-wheelbase Liftback Yaris can be short on rear seat legroom despite the sliding seat feature.

The sedan is 19 inches longer than the hatchback, offering more room for rear passengers.

Cabin air filtration is standard. But some Yarises are shipped without AM/FM radio: a common aftermarket upgrade. The optional Power Package is required for a radio/single CD player.

An auxiliary jack on the floor console accepts standard inputs, like an MP3 player.

There is no i-pod, Bluetooth phone integration, or navigation system availability.

Liftback cargo space with the seats upright is 12.8 cubic feet. Dropping the seat backs allows 25.7 cubic feet.

Yaris sedan's cargo volume is 12.9 cubic feet with the seats up, and 13.7 cubic feet with the optional 60/40 rear seats down.

Is Yaris a Value?

Edmund's True cost to own is $.40 per mile. This is based on a $13,716 purchase price and $7,869 in five-year depreciation. This is visibly cheaper than Ford Focus and Nissan Versa.

Residuals in the 40% area across the class are poor.

My personal preference is for the less stylish Honda Fit, but I'm too old to be "hip" anymore.

2008 Yaris vehicles start arriving in August and typical Yaris MSRP will go up $150.

A basic warranty of 3 years or 36,000 miles accompanies all 2008 Toyotas. For 2008, Yaris also receives 5 years/60,000 miles powertrain coverage and 5 years unlimited mileage corrosion protection.

Unless your life is worth less than $1K, do not purchase this car without all seven, mostly optional, airbags installed. Because of Toyota's US distribution model, these may not be available in every region.

And because optioned cars rarely have a simple configuration, but are sold with "popular option combinations", the air bags will come bundled with other less useful features.

With so few standard features, the typical optioned sticker rises to over US$18K, pricing the Yarises out of the value band. With fuel economy is its main value proposition, Yaris needs to be purchased without many options.

For the first time, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has tested the smallest vehicles sold in the US market. This video shows the crash results of the Nissan Versa, Hyundai Accent, Toyota Scion xB, Toyota Yaris and Chevy Aveo.

Video of Yaris and Competitors Crash Tests