I would have to disagree with Dan Neil. Though he makes some valid comments about the yaris, it is largely seeing this through the eyes of a typical american for the american market. you wilI hardly find any 200+ pound americans in the market for a sub compact so yes, it probably is a tight fit.

Travel to europe, latin america or asia and one will find a majority of the cars on the road with sub 2.0 liter engines. I have driven the 2007 yaris enough to appreciate the ride quality, handling over imperfect roads (more critical in cities riddled with potholes) and appreciate the frugal fuel economy.

I cannot say i have sat in the rear seats to comment on the rear leg and head room however initial impressions of the car were quite good. The car appears to be roomier inside than you'd expect. The interior is basic and bare as one would expect in a car at this price range. The short wheelbase was a joy to maneuver around town.

If you like the bells and whistles, go for the versa. If you like your car for the looks go for a jazz/fit, if you like a reliable car for the daily commute, i'd recommend a yaris. Bear in mind, these are world cars sold globally. Its success all around the world and its late debut in the american market is surely a sign of how the world percieves americans... Larger and spend thrifts would probably be two terms :)

We may be larger and spendthrifts, but we also know a lousy car when we see one. Unfortunately, I've never forgiven Toyota for a very lousy Tercel I bought new. This car was the smallest Toyota sold in the US at the time. Pieces popped off regularly, the heater stopped working, and it had a vaccuum problem the miserable dealer network in this area could never find. One of the dealers actually chided me because the antifreeze was brown/orange, presumably because of my neglect, but he didn't even know the little car came with orange antifreeze. I might consider a Camry, because with its quality reputation I would be less likely to visit the know-nothing dealer service centers...but I would never again even think about buying a low-end Toyota.

What a useless review. If I were to nit-pick the review, I'd have to say its pointless to review a subcompact and have expectations that it will be as roomy and powerful and a mid-size or even compact sedan. The reviewer should first find out what are the needs of someone looking to buy a subcompact and see if the subcompact meets that criteria. Not everyone needs a powerful 250+HP V6 and plenty of leg room, although I do.

For 13k full loaded, you're not going to get a very good car even if the badge says its a Toyota.
I worked with a college intern who owns an 07 Yaris hatch and to say that its small is an understatement. She was 5'4 while I'm 6'1 so she didn't find it as bad as I did. Its no Avalon or Camry and doesn't really come close to a Corolla either but its not designed to. But like all things Toyota, it suited the needs of its owner since she drove 50miles to work each day and didn't carpool.

This is a car Toyota designed for a young college grad with huge student loan payments. Chances are the student is single and doesn't need space for anyone but herself meaning rear-legroom isn't much a concern. In terms of power, as long as the power to weight ratio is comparable to a compact car its fine. This is however one of those cars that benefits greatly for a stick-shift.

There is nothing wrong with the Yaris. Toyota knows what this particular market segment wants: Cheap entry-level vehicle that gets you from point A to B and Good Fuel-economy so more of your money can go to towards loans etc.

If Toyota wanted they could have made the Yaris a bit more luxury like the Fit but I suppose Toyota's market research indicated lower sales of a luxury sub-compact.

I just bought a 2008 Yaris. I am a 200+ lb. American male, mid-thirties, and a sales professional. I chose to buy this car for what it is, not what it isn't.

It is an ultra-reliable compact commuter with better gas mileage than most expensive Hybrids. This is not by any means an old Tercel. No it doesn't have as many doors or handle as well as the Fit, but it is also about $2,000 less which can translate to as much as $40 per month less in a car payment per month over five years, or roughly 1 1/2 free tanks of gas per month. Also, it's not nearly as ugly as the Nissan Versa.

For me this car is a tool, and the best tool for the best price, paying the best dividends over the long commute. Obviously, if you have a family this is not the ideal car for you as room is at a premium, however, previous comments about accommodating a large rider fall short of the mark. I comfortably ride from sales call to sales call daily. I traded a 1997 For Taurus SHO with the big V-8 getting 18 mpg. I put 3 tanks of gas per week in it to give you an indication of how much I drive. Gas savings alone will pay the car payment. Good Riddance!

This car is badged as the Vitz overseas and is the number one selling Toyota in all of Europe and Japan. Only in America, land of the opulent and home of the catch phrase "bigger is better" will you find the venerable but bloated Camry or outrageously large SUV line-up outselling this mighty gas-sipper. Re-evaluate your budgets, stop buying cars as status symbols, and go take this menacing little four banger for a test drive. For a sub-compact, it might surprise you...it surprised me!

Me, I have nothing against the import of this car, of my point of view I find this car beautiful and practic.

Hi,
Im from The Netherlands and was reading reviews on the Toyota Yaris. This one is the first that is so awfull, i doubt if Dan Neil even was close to the Yaris. I drive a Toyota Avensis D4D 2.0 turbodiesel, but the 1.4 D4D Yaris is faster. Not in topspeed, but in acceleration. Fuelconsumption may not be an issue in US, but in Europe we thank toyota for making this car because the diesel only uses 1 liter for every 21 kilometer. (and thats in practice, not only on paper) For a small car the interieur give 4 grown-up people enough space. You all drive big, bigger, biggest. So it is, but when you dont have the knowledge of small cars, just dont review them. Toyota makes very good cars. In Europe they are with 4 or 5 different models in the top 10 of cars that had no probelems. First USA car was in about 50th place. Take that !! My Avensis has 174.000 km done now. The only problem i had was a lightbulb. The rest was onlly normal mantenance. Try that in a USA car. My father drove in a Cadillac and a Chrysler, both cars were sold after 4 years and about 80.000 km because of the problems they gave. Mostly electric problems that couldnt be solved properly. Maybe he had some bad luck. So reviewer, stay on your torquemachines, better for us all.

The Yaris is a massive piece of crap. It has huge torque steer, feels like a tin can on wheels and looks horrible inside and out. The seats are torture-chamber uncomfortable too. All in all, another typical Toyota pile of dump.

Bought a 2008 Honda Fit Sport in January. Test drove the Yaris, Versa, and Focus before deciding on the Fit. After reviewing price, including options, expected gas mileage, expected reliability, safety ratings, consumer reviews in addition to my own driving experience, the Fit seemed to offer the best overall value.
It is significant that the options that I would deem necessary, brought the Yaris close to the price of the Fit which came standard with these options. In fact, I purchased the Fit with no options at all. A month into driving the car, I am very pleased with the quality and driveability of the car. I am getting 31mpg in actual driving conditions which is probably half city / half highway. I am expecting better mileage as it gets warmer (it is 8 degrees F right now here in Indianapolis). I am 5'10'' and 200 pounds (very lean though as I'm very "fit") and find that the car has plenty of room. When test driving these cars, my wife (who is literally twice the woman I married 16 years ago) was very uncomfortable in the Yaris. However, not only did she enjoy driving the Fit but she also felt comfortable in the back seat next to my two girls in car seats. Close but comfortable. Handling in the Fit seemed superior to the Yaris but acceleration is not a strong point for either car. While not a strong point, acceleration in the Fit is adequate for commuting purposes and I have no reservations about pulling into traffic or speeding up to merge on the interstate. I have a lot of flexibility with the car thanks to the well designed seats. I am able to arrange the seats in a variety of ways including having all of the passenger seats folded to the floor, opening up a large space. The interior finish of the vehicle and the spaciousness belies the fact that is an economy car.

I think the base Yaris with no options may be the way to go for those who absolutely can't spend any more for a car. Spend a little more to get what is in my opinion (and those of most car reviews, including Consumer Reports) a much better car with roughly the same mileage and you might be surprised at how little difference it makes on those monthly car payments. My gut feeling after driving these cars is that if you are going to stay with the car for at least 5 years, you are going to end up spending more in maintenance for the Yaris than you will with the Fit ... of course, time will tell on that.

The only thing I question in my decision is ... why didn't I get this car a year ago?

HI from MALTA, over here, this model from the very first was the best selling car ever and btw the car prices over here are just...terrific. A 1999 echo/yaris/vitz imported from japan as a second hand car is priced approximately 12K and the brand new model from the agent is priced as 27K with full extras and everything and guess what? It is still the most selling car on our island. The reasons are simple. It has very good fuel economy and over here fuel is expensive too dont wry, it has plenty of leg and headroom both for the driver and for the rear pessengers (I am 6'6 weighng 350 pounds and feel perfectly comfy both as a driver even as a passenger). Apart from comfort its got everything that is neccessary. Personally I dn't think that subcompact car should be equiped with a huge engine and hp. Why?? Very simple my fellow readers, cos with a huge engine and hp it would lose its use!! The car is made to serve as a means of travelling for daily use not to go for a drag race or something. And who says that toyota ain't cable of making nice cars is simply a monkey. Just go to google and write mrs, mr2, supra, celica.... aint those toyota??? I guess yes and they are wonderful cars too. Apart from all the complains written above, I have to disagree with most of them. Since I own a garage with mechanics, technicians and modifications, I rarely see toyota cars in my garage as they are trouble free.
If anyone is looking for a trouble free car, with low budget, interested in mpg, commen travelling and Toyota, they should definitely go for this nice subcompact car cos it is really great!

Typical idiot review from and idiot American. I am American but I can appreciate the Yaris we have owned an ECHO for 8 years and it has returned 38-42 mpg on every tank of fuel. It is no Accord of Camry but it is not meant to be. When gas is 10 dollars a gallon people will be praising there Yarises.