I recently tried out a Yaris. It’s a car with very poor seating and driving position IMO. The only reason the car sells as well as it does, is it’s Toyota name recognition. It gets my vote for poor ergonomic engineering, especially considering how easy the fix is.
Regarding the Yaris, Consumer Reports says that despite excellent fuel economy and outstanding reliability, “…engine drone intrudes…the flawed driving position with extended arms and bent knees can be fatiguing…fit and finish is cheap…center-mounted gauges are annoying…scored too low in our testing to be recommended”.
CR rates the Honda Fit, Nissan Versa, Ford Fiesta, Mazda 2, Scion xD, Kia Rio, and Hyundai Accent (in that order) above the Yaris. The only two subcompacts that they rate lower than the Yaris are the Chevy Aveo and the so-called Smart car.
The Pinto gas tank was no worse than what was used in many other cars…All in all, they were a pretty solid little car…
WHAT…They are crap…I worked on a few of those cars…If they lasted 100k miles - then it was almost a miracle. The only other vehicle that was probably worse in reliability was the Vega (which I owned two of them). They were designed bad…and shoddy assembly.
Agree that the subjective evaluations by CR often leave something to be desired. Any Yaris owner I know is extremely happy with their purchase, and it is the most reliable small car on the market, by CR’s own admission.
My own ranking would put the Fit on top (because of its versatilty and fun to drive), then the Mazda 2, Ford Fiesta , Hyundai Accent, then Yaris. But if reliability and long life was primary, it would be the Yaris.
I would not recommend the Versa because the rear seat does not fold down completely and it has the very questionable CVT transmission.
I do agree with CR that the Smart Car and the Aveo are poor excuses for a motor vehicle.
“Any Yaris owner I know is extremely happy with their purchase, and it is the most reliable small car on the market, by CR’s own admission.”
That’s why the bewilderment and why the poor seating and other easily fixable items lead me to believe some engineer was asleep at the wheel or bean counter over rid his decisions to keep from competing with the Corolla and Scion line; each of which are just as reliable, very nearly economical and so little more it makes you wonder why they even sold the car here. Europe where it’s a big seller and where they are used to being uncomfortable all of the time I can see. A minimal improvement over the Tercel.
It should be interesting to see how comfortable the upcoming IQ model (I forget whether Toyota is going to market it as a Scion or a Lexus in the US) will be. This vehicle is apparently smaller than the Yaris, and seems to be in the size category of the Fiat 500.
Europe where it’s a big seller and where they are used to being uncomfortable all of the time
Yes indeed. Those Mercedes, Bentleys, and Maybachs are just horribly uncomfortable.
ford windstar drive train!
So Mercedes,Bentleys and Maybachs are owned by the majority of Euros. Thats news to me. The average European drives 4500 miles per year, less then 1/3 of the average American driver. Bing uncomfortable for a 10 minute commute is easier than an hour and putting up with a Yaris is much easier.
I'm 6 ft tall and I never had a comfort issue with my Yaris, even on 300 mile trips. Mine gets 40+ mpg regularly, my best tank was 45 mpg and for that, I'll gladly put up with a slightly firm seat. It's not like you're sitting in a wooden church pew when you drive a Yaris.
I find the seat can be adjusted to a reasonalbly comfortable position. What I miss on long trips is cruise control. Engine and road noise does protrude a little but not so much that I can't hear the radio.
My ancestors would laugh out loud at what we consider "unbearable discomfort" today.