Faults:

Nothing - it is a Driver's Ed car.

General Comments:

OK, I drove this car in my driver's ed training, and was sadly disappointed. I liked the looks of the car, and thought it was sort of cute.

When getting into the car, I noticed the seats were very uncomfortable. Whether I adjusted them up or down, it is very hard to find the right driving position. The seats are also very uncomfortable.

I absolutely HATED the centre-mounted gauges!!! Toyota has to go back to a conventional dash, and stop trying to so chintzy.

When doing an acceleration test, coming on to the freeway, I thought to myself this is BY FAR the slowest car I've ever driven! (even slower than my minivan which is pretty darn slow). I feel like I could order a pizza before we reached 60 MPH.

The car had tremendous brakes, and it stopped in very short distances. Handling was slightly above average.

The interior is terrible, and I think I'd rather buy a car from the 80's.

This car never broke down, so I am assuming it is quite reliable, but man this thing is SLOW.

Faults:

Alternator.

General Comments:

We lost an alternator at 50,000 miles on one car. We have 4 Yaris in our fleet of delivery cars. Three dealerships quoted us $780 to replace the alternator. The part was $625 from the dealer. We disassembled the alternator on the bench, pressed out the bearings and bought new ones from the bearing supply, back on the road for $30 and three hours of our time. We would have paid $200 for a new one. We are disappointed that the alternator went after 50k and outraged that we are expected to pay $7-800 for an alternator fix. P.S., Scion A has same drive train, different alternator.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

I've had this great little car for over a year. The car is reliable and a lot of fun to drive. I am continually getting people pulling up along side of me asking my fuel economy, and it is a head turner. The other cars in this segment are not as attractive as the Yaris. There are 16 storage areas and they all fold away when you're not using them for a clean interior appearance. Great job Toyota!

Faults:

From the showroom, the rear wiper does not operate momentarily when the washer is activated. Otherwise it operates normally. This is the only fault found to date.

General Comments:

Comfortable, spacious front seat, lots of storage compartments, smooth auto transmission well finished all around.

This car is still new so comments are limited to ergonomics and layout.

The designer never tried to drive the car on a winter night when the heater, and lighting controls are used often. In the winter, with limited daylight hours, a lot of driving is done in the dark.

The instrument panel is very bright when turned up, but when turned down, the illumination of the heater controls and shifter are too dim.

With the optional armrest installed, it is impossible to see the gearshift position indications without bending way forward. This takes the driver's attention off the road for too long. Even then, at night, you can't see what gear the lever is in. With the quirky gate system, it takes quite a bit of getting used to to know what gear you are in. An instrument panel indicator is needed.

The high beam indicator (blue light on instrument panel) is much too bright. It is very distracting. The designer doesn't seem to be aware of the fact that the high beam is used when it is completely dark outside - a situation where bright cockpit lights are a hindrance.

The radio volume control is much too small (CD changer model), being very difficult to grasp (impossible with gloves on).

The outside mirror switches and instrument lighting rheostat are too low on the left (LHD cars) to be reached easily, and too hard to find in the dark.

The heater controls are too far from the driver's hand and too low to be seen easily. Again, on a dark winter night (when they are used most), the driver's attention is diverted from the road too long when trying to adjust these. They should be in a horizontal row below the radio.

I hope someone from the Yaris design office reads this.

General Comments:

The car feels cheap and poorly built, which is surprising for a Toyota.

The seats are uncomfortable.

After having owned a Corolla, I had high expectations for the Yaris.

The service at my local dealer, in Dartmouth Nova Scotia, is very poor. It feels as if I was forgotten as soon as I handed over the cheque!