2003 Toyota Yaris GS 1.4 diesel

Summary:

An average Toyota that is over hyped

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong as I expected.

General Comments:

I had this Yaris D4D for one month as a courtesy car while my Carina was in the bodyshop.

First I must say I speak as a huge Japanese car fan, mainly Toyota, but I have to say this car really disappointed me.

The D4D is supposed to be THE Yaris to have and yes the MPG is great, but so much isn't.

I hated the high driving position, the car feels narrow because it is tall, it leans around bends, and does not inspire confidence on the motorway, the engine is not that flexible and is slow to respond.

Wind and road noise are very obvious above 50mph, although at first I liked the projector style digital dash it very quickly lost its novelty value and give me regular analogue dials any day.

The car also feels flimsy, the doors feel very close to your body, which gave me a claustrophobic feeling and I really got sick of seeing the acres of plastic where the instruments should be.

I have read reviews saying the handling is nimble and fun, but that just is not the case, handling is mediocre and not entertaining at all. My Carina E will run rings around it all day long.

This car is a good A to B city tool, but that's it. I you want any kind of driver involvement look elsewhere.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th September, 2004

23rd Feb 2005, 02:59

I think this car takes a bit of getting used to, had you owned it say for about 3 months maybe you would have warmed to it. Also the car may have been a bit tight, the D4D needs a good few thousand miles to loosen up and after a Carina of course the car would feel strange, they are at complete opposites.

15th Sep 2005, 11:20

I've driven a Carina E and a Yaris T Sport as far as I'm concerned the handling of the Yaris is way better, can't speak for the D4D version though. The Carina is great in a straight line, however lacks cornering agility. It's like comparing apples and oranges though, the Yaris is a later design and takes time getting used too.

16th Sep 2005, 10:33

I wrote the original review for this car, however I have to say I rented a D4D Yaris in Europe on holiday for 2 months and I did warm to it a lot. It didn't lean like the one I had previously and I began to enjoy the higher driving position and perky engine, which was very quiet at speed. Two adults and a roof rack full of stuff and I still got around 65mpg which is spectacular. Got in my Carina E when I got back and it did feel sloppy, but it is old.

So basically I take it all back. It's a pretty impressive little car, and you need to drive one for a while to fully appreciate its all round ability.

2003 Toyota Yaris T Spirit 1.4 turbo diesel

Summary:

An intelligent design

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with the car to date, which meets my expectations of Toyota.

The plastics in the cabin do show up marks easily, though.

General Comments:

This car is surprisingly quick on the open road. Although only a 1.4 diesel, the torque (125 lb ft) means it has lots of low down shove, particularly useful on hills and for overtaking.

The cabin design is superb; there is masses of storage space, and the 3-D holographic instrument pod looks futuristic.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th July, 2004

26th Aug 2005, 09:22

Had my brand new Yaris 4d-4 delivered 5 days ago, did approx. 100 highway miles. It feels pretty good, solid and lively. Corner handling might not always feel that good, but who buys it to race anyway? Coming from a 1998 V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee and not needing that much space anymore I feel it's an honest city, short trips car. Did 80 mph on the freeway just to make sure everything was bolt together and no surprises. It's my first Japanese branded car, hopefully it'll live up to its reliability heritage...