30th Jan 2011, 11:19

I also did not care for the Fit when it first came out, but it grew on me. Part of the problem was that the advertising campaign really turned me off. "Preferred by Werewolves, the Fit is Go!" I mean, how stupid is that? What does that even mean? I think Honda was trying to market this car to supposedly edgy young people or high school kids, and missed the possibility that people in their 20's and 30's might be interested in it, but didn't want to be made to feel they were buying a teenager's car.

I think the Yaris has the same problem. The commercials seem to market it to teenagers. The commercials say "This is a fun car to drive to the party, and your friends will think you're cool!" That misses a huge market of adults that might otherwise be interested in a cheap commuter car, though that would kill the cool image with the teenage target audience.

31st Jan 2011, 14:21

Honda seems able to connect with the younger demographic that all car companies are trying to appeal to with their subcompacts. I may be wrong, but that may be changing. Many Hondas are now kind of ugly. The CRZ's back end looks way too squared off. It hasn't been embraced by any demographic that I know of.

Toyota has been pretty much rejected by the younger demographic for a long time. They're seen as the most boring car maker on the planet. Scion was supposed to change that in the U.S. It's a shame Canadians are only getting Scion now. I don't know why Scion excluded Canada for so long. I think it's because the Echo/Yaris sold very well there.

25th Mar 2011, 11:30

The Toyota Yaris is quite a bit smaller and not as versatile as the Fit. Try getting the various sport kits to spruce up the Fit design, and get nice 16"' alloy wheels. I've driven the Yaris too, and for me it doesn't compare the the Honda Fit in size, usability or style. The Yaris also has the annoying center speedo console, which is just irritating. The Yaris is for those that like numb steering and they are fixated on Toyotas. Go for the Honda Fit, though unfortunately there is a long wait at the moment to get it in the white colour I'm looking for.

25th Mar 2011, 19:51

The Yaris may not be sporty like the Fit. But it still can be fun to drive. It's very nimble in city traffic, and has very good weight to power ratio.

Also, if it is your primary car, the center mounted instrument panel will be a non issue after a few months. I have the same in my Echo. At first it was weird, but now I think nothing of it. It took me about three months to get used to it.

It's a cost saving measure by Toyota, because the Yaris is widely sold in right and left lane driving countries. It does nothing to improve road visibility as Toyota claims. I believe they're dropping it in the redesigned Yaris.