26th May 2010, 15:33

Yes, the Yaris quality is low (as are all new Toyotas) but if a company's image is judged by the cars their employees drive, their clients are not very sophisticated.

3rd Jun 2010, 22:57

Consumer Reports stated that the Yaris was great for reliability and fuel efficiency. They stopped short of a reccommended verdict because they don't like the centre mounted instrument panel, and it's not as sporty as the overrated, overpriced Honda Fit. It's a solid car, and a proven platform.

3rd Jun 2010, 23:06

The Yaris has pretty good quality. I'd rather have one than the upcoming Ford Fiesta that everyone is raving about. I can't understand why everyone dumps on the proven, economical Yaris, and raves about a car that is completely unproven in North America like the Fiesta. Doesn't anyone remember the Saturn Astra? If not, it's because that car was big flop in North America, despite its huge following in Europe as an Opel.

4th Jun 2010, 15:11

"I'd rather have one than the upcoming Ford Fiesta that everyone is raving about"

The reason everyone is raving about the Ford Fiesta is the fact that it is a far better, higher quality car. Comparing it to a Yaris is like comparing a Chevy Aveo to a 5-series BMW. They are in a totally different class. The Yaris is good basic transportation. The Fiesta is a real car.

5th Jun 2010, 18:02

The fact remains that the quality of the Fiesta is unproven in North America. Also, the Yaris is a 'real car' that many people have found to be good, solid, economical transportation. The Yaris is in the same category as the Fiesta. The comparison between an Aveo and BMW is strange. It's like examining the difference between two houses in the same price range and size, and then calling one a cardboard box, and the other a mansion.

12th Jun 2010, 13:50

"...like comparing a Chevy Aveo to a 5-series BMW."

Really? You don't have to be so extreme. I rented both an Aveo and a Yaris, and the Yaris was better in every way.

14th Jun 2010, 15:30

It's fair to compare a Yaris and a Fiesta, they are in the same class (subcompact), but to say the Fiesta is so much better is just plain wrong.

The Fiesta and the Yaris have the same front and rear suspension design, so handling will be about the same for both cars.

The Fiesta does outperform the Yaris in horsepower, with the Fiesta at 120, and the Yaris with 106.

The Yaris has the advantage on headroom, with 39.4 inches in the front and 37.9 inches in the back, vs the Fiesta's 39.1 inches in the front and 37.2 inches in the back.

The Fiesta has slightly more shoulder room than the Yaris in the front, with 52.7 inches vs the Yaris's 51.4. However, the Yaris still wins in the rear shoulder room department, with 50.4 inches vs the Fiesta's 49 inches.

The Fiesta has some more hip room than the Yaris, with 50.6 inches in the front and 49.2 inches in the back, with the Yaris at 50 inches in the front and 46.7 inches in the back.

The Fiesta's front legroom trumps the Yaris's front legroom at 42.2 inches vs the Yaris's 40.3 inches. However, that's where it ends, as the Yaris has more rear legroom than the Fiesta, at 33.8 inches vs the Fiesta's 31.2 inches.

Overall, the Fiesta has a slightly larger interior than the Yaris, with passenger volume in the Fiesta at 85.1 cu. ft., vs the Yaris at 84.6 cu. ft. This is really not even a noticeable difference in size. The Fiesta also has a bit more cargo space with the rear seat folded with measurements at 26 cu. ft. However, the Yaris has 25.7 cu. ft. of cargo room with the rear seat folded, and that extra 0.3 cu. ft. really isn't going to make a huge difference in what you can carry in each car.

For fuel economy, both base model cars equipped with a manual transmission, the Yaris returns 29 MPG city and 36 MPG highway. The Fiesta, 29 MPG city and 38 MPG highway. However, as most of us know, you can always get more MPG than is claimed by the manufacturer. And this goes for both cars. If you keep your tires inflated to the proper specification, drive carefully and keep your speed down, and make sure all of the basic maintenance is performed on time, you could probably get about 45 MPG out of both the Yaris and the Fiesta.

Now for the price: a base model, no options, manual transmission Toyota Yaris goes for $12,605. The base model, no options, manual transmission Ford Fiesta goes for $13,320.

Now, as we can see, the Yaris and the Fiesta are basically the same in every way. Both cars have their advantages and disadvantages. To say one is like a BMW compared to the other is just wrong. And in fact, I'd take a very close look at what you're getting for the money. If you ask me, the Yaris is the better deal.

And before anyone brings it up, you can forget using the argument of Toyota's unintended acceleration recall against the Yaris, as ZERO Toyota Yaris's were affected by any of Toyota's recent recalls; the reason being all Toyota Yaris models are built in Japan.

If you don't believe any of the information you've seen here on my comment, well then head on over to ford.com or toyota.com and see for yourself.

14th Jun 2010, 16:43

But at least they do it SAFELY. A major newspaper headline article today proved my earlier predictions true. I had bet that soon Toyota would be recalling virtually EVERY vehicle made over the past TWO DECADES. It's happened. The article declared that now Toyota is being investigated for defective steering parts going back to 1991 models (that's TWENTY YEARS, folks). And ALL these vehicles were made in JAPAN using JAPANESE parts, so bashing AMERICAN workers won't work with these models. Millions in ad hype and lies cannot hide shoddy workmanship forever. This is also catching up to Honda and Nissan, who are also facing massive recalls. After decades, the truth is finally coming out.

18th Jun 2010, 22:58

The truth is that consumers flocked to Toyota, and other foreign manufacturers, because the big three churned out bad products that were unreliable and many that were unsafe. American workers built these cars. Americans built huge SUVs that flipped over, and Ford Pintos that had exploding gas tanks. Toyota is not the only car company to experience some problems with safety issues. That's the truth. Furthermore, the notion that every Toyota built in the last 20 years may be unsafe or subject to recall seems far fetched.

19th Jun 2010, 13:00

That latest IQS (Initial Quality Survey) by J.D. Powers (one of the most objective sources) is in. Here are the results:

Out of 33 auto makers surveyed, Ford beats out Honda, Toyota and Nissan. Toyota has fallen to 21st place (hardly a mark of "quality").

Ford placed 12 of their models in the top three in their category, which was the most of any auto maker. GM placed second with 10 cars in the top three. Toyota was nowhere to be seen.

The Ford Fusion was ranked with the Mercedes E-class and the Porsche Panamera as having notably high initial quality. Pretty good company to be ranked with.