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What is "wrong" with these new subcompacts?

8687 messages,  Last post on Dec 04, 2009 at 10:14 AM

You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires

What is this discussion about? Nissan Versa, Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, smart fortwo, MINI Cooper


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#7868 of 8687
Re: Cruise control... [podred] by nippononly
Jul 02, 2008 (8:26 am)
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Replying to: podred (Jul 02, 2008 8:17 am)

Oh yes, Toyota is totally annoying when it comes to what it "thinks" each region "should" have, and not making anything else available in that region.
 
But in the case of the Yaris hatches, it was not even a matter of "popular option packages", cruise was just unavailable from the factory, period. That needed righting, and I'm glad that for the '09 MY they will do just that.
 
It's just plain absurd that Mini Coopers didn't (and still don't?) have standard cruise at their price point.
 
My local dealer has a very nice Yaris 'S' hatch, white, stick shift, with power package and alloys. The sticker is about $15K, but it does not have either cruise or keyless entry at that price. So to add those two items if I were buying the car for myself, the price would be about $16K for me. That's the same price as a Fit Sport, which has those items standard, as well as better handling, a much better stereo, immobilizer alarm, a better stick, and two extra doors for those occasional back seat passengers (mainly my nieces).
 
I am glad that Toyota offers the Yaris, and will offer more small cars in the future, but right now I think the Honda is a better deal unless you want a basic, stripped car, in which case the Yaris can be had for $12K or less with a CD and A/C. I think those less expensive Yarii are a steal.
#7869 of 8687
Re: Cruise control... [nippononly] by ateixeira
Jul 02, 2008 (9:32 am)
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Replying to: nippononly (Jul 02, 2008 8:26 am)

Let's see which strategy sells better - Toyota's a-la-carte, nothing-is-standard pricing, or Honda's one-price-suits-all, well equipped Fit.
#7870 of 8687
Re: Cruise control... [ateixeira] by plekto
Jul 02, 2008 (9:41 am)
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Replying to: ateixeira (Jul 02, 2008 9:32 am)

Considering that I want a manual transmission, no sunroof(can you say terrarium here in the California Desert?), and no overpriced stereo($200 at Best Buy with the MP3 and IPod jacks) or navigation system($400 TomTom blows any factory setup away)... I have to vote for they Toyota. If all you want is A/C and maybe a few interior features, you can squeek in at $12K for a Yaris and laugh at the idiots who pay $3K more for a Fit or a Smart car. 40mpg average with conservative driving is amazing.
 
Three people at my work have bought them. I'll probably be #4 when the 5 door comes out.
#7871 of 8687
Re: Cruise control... [plekto] by ateixeira
Jul 02, 2008 (10:01 am)
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Replying to: plekto (Jul 02, 2008 9:41 am)

What about a combined in-dash GPS + stereo? Do you prefer the portables?
 
We have a Garmin c340 and a Nuvi 200 widescreen.
#7872 of 8687
Re: Cruise control... [ateixeira] by plekto
Jul 02, 2008 (11:46 am)
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Replying to: ateixeira (Jul 02, 2008 10:01 am)

That's fine, but really - $800-$4000(Lexus and BMW) for a radio and GPS unit is usurious. AND factory units are nearly impossible to update or fix without insane costs.
 
The new GPS units are amazing as well - little handheld device shows you local real-time traffic, where to get gas, where to eat... the list gets better every year. For a fancy map, the Auto Club has great local maps for free.
#7873 of 8687
Re: Cruise control... [plekto] by ateixeira
Jul 02, 2008 (11:59 am)
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Replying to: plekto (Jul 02, 2008 11:46 am)

Yeah, I get traffic info for free from my BlackBerry, but I do wish it was integrated in to my Nuvi GPS.
 
I tested out a Dash model that had traffic info and even gas prices, but I found the traffic was very unreliable, only accurate about half the time. Gas prices were very useful, though.
 
With portables the innovations keep coming all the time, so they're not only cheaper, but likely offer more features as well. I want gas prices and traffic on my next one.
#7874 of 8687
Re: Cruise control... [ateixeira] by nippononly
Jul 02, 2008 (12:08 pm)
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Replying to: ateixeira (Jul 02, 2008 9:32 am)

Well, the Fit has two "one-price-fits-all" trim levels though. The $14,500 model, while not my cup of tea, still has all the stuff that most people want, like the standard power package (and the better handling, and the better stick, and ABS, and the immobilizer, and the...)
 
I think I am one of the few people left out there who prefers hand-crank windows and push-down locks, and I'm not real fussed about airbags and ABS. But again, if all you want is a bare-bones commute car to fight high gas prices with, the $12K Yaris may be just your cup of tea, and you might just ignore/live with the hand-cranks and lack of ABS. And I agree, any stereo you get at Best Buy for $199 is going to be way better than the factory head unit Toyota installs. I think it was smart of them to make A/C standard though - I wouldn't buy a car without it.
#7875 of 8687
Yaris vs FIt ? by lewjac3
Jul 04, 2008 (11:40 am)
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HI all, just got back from a test drive of a 2008 hatch three door, I was not expecting anything good, it was between yaris or the fit haven't driven the fit yet but, WOW, the Yaris was great, build quality was exceptional, low road noise, no rattles, manual shift was smooth shift/clutch was great. I was in fourth gear doing sixty and was no problem, I could imagine doing eighty in fifth and it would be very smooth no high revs. I might add the air condition was on the whole time didn't make a difference as far as lose of power. With one drive I really liked this car, I will now test the FIt because I like the looks better, but it is going to be hard to beat the Yaris.
#7876 of 8687
Re: Yaris vs FIt ? [lewjac3] by steve_ HOST
Jul 04, 2008 (11:46 am)
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Replying to: lewjac3 (Jul 04, 2008 11:40 am)

Just curious, but would the Yaris Five-Door appeal to you even more? Sounds like it will be here in late summer; it's already on sale up in Canada.
 
#7877 of 8687
Re: Yaris vs FIt ? [lewjac3] by podred
Jul 04, 2008 (1:27 pm)
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Replying to: lewjac3 (Jul 04, 2008 11:40 am)

HI all, just got back from a test drive of a 2008 hatch three door, I was not expecting anything good, it was between Yaris or the Fit haven't driven the fit yet but, WOW, the Yaris was great, build quality was exceptional, low road noise, no rattles, manual shift was smooth shift/clutch was great. I was in fourth gear doing sixty and was no problem, I could imagine doing eighty in fifth and it would be very smooth no high revs. I might add the air condition was on the whole time didn't make a difference as far as lose of power. With one drive I really liked this car, I will now test the Fit because I like the looks better, but it is going to be hard to beat the Yaris.
 
Well done!, Your experience mirrors mine. I was very surprised at just how good the Yaris S Hatchback drove. Then I went and drove the Fit. I personally found both of these cars very nice and very close competition. The major reason I chose the Yaris was nothing more than personal preferences. As I could not find anything that I did not like about either car. For me, with no kids, dogs or other "cargo" and being attracted to 2 door body styles in general, the Style of the Yaris was ideal. I also enjoy the larger, longer wider opening doors. I read in a UK enthusiast magazine that it's built from high stregth steel and that's why Toyota did not include a rear sway bar. They claim structural rigidity was increased. In real world driving I must agree. So for what it's worth, I don't think one could go wrong with either of these well built examples of todays small car.

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