Targeted for youngsters, Yaris is still competing with other city cars such as recommended line ups like Honda Fit, Suzuki SX4, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, and Scion xD Chevrolet Aveo, and Pontiac G3, offered in the market. It doesn’t take much to make everybody falls for Yaris. Its 105 horse power with 1.5 liter 4 cylinder engine will reach 60 miles per hour within 9.8 seconds with 5 speed manual transmission or 4 speed automatic transmission. It was more than one second faster than Honda Fit and Hyundai Accent.
Yaris is more serene than Fit and but still sounds rushing. The automatic transmission will reach into 30.6 miles per gallon in the city and 36.6 miles per gallon in the highway while in generally among city cars 34.8 miles per gallon for manual transmission and 31. 6 for automatic transmission. Its suspension reacts well in rough streets. It can be considered as one of the best suspension even better than Fit.
The cabin is larger and taller. It benefits tall drivers or passengers. Toyota has always been very careful in making interior design. Yaris’ instrument panel is very nice, with speedo-meter panel in the middle of the dashboard, and going down to the console, where audio system instruments can be found. Despite of its easily scratched dash, Toyota has put higher attention to passengers safety. Equipped with security and safety system, Yaris tends to become a referenced city car which has the best safety system, it has been tested by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) during crash test.
From the outside, its bulk body didn’t seem like a city car and makes the driver feels the he doesn’t drive a city car. The price is very competitive. For young people with tight budget and safety, don’t look for others.