TR 1.33 VVT-i 5dr Hatchback

Good all rounder, not without its flaws

We have found our Yaris to be dependable, able to meet all the varied demands of a household of drivers of all ages, and due to buying it pre-registered at a significant discount, good value and cheap-ish to run. Handling is pretty good but acceleration is only modest. The radio, full bluetooth and reversing camera are all good.

Things we didnt like - the interior quality is still a bit poor in places, versatility is down compared with the previous model,economy is nothing special and the gearbox ratios seem too close resulting in much gear-skipping in everyday use. This is however a virtue when driving the car fully loaded at higher speeds as there is always a suitable ratio to keep up with traffic. The clutch action is not especially smooth, something Toyota never seem to get right. As a very tall driver I find the seat adjustment not quite good enough to get really comfortable.

Problems - when only a few months old we had a strange peeping noise from the dashboard area and a terrible notchy gearchange. Our local dealer (Colchester) were very diligent in trying to trace the problem and eventually identified a faulty electric steering mechanism. Once this had been replaced (not a trivial job!)the car sprang to life, losing the notchy gearbox problem and driving much more smoothly overall.

Anyone with a notchy gearbox on these should get the electric steering checked out, within warranty of course.

Overall a fairly good car but there are better cars to drive for the money. Sells (fairly we think)on reliability and probably a good second hand bet.

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