[srishiva]

The Yaris hatchback is low cost alternative to Honda Fit and Nissan Versa. Its not fun to drive as Fit and not as big as Versa. The backseat is cramped.
To clarify I have driven the hatchback version only and I think sedan too is not that good in suspension and steering feel.

[wilful]

i think they all want to loot india first by selling all 10 lak cars for 20 and 5 lak cars for 10. after that when nothing left to loot, they will all bring in small ones so 3 lak cars will be for 6 laks then for sure. honda is doping so is toyota, nissan for sure. rest i dont even know who all are left to enter. i know why every car manufacturer says india is a GOOD MARKET. to loot ofcourse, and the best bit INDIANS very nicely pay up as well.

I have heard that the very high cost of cars in India vis a vis the same models elsewhere is primarily due to the high tax structure (and import duty). I don't think, in a competitive market, companies would price their products way out of line. So IMHO, the fault for the customer's purse being pinched lies with the usual suspect, the Govt.

[rev_hard]

Originally Posted by wilful

Ah! A Yaris user (and enthusiast) at last!
Rev_hard - I would like to know your views on the subject.
Have you driven/used a NHC by any chance? If you have - how does the Yaris fare against it - comfort, space, performance and safety? Also - are the dimensions different? And - how would you rate it vis a vis the other cars in the segment (in India) like Fiesta, Aveo, SX 4 etc?

I have driven and have been chauffered in an NHC in Delhi. Personally I didn't enjoy the driving part but the chauffered part was quite good. That IMO sums up the NHC. I have driven the Honda Fit here and found it quite enjoyable to drive vis-a-vis an NHC. I guess Honda has tuned the suspension and other mechanicals to better suit the chauffering duty that the NHC does primarily in India.

Comfort and space: The Yaris sedan (which I own) tops the NHC in both these factors. Ergonomically, the Yaris is spot-on everywhere. The seats are much much better, all the controls are within arm's reach and can be operated easily with your arm resting on the arm-rest. There is just so much space inside that it almost matches if not exceeds the interior space of a Corolla.

Performance is quite decent from the 1.5 ltr engine. 106 horses are not much per say but the auto transmission really pulls when you give it the beans. This engine is primarily fitted to give amazing mpg figures and boy does it deliver. Gas prices are topping $4 here in California and it just feels right to own a car which consistently gives 35+ mpg (14-15 kmpl) in the city and 42-43+ mpg (20+ kmpl) on the freeways.

I opted for a convenience package while ordering my Yaris and its well appointed with safety features. 8 airbags, ABS, EBD come as standard and I will be going in for the rear brake disc conversion once I have installed all the performance parts I have in mind.

I have not driven a Fiesta or a Aveo but driven a SX4 quite a lot. Between the two, I would choose the Yaris just because of the legendary Toyota reliabilty and the excellent mpg figures it gives.

Looks are subjective and IMO the Yaris looks fantastic. You can check out how mine looks in my tbhp garage but here is a preview of what I want it to look in the near future.


fellow yarisworld member kaotic lazagna's ride

fellow yarisworld member kaotic lazagna's ride

And for everybody who is comparing the Yaris to the Fit and Nissan Versa, them both sell in a price-segment higher than the yaris. They both are really nice cars too but cost a significant $$$ more too.

rev_hard

[khanak]

SSHHHH Dont talk so loudly, you'll wake up Toyota India.

[rev_hard]

Originally Posted by khanak

SSHHHH Dont talk so loudly, you'll wake up Toyota India.

... and isn't it about time they woke up??

[wilful]

Comfort and space: The Yaris sedan (which I own) tops the NHC in both these factors. Ergonomically, the Yaris is spot-on everywhere. The seats are much much better, all the controls are within arm's reach and can be operated easily with your arm resting on the arm-rest.

Thanks rev_hard, for the very detailed reply. It confirms what I always suspected.

There is just so much space inside that it almost matches if not exceeds the interior space of a Corolla.

Though I find this quite astounding.

Performance is quite decent from the 1.5 ltr engine. 106 horses are not much per say but the auto transmission really pulls when you give it the beans. This engine is primarily fitted to give amazing mpg figures and boy does it deliver. Gas prices are topping $4 here in California and it just feels right to own a car which consistently gives 35+ mpg (14-15 kmpl) in the city and 42-43+ mpg (20+ kmpl) on the freeways.

I just love those consumption figures.

And I love the looks too. I think Toyota would have really set the cat among the pigeons, had they launched the Yaris sedan in India. IMHO they would have been the segment leader undoubtedly.

[rev_hard]

Originally Posted by wilful

Though I find this quite astounding.

I did too .

The Yaris matches the head room and exceeds the leg room of a new-gen Corolla. Shoulder and hip room are better in Corolla as it is wider. I checked those specs on Toyota US website.

[karanraheja]

@rev_hard - Thanks for the details. One question is it awkward to have the
instrument cluster in the center as placed in the Yaris . I have never driven a car with I.C positioned like that . Though Spark is one of cars with that positioning and i think nano , next indica will follow the same positioning.

[sbasak]

Manufacturer's profit on large cars is more than that of on smaller cars. Unless Toyota can sell Yaris in a good number in India, they won't make real profit. Toyota is already #1 in world market - so Indian market is not that important to them now. They want to stay here as luxury car maker.

Where as for Suzuki/Hyundai, they still think India as their bread/butter - so they invest heavily on India.

nstrument cluster in the center

This is because they don't have to develop separate components for LHD & RHD cars.

[Nitin]

rev_hard,I do not own a yaris,but I've had a chance to see them up close & taken them for a couple of spins around town.

Originally Posted by rev_hard

Well I do because I own a 2008 model.

In the segment it sells in, can you name any other car with better fit and finish..

The Yaris is a compact sedan,so the Mazda 3 & the Mitsubishi Lancer happen to be competetors with the Yaris. I own the latter two,and hands down the Mazda 3 wins. I've compared quite a few aspects of the Yaris,and found the difference to be very prominent.

Its no cult classic but hey, it sure is gaining a lot of popularity. Not many cars have their own dedicated forums. The yaris does @ yarisworld dot com

Absolutely,every car has its own set of followers.

Wrong again, I recently did a 1300 mile road trip from Seattle to San Diego with my yaris completely loaded. Even at speeds of 75-80 mph it was well settled and quiet. Not to forget that it gave me a mileage of 43 mpg on 2 consecutive tankfuls and regularly gives 35+ mpg in San Diego metro area.

I'm not quite sure,but from my perspective the Yaris felt very light,and every time a semi went past at 70mph,the car shook to a point where I felt unsafe. Same thing reported by 2 colleagues who own the Yaris.
In the mileage segment,its the yaris on top. Can't beat that 40mpg!

No offense meant,in any way.

[rev_hard]

It is really flattering that you consider the Yaris competition to the Mazda3 and Lancer.

If you spec the 3 cars as closely as possible, the Yaris sells at $14000, the Mazda3 at $17400 and the Lancer at $18000. They are not positioned in the same segment by their manufacturers and should not be compared by us IMO.

The Mazda3 was chosen by Motortrend (May issue) as the best compact car from a selection of Civic, Impreza, Mazda3 and Corolla! So really you are comparing oranges with apples.

Maybe the reason I found the Yaris quite stable was because I put on 205 section yokohamas which greatly improved the ride, handling and high speed stability. The 185/60 section/profile tyres the Yaris comes shod with are too tall and provide an inadequate contact patch.

No offence meant and none taken.

Cheers

[mohit]

Originally Posted by Nitin

I'm not quite sure,but from my perspective the Yaris felt very light,and every time a semi went past at 70mph,the car shook to a point where I felt unsafe. Same thing reported by 2 colleagues who own the Yaris.
In the mileage segment,its the yaris on top. Can't beat that 40mpg!

I too have driven the Yaris a bit (Thanks to Hertz) and this is exactly how it felt. A little extra crosswind or a fast semi and it was scary.

And Toyota has to do something about the sheet metal. I had to carry my LCD box in the Yaris. I traveled abt 30Km with the box sticking out of the boot and the boot lid tied nicely to the box. In the end, the boot was no longer aligned and I had to manually adjust it so that it would close. There was no load on top of the lid and still it got deformed so easily.

[Nitin]

rev_hard,I wasn't too happy about the comparison of the Yaris with the Mazda 3 & Lancer. Edmunds.com puts these in the 'compact car' segment.

None-the-less,with a few changes to the basic vehicle,I'm sure the Yaris would perform well on the freeways. I was considering the Yaris,when I decided to get rid of my '04 Kia Optima,but backed out when I realized how light the car was in comparison to others in the same segment.

Mohit,the sales guy at the Toyota dealership told me that he messed up the boot of a floor-model Yaris. He was talking to a customer,and happened to put a little extra pressure on the boot. The result- a nice big dent on the boot,and an out of shape boot door that wouldn't close.

[CaliforniaKnight]

I wold never compare the Yaris to a hinda city, IMO the city especially the new one has more cabin luggage room than the yaris.The only place where it matched the city will be the engine becausse it has 1.3 but the city is available ina 1.5 also.
Yes it may have reliable toyota badge but honda is not bad either...well i personally dont like the NHC...but after driving the Yaris for upto 4000 km I really felt it was just a piece of crap. poor acceleration, speedo error by a huge margin, unstable when you have cross winds... sorry but this is what i feel and it was a brand new 2008 MY car.

[Nitin]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaKnight

I wold never compare the Yaris to a hinda city, IMO the city especially the new one has more cabin luggage room than the yaris.The only place where it matched the city will be the engine becausse it has 1.3 but the city is available ina 1.5 also.
Yes it may have reliable toyota badge but honda is not bad either...well i personally dont like the NHC...but after driving the Yaris for upto 4000 km I really felt it was just a piece of crap. poor acceleration, speedo error by a huge margin, unstable when you have cross winds... sorry but this is what i feel and it was a brand new 2008 MY car.

On that front,Honda cars are built to last. Toyota's cars are reliable,no doubt,but there's always some scope of improvement.

With respect to Yaris getting to India,I'd say it would make a big difference to the existing segment. Under Rs 10lakhs,and it might make quite a big difference to the car scene in India.