This is my initial review if Yaris after driving it for almost 2k including a trip on motorway.
I have been using City, Aspire 1.5 since 2013 and wanted to get a different ride after driving it for that long. The options were Yaris, Alsvin and GLI 1.3, 1.6 and Saga.
I looked at GLI 1.3, felt its under-power and does not offer the bells and whistles that other car in the more or less same bracket brings. GLI 1.6 was beyond my budget and the delivery timelines were not suitable. Same goes for new City. I do not want to risk my hard earned money with new entrants.
I chose Yaris for few reasons, dependable brand, relatively low maintenance cost, bells and whistles and almost immediate delivery, not to mention the budget.
Now I have been using City Aspire for last many years, never haf any issues. It was a great car, limited options in terms of stock entertainment unit, basic display, hard suspension, other then that, it worked like a horse.
Yaris is great, the looks could have been better, the suspension is fine, soft, great for Pakistani roads. The display unit is great, looks beautiful and provides most of the information. Google map could have been included. T-link is still not working for me, looked at youtube videos but could not fix. The mileage is great, I am getting 16-17 km / litre, with a mix of city and highway drive. The echo mode is great, although I don’t use, feels underpowered. The seats are fine, leather would have been preferred just like City’s top variant. The steering controls are great, love them, they provide premium looks and serves the purpose. The seats though need some back support, I feel a gap between my back and the seat, for longer journeys, I felt tired.
The back seat is cramped, for two persons and a child it feels alright but for three adults it’s insufficient. The placement of console is also one of the reason for this cramped space. City was sufficient for the three adults at the back. The console is lower, so I bought something to bring the console up for comfort.
Overall built quality is really good, the doors feel heavy. City felt like barebones and light. The trunk space is great, city had limited trunk space.
Push start, keyless entry are all great and premium features. The AC works great even in 45 degrees within the city.
Overall, I am really satisfied with the decision. I think Toyota had made a great move to lure the urban city lovers to Yaris.
Couple of questions and recommendations from the group. Should I install the aftermarket cruise control? And how to fix the t-link issue and please recommend a dashcam to record journeys.
Thanks
p.s I don’t miss the sharkfin antenna, never had it on my car!
