I personally have ATIV X and haven't faced any issues in Northern Areas. Case with 1.3 should be the same as well. One thing I have noticed is that people do not turn TC off on inclines and complain that car is underpowered (even the 1.5 variant). Always turn TC off on inclines when you want raw power delivery to the wheels.
You can drive on any gear in Manual Mode depending on your requirements. I personally use Triptonic mode on downhills and it gives you so much control.
Regarding steering alignment issue, yes almost all Yaris have these. Get it fixed for free on you 1K inspection from Toyota