2009 Toyota Yaris Liftback 3-Door AT

Pros

Lots of compartments to put stuff, nice turning radius, decent MPG

Cons

No sound insulation, minimal seat adjustments

Purchased As New

I'm not a car expert or anything, so I'm writing this from the viewpoint of a relatively normal person. I bought my liftback automatic 2 years ago in 2007.

I'm a tall guy (6' 4") and fit pretty comfortably in the driver's seat. I think if I were any taller it wouldn't work! It would be nice if you could lower the seat in addition to moving it back and forth, though. The display panel is pretty minimal but it has everything you need. The windshield is nice and large you so you can see where you're going with no troubles. I don't know if the Yaris has a good turning radius but I've been able to make some pretty tight turns and move it into places that would have been impossible with my SUV. Maybe the snub nose helps you avoid running into things? My apartment garage has all kinds of pillars to avoid and I can't imagine trying to get a Hummer in there!

The mileage is OK. My roommate's MINI seems to get better mileage as well as my girlfriend's Civic. I get worse than stated mileage in the city but better than stated on the highway, so go figure. I keep pretty obessive stats and have found that my mileage has gone down a little from when I first got it, but only by 2-4 MPG's.

My friends fit pretty comfortably in the back seats (none are as tall as me). They're pretty nice in that they also recline back! They're much much more comfortable than my roommate's MINI. I've been in the back of both and much prefer the Yaris. The "trunk" space is OK. Obviously there's not a lot of it, but I'm able fit my groveries back there pretty easily. You can always fold the rear seats down to fit more stuff or some pretty large objects.

I like the fact there are 3 glove compartments and a couple of other small spaces to put stuff. There are also cupholders galore!

The handling is good enough for me. I don't feel unsafe on the streets or the highway. I'd obviously lose in a drag race against anything other than Geo Metro, but it has enough power for my needs. :)

On the highways, the noise becomes a bit loud. It's kind of annoying to have to turn up the volume on the radio so loud. The ride isn't as smooth as Lincoln but it's OK for my needs. I've made some pretty long drives and felt comfortable at the end.

To sum up, I think this is a great car if you live in a city and parking is at a premium. The mileage is OK for the size, but still pretty good. Lots of storage space for a small car. It's small, cute, and performs well.