First Drive Review
Toyota has a lot of heavy hitters in its lineup, but its littlest player, the Echo, has had a tough time getting to first base-its annual sales have sunk from 48,876 in 2000 to 1527 at the 2005 10-month mark. Toyota hopes to bump that number to about 70,000 with the nonreverberating Echo's replacement, the Yaris.
Those are great expectations, and the Yaris hits the ground at a propitious time. With EPA fuel-economy ratings estimated to be 34 mpg city and 39 to 40 highway, depending on the transmission choice, and a price "well under $13,000," according to Toyota, the Yaris may find a receptive audience among neo-econs anxious to dump their SUVs.
There are actually two Yarises (according to Toyota, the name, if you're wondering, is a bizarre combination of the Greek goddess Charis, the city Paris, and the German word ja): a three-door hatchback, which comes in CE and LE trim levels, and a four-door sedan, which is offered in CE, LE, and Sport grades. Although they share most of their our-of-sight hardware, none of the exterior sheetmetal is common stock-the 150.0-inch-long hatchback is nearly 20 inches shorter than the sedan-and each has its own look. Both are kind of cute and chubby, but the three-door looks like a character out of Finding Nemo.
The interior of both, with the dash's expanse of dark pebble-grain plastic and anonymous fabrics, is somewhat austere, but the sedan and hatch are both surprisingly commodious, with lots of hip- and legroom. Rear-seat space is sufficient in both, and the hatchback has a clever back seat that slides forward for more cargo space and also has reclining seatbacks.
Performance is about what you'd expect from a 106-hp, 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine-not great, but not dreadful, either, considering the power-to-fuel-economy trade-off. Handling is estimable for a car of this class, particularly the feel and response of the steering, which is electrically assisted to just the right degree.
With no hybrid option, the Yaris is fated to be overshadowed by the highly hyped Prius. But for people more interested in saving bucks than making a statement, it will be a viable alternative when it is available this spring.
