For years, the tiny Tercel (1980-1999) was the entry step into the Toyota lineup. After a productive 20-year run, the Tercel got replaced by the subcompact Echo, but just for one generation (2000-2005). Japan's largest automaker produces reliable, compact and subcompact offerings just about as well as anyone so when the diminutive Yaris, the latest Toyota subcompact came online in the 2007 model year, momentum continued.
In and around 2007, the Big Three Japanese automakers (Toyota, Honda, Nissan) each debuted an all-new, entry subcompact (Yaris, Fit, Verse respectively) just as $4 a gallon gas prices hit the States. Call it luck or good timing, but these fuel-sipping subcompacts were in the right place at the right time.
During the first two Yaris model years, a three-door liftback and four-door sedan were the body styles of choice. In 2009, Toyota adds a third body style, a five-door liftback. Now, the front-wheel-drive, Japan-built Yaris sports a wider range of offerings than its two diminutive Asian rivals.
These three subcompacts have great appeal not only for great mileage, but for low starting prices. A base five-door 2009 Yaris liftback starts at $13,305. An up-level S grade five-door liftback starts at $15,125. Keep in mind air conditioning and automatic transmission come standard in both trims of the five-door liftback. A base three-door 2009 Yaris liftback starts at $12,205 (with five-speed manual transmission) and a 2009 sedan checks in at $15,880 (with manual transmission).
To keep the Yaris starting price low, standard equipment is rather limited while options are plentiful. The bottom line of our base five-door Yaris liftback test vehicle ended up at $17,094 after factoring in a $720 destination charge and options. Extras included a $1,970 power package (power doors, locks and windows; stereo with compact disc player and MP3; rear window defroster and wiper; satellite radio hook up and 60/40 split second-row seats). Single options included cruise control ($250), remote keyless entry ($230) weather guard package ($110), floor mats ($150) and VIP security ($359).
An entry, relatively well-equipped 2009 Honda Fit starts at $14,750 with manual transmission and a 1.5-liter four-cylinder delivering 117 horsepower and 27 mpg city and 33 mpg highway. Nissan offers a bare bones entry model of the Versa starting at $9,990 with five-speed manual and a 1.6-liter engine posting 107 horses and 26 mpg city and 34 highway. Versa also has a second four-cylinder engine with 1.8 liters delivering 122 horsepower and 26 mpg city/31 highway with manual transmission. Both Fit and Versa offer automatic transmissions as options.
Yaris is built for fuel economy and does not disappoint. Government mileage for the all-new lift back with automatic transmission checks in at 29 mpg city and 35 mpg highway. The sole Yaris powertrain found in all three 2009 bodies is a 1.5-liter, inline, four cylinder beauty delivering 106 horsepower. Sedans and three-door liftbacks equipped with five-speed manual transmission generate one mile per gallon better on the highway. Yaris is one of the most fuel-efficient gas-exclusive cars on the market. No gas-electric hybrid engine is sold in Yaris, Fit or Versa. |