Toyota Yaris (1999 - 2005) 1.0 16v VVT-i GS 3d Owner Review

At the time I bought my Yaris I needed the cheapest possible car to buy and run, and the Mk1 Yaris was top of my list. I was able to find one for sale locally and purchased it with the expectation that it would be a solid, reliable form of transportation. It's been excellent in that regard, being very cheap to run. As a bonus, you can get excellent economy with some careful driving. I probably average around 40-45 mpg because most of my driving is in the city now, but I've seen over 60 on several journeys and when my commute was mostly motorway my overall average was likely above 50. I've been pleasantly surprised at the clever design of the car. The dashboard has 3 large cubbyholes and two gloveboxes which are very useful. The sliding rear seats are fantastic; they really do give the best of both worlds in terms of space for passengers and luggage. I've moved house with this car twice, and while I admittedly don't have that much stuff, I've still been impressed that I could fit all my belongings in the car without infringing on my space in the driver's seat or blocking rear visibility. It's much larger inside than you'd expect and I've regularly had four people in it comfortably. The seating position is fairly upright, but it means you've got similar levels of space to something like a Mk7 Fiesta. The contemporary Mk5 Fiesta is very cramped by comparison. The exterior styling, like the interior, is attractive without being offensive. It's a very cohesive design which has aged well, and I think still looks good today. The round front end features simple headlamps and a nicely stylised grille. Down the sides you'll find a convex surface which sweeps around, integrating smoothing into the shape of the tail lamps. Where many cars have a clearly defined divide between the windows and the body, the Yaris does not. Instead, the B pillar is simply an extension of the door and rear bodywork, giving a modern and quirky feel to the styling. The large plastic bumpers are great for urban environments, however there is a metal panel below the rear bumper which, while recessed, is easily damaged. The metal is thin enough that you can bend it by hand, and any impact to it from backing into a short object will dent it. The next time you see a Mk1 Yaris walk around to the back, and the odds are that you'll see that this panel has some damage to it. The driving experience isn't bad but it's not going to set the world alight. With 68bhp it's not terribly fast, but at 850kg it makes good use of the power, and the vvt-i engine is fairly eager to rev. The gearbox is good but not spectacular; the synchros do have some definite resistance to them but the overall action is positive and free of any slack. The gates are very close together, and I have on occasion shifted into the wrong gear as a result, but overall I do like the shift action. The ratios themselves are very closely spaced, again allowing you to make the most of the available power. You can be in fifth by 25 mph, and at 70 you're doing upwards of 3500 rpm. The vvt-i switchover is clearly felt at 4000, which happens almost bang on at 75 in fifth, and as a result driving above this speed significantly reduces your economy. Despite the short top gear it's a reasonably quiet engine and isn't unpleasantly noisy on the motorway, and it's surprisingly good for motorway journeys. The main benefit, of course, of the 1.0 engine is the excellent economy, and as previously mentioned it can put many similar modern petrol cars to shame on that front. The handling, like the powertrain, is good but not amazing. The overall balance is very much one of understeer, but the light weight and short wheelbase mean it changes directions and corners well. Nippy would probably be an appropriate word here. The suspension is tuned rather well in my opinion, offering a comfortable ride but decent handling. The car is fairly tall so it does lean a fair bit in the corners, but it doesn't have a detrimental effect on grip. Lift off the throttle mid corner and the car will begin to rotate, and the car gives you good feedback about what's going on beneath you. The steering is heavily assisted, and as such it's a bit light for high speeds, but it actually offers a reasonable level of feel once you acclimate to the light controls. The pedals are similarly effortless, and you really get the sense that the controls were designed to make the car feel effortless to drive in an urban environment. Pedal travel is almost astonishingly short; drive the Yaris after getting out of a BMW and you'll probably think the clutch pedal has something stuck under it. Nonetheless, it's easy to modulate, as are the throttle and brake, though the brake is a bit too heavily assisted for my tastes. You can heel-toe in the Yaris, but the light brake pedal makes it tricky to do smoothly. The Yaris's party piece, though, is definitely the digital gauge cluster. Sit in the Yaris and you'll immediately notice that in front of the steering wheel the dashboard is bare. Look to your left, however, and you'll notice a window in a pod on the dashboard. When you turn the car on, what can best be described as a hologram of the instruments appears in this pod, displaying a digital speed readout and engine rpm shown via a sweeping set of lights that looks like it came straight out of Gran Turismo. The setup, which is both eminently legible and surprisingly fun, is surprisingly functional. The placement of the gauges mean that your line of sight ahead is clear from the scuttle to the headliner, and I find the digital readouts just as easy to read at a glance as a set of analogue dials. Overall, the Mk1 Yaris has proven to be one of the best of its contemporary superminis. The Mk4 and Mk5 Fiestas are better to drive with the 1.25 Zetec, but finding a rust-free example is about as difficult as finding an unmodified MkIV Supra, and when you do find one the economy won't be nearly as good as the Toyota. Both the MkII Clio and Peugeot 206 offer a good drive, but neither has a good reputation for reliability. The Corsa C does offer decent reliability, though reviews indicate that its driving dynamics are poor. The VW Polo is slow, but solid and sensible. However, none of these cars can beat the Yaris's economy or history of reliability, and if you're looking at cars like these then reliability and economy are going to be important factors for a purchase. If you want a car which is primarily fun and stylish (for a similar price) then I suggest you have a look at contemporary Ford Pumas and Toyota Celicas. However, if you want something that is simply very good at being a car and getting you from A to B cheaply, reliably, and comfortably, then the Yaris is an excellent choice. It's not especially cool or flashy, but it makes up for it with its charming and practical interior design and dependable nature. During my time owning a Yaris I've bonded with it for more than I ever expected. It has never let me down and has often surprised me with its ability. It really is the little car that could. If you're looking for what Jim Douglas would call "cheap, honest transportation" then I suggest forgoing an anthropomorphic VW Beetle and instead have a look at a Yaris.