I agree with you Nissan GOD. I looked into the Versa although the sedan doesnt look too bad on the outside, much nicer in my opinion then the Yaris, I dont think it can match the Fit's features, build quality, reliability. The only thing I can say I liked more about the Versa is the 6MT and 10 more HP, not much when you think about it but when it comes to such a small car, every little bit counts.

 

Since I'm a current owner of a 2001 Toyota Echo,36mpg from a automatic is nothing to yawn about.I got the Echo BECAUSE you can see the speedo better than my old Honda-1993 CX-70HP!! Since I still get good mileage from the Echo,my next car HAS TO GET at least 45 MPG,since I now drive 35+ miles ,one way,to work!! Toyota Yaris is about 400 pounds lighter than the Echo, with the same engine,and with a manual transmission,should get over 40 mpg easy..got look at the Suzuki Swift,VW Polo,and others-really hoped Honda would sell Fit with 1.3L dual-fire(58 mpg),BUT AS USUAL!!, "It's better to sell the engine demanded by 1% of the public,and make the other 99% suffer" !!--P.S. My first car was a Subaru 360 !!

 

Where did you hear or read about Versa quality if its not out yet?

The Yaris is as large as the 80s Corolla. But the pricing I'm seeing will blow far higher than the Fit.

 

Subaru 360s are COOL, I've always wanted one.

The problem with the 1.3L engine in the United States is that our highway speeds are fairly high, and there's a lot of mandatory highway travel. None of the japanese automakers can sell a car here that can't function competently in wide-open Middle America, even if they know that little or none of that car's buying audience is going to be living there.

I do think that the 1.3L w/CVT should have been an option here, just not the standard for everyone. I have heard that people have had some problems with the CVT though.

 

You sure about that spec? The Yari weighs in around 2300 lbs, whereas the specs I found for the Echo show curb weight around 2000 lbs.

I think you have it the other way around. I think most people want the L15 VTEC; it is the minority that prefers the smaller, less powerful DS-i engine.

 

Probably an assumption based on the Versa's build location (Mexico).

 

Not sure what Swift you are looking at, but it doesn't get similar gas mileage to the Echo.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/2001c...f.jsp?id=21773

28mpg combined is nothing special in this segment.

 

i agreed with you, Yaris is a very ugly looking car, the nose is too high. I love my jazz, the more i look at it, the more i like it...

 

totally agreed with you, it's very difficult to pay attention to the speedometer in the centre while you drive, very bad design

 

I thought the center mount speedo was supposed to make it less distacting to look at.

 

I have rented Echos and I'll also say the centre dash idea is cool, but wears fast. I found the speed-o just too far away, and that's what bugged me the most.

 

It is out already, it has already existed as the Tiida in other markets.

Nissan GOD

 

Yep, it's an assumption alright....:rolleyes: , not like there are ANY Versa's in the US yet ;) . Wait a minute, I think I alread y sat in one at the auto show....:eek: , no couldn't have been, there are none hear yet, and that was a Mexico spec Tiida with Versa badges anyway.

Nissan GOD

 

Actually, it's an excellent design, and requires no more effort than any std. guage cluster. I balked seriously at first too, but then I bought a Scion xB(Toyota bB) and it took like all of 5 mins to get used to. It's been 2 yrs now and it feels no different than any other guage setup I've driven.

 

Well I had an ECHO for less than a year and sold it - number one reason - CENTER SPEEDO SUCKED...I got a neck ache from the self induced whiplash going to check my speed whenever a cop came around. NOT A GOOD DESIGN.
Toyota is just plain cheap for pulling off stuff like this.:mad:

 

I don't necessarily think the center gauges is a bad idea. It is different, which would require some getting used to, but I think it really may be better as Toyota proposes. I generally don't like getting used to something. However, I use a dash mounted navigation system that includes a speed readout. When driving, I notice I always check the speed on my navigation system, not the car's speedometer. When I do look at the car's speedometer, it seems more difficult to do. I really does seem to require more distraction to read the car's speedometer instead of the one in the middle of my dash on the navigation system. Despite having to get used to it, maybe the center mounted gauges really are actually better, at least for some people.

I also don't think Toyota did center guages just to save money for left hand vs. right hand drive. The dashes are going to have to be different (since the steering column is different) whether they have center guages or not. Right or wrong, I think Toyota did that because they really think it is better.

 

I stumbled across this video. The latter half of it is the most fun and at the end you'll hear about how sturdy the frame is. Subtitles are a little blurry.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...65262608055260

 

Everyone from Edmunds to Automotive News have come to the conclusion that Toyota did do/does this hap hazzard insturmentation placement to save money - standardized wring looms, same speedo cable place etc...:rolleyes:
All the savings is not just to be found in the left hand vs. right hand dash itself.

 

Funny story. My wife just bought the Yaris, and I put a down payment on a manual Sport Fit. While I'm waiting for mine to arrive, she let's me drive her Yaris every now and then. That little sucker accelerates pretty fast. I own a souped up Civic coupe, and I can feel the speed of that 1.5 liter. Also know that the Yaris is a DOHC and the Fit is SOHC. Different heads do make a difference. So pretty soon we'll both have the cars that are in this compact car war out in front of our house.

 

I did a test drive of both the Yaris and the Fit within 20 mins of each other on the same roads and found several things very different from one to the other.

The Yaris RS has a more 'sporty' interior which means it feels tight and gives you very little wiggle room. For me that meant not enough shoulder space or leg room. (6' 230lbs BTW) The power also seems a little lacking; it felt more like a go-kart than a car. The interior space overall was much smaller having almost no trunk and poorly folding seats. Overall it would be a great car for a 16 year old girl. Looks sporty, cool interior, nice dash cluster (although I am not a fan of the center console it is different so has some geek value)

The Fit was much more comfortable with the larger interior and wider seating. The folding seats having multiple configurations gives so many options. I found the drive to feel much more 'car' like and even doing 110km p/h it was only just under 2500rpm (auto trans) The console is awesome and well laid out along with the audio controls. Overall it was a better buy for me and my lifestyle. I drive 2 hours (at least) 5 days a week so comfort was far more important than looks. I am an avid scuba diver and need room for tons of gear for at least two guys. Plus I have lots of family and that amounts to versatility.

I grew up driving toyota and would be happy to own any of their products but I think the yaris was simply not engineered towards me. The Fit has a wider appeal and that was the final selling point.