I wouldn't take the word of any American auto rag as gospel about Toyota's intentions. All you need to do is look at the JDM and global vehicle counterparts to realize they're not saving money by cutting down on parts being used -- i.e. my xb's center guage is LH drive oriented, with the tach/speedo angled to the left with the clock/signals/indicators in an attached pod all on the right. JDM bB cluster is completely opposite and the two are non-compatible with one another. There are no interchangeable parts shared by the two at all, so Toyota is manufacturing two completely different units for the same car in different markets -- there's obviously no cost savings there (Yaris is the same deal, xA too). Besides, Toyota is not the only company to use center guages, Nissan has them as do a number of other companies. You tend to see them on smaller compact/kei cars where space is at a premium and a center gauge leaves more dash space for storage and the like.

 

Just saw this article comparing the Yaris and Fit, and also talking about the demand for small cars due to rising gas prices:

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12081720/

 

The 5spd yaris liftback doesn't come with a tach.


That ends it for me

I actually much prefer the look of the bulldog like Yaris and was willing to overlook the center mounted gauges because the cabin seems to fit around you like a sporty type car cheap.

But the tach ends it, I dont know what toyota was thinking

Fit time for me.

 

Car & Driver compared 7 vehicles and the Fit came out ahead in all categories. Their findings refute the NY Times article about the interior of the Yaris being superior. Looks like the big surprise to the test drivers was the Fit's speed on the 1/4 mile. Keep in mind that the Yaris starts out with less features than the Fit, so if price is the big issue and you don't mind sacrificing to save, the Yaris may be fine for your needs. The Fit is currently being sold at MSRP. Prices on some of the others in the Class B segment might be negotiable. The C&D article is pretty comprehensive and it's worth reading. It confirmed for me that I did the right thing by buying the Fit and suffering the long wait until it's delivered.

 

We test drove both the Yaris Sedan and Liftback this weekend. The killer in the deal for us was that you can't get a custom build on the manual tranny on the liftback (to add ABS and side airbags). The sedan was....um....really bland in the interior and exterior, very generic. The liftback was really nice in my opinion, better interior, egg-mobile exterior, but...don't plan on carseats for the kids. Both models fit my 6ft 6in husband in both front and back seating, but he is also 170lbs soaking wet, so don't use that for a Big&Tall recommendation.

I'm really looking forward to the Fit now, because we both love hatchbacks and really need the four-door model. Now if our local dealer would not hold us over the $200 barrell just for the priveledge of a test drive. I'm counting down the days til April 20th.

Also some things of note. Yaris advertised 40mpg hwy on web, but sticker says 39mpg hwy.

Fits looking really good unless one of ya'll would like to give us a new Geo Metro that would match the 43 mpg hwy our little beast with 210,000 miles on it is still getting.

 

While I'm waiting for the Fit, with my borrowed car in the shop (again), I'm driving a rental Kia Rio. It drives pretty well, but the seats are small and the interior is all cheap plastic. And it's puny -- doesn't belong in the same class.

 

My fiance has the Yaris. It's not to bad if you want to "aftermarket" the heck out of it. Europe holds a lot of Yaris (Vitz) races all the time, so it's a good performance car. As far as that, the Fit excels over the Yaris in every form. I personally would want the DOHC engine in the Fit, but I'll settle with the more horsepower SOHC Fit.

 

I thought the recent Edmunds Inside Line article was pretty blunt about the Yaris:

Toyota fails to build a better Corolla
Bottom Line:
It's better-looking and more comfortable than its predecessor, but there's nothing unique enough about the Yaris to recommend it over its numerous — and often cheaper — competitors.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=109860

Ouch!

 

Check out this article -- "...in many ways the Fit is superior..." http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...TO03/604120340 It gives a good breakdown on what you actually get for your $$. Considering how people are reacting to their introduction to the Fit, I am relieved that I already bought one!! (Now if it would just get here #@!)

 

[quote=RugbyFit]The 5spd yaris liftback doesn't come with a tach.

Strange -- my daughter's 1991 Camry doesn't have one, either. I'm amazed that they're still leaving it off their vehicles.

 

No, the WRX is ugly in a geeky way, and I think that is part of its appeal. I personally don't like it, but it is distinctive.

The Yaris is ugly for no reason, much like the new Camry.

 

Just got a chance to sit in both the Yaris and the Fit today at the New York auto show. The Fit is the way to go, hands down. Toyota's offering is chincy and cheap feeling. It does not have power windows and the center mounted dash console makes you wonder what the engineers were thinking; it's simply not practical and is way out of place. I'm glad I've settled on the Fit, it really seems finished and put together well.

 

It appears that the 4 door sedan will be the primary version of the Yaris. The hatchback will be only available as a 3 door and not available with a clutch. What a joke.

Also, it appears that Toyota is pulling a fast one with pricing and option packages. The base price does not include any option package, which, at least judging by the web site, are not options at all. The buyer must select one package. This is pretty dishonest. The listed base MSRP should represent the least expensive version of the car that is actually produced and sold, not some theoretical version of the car without tires and windows.

 

Finally got to sit in a Fit !!
Two finally made it into town, and they are guarded ! I could sit in one, but not drive it !
Now, I'm 6'2", and 380#....and I fit in the front driver's seat. But I could have used a little more leg room, and I don't think I have enough room for a clutch.

As far as the Yaris goes, rumor has it there were 2 in town a few weeks ago, and the dealership has NO idea when more are coming. I'll keep you posted.

 

yeah, i do not get toyota. i actually really like the look of the yaris (it did in fact grow on me like a rash) but the hatchback is def. an afterthought - and similarly equipped, it would cost as much as Fit (assuming you could find one - my local dealers have only sedans). better compare fit to scion.

 

RE: TOYOTA VITZ/YARIS/ECHO Dials....

I don't know what dials you get in the USA, Digital or ****ogue (wont let me spell a_n_a_l_ogue!) display, but the digital display is very ergonomic. I can understand why if you had ****ogue dials why you would think/find them hard to use but not the digital....

REASON:

The digital dash has lens over it that makes the focus point of the readout the same as if it were outside of the car.

This makes looking at the readout much easier as your eyes do not have to refocus from 100ft outside the car, to 2ft inside the car.

As you do not have to refocus, the placement of the dials in the center of the car is not an issue, as they are already in your line of vision as you focus on the road in front of you.

As to which is a better car, the Fit/Jazz without a doubt as a complete package. However, when the Vitz first came out in 1999, it was a such an advance on car design and use of space, the same as when the Fit came out in 2001..... Technology and design will always move on to create a better product, whether by company x, company y or company z.

Al.

 

After pricing it out with the same features that come standard on the sport the yaris S model msrp is 17040, the fit is 15800. and its a sedan.

fit. hands down.

 

Hey hey easy with the Yaris.... I happen to like it but not as much as i do the Fit. What turned me off bigtime though is the "build your own" price.

 

Up here in Canada, there is a lot of negativity against the Fit because the Yaris is so much cheaper according to other forums. What they fail to realize is what you've all already found out which is Toyotas MSRP price is the most basic of cars with no accessories or amenities like the Fit. It would only be fair to compare similarly specced vehicles, not one that has nothing in it and another that is basically fully loaded. So I thought I would try this out, and specced a 5dr Yaris with alloys, A/C, cruise control etc. etc. just like the Fit sport. What I found was that there is only a $50 difference in the price of the car! So if people are basing their Yaris purchases on price, there really isn't much of one IF you spec it out similar to the Fit. However, if you are just going to keep it as basic as possible, it's better to stick with the Yaris. Even if my purchase came down to that, I would have got the DX :P

 

Hope everyone is watching the "Front Page News" thread. A lot of the articles coming out on the Fit (and they're growing in number) discuss the Fit vs. its competitors. I just posted a few good ones. Google has an "Alert" feature that automatically searches for any subject you're interested in. They've been doing a good job of e-mailing the latest on line articles.