As an economy car, the Toyota Yaris does well, getting above 30 mpg with its 1.5-liter engine. But tech is minimal, with just a bland stereo from the factory.
Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Toyota's entry-level car, the Yaris, has a base price under $14,000 for the sedan. But according to Toyota's site, you have to take one of the three optional packages, which start at $850.
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Toyota's design language is apparent on the Yaris, with the badge protruding forward from the hood.
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The Yaris achieves good gas mileage because of its 1.5-liter, four cylinder engine, which uses variable valve timing to improve efficiency.
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Toyota does a good job providing adequate headroom front and back for such a small car.
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Toyota focuses on giving the Yaris as decent a ride as possible, while keeping the costs down, rather than give the car funky styling or any kind of performance character.
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All controls and instruments are placed in the center of the dashboard, making it easy for Toyota to build the Yaris as a right- or left-hand drive car.
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Toyota equips the Yaris with electric power steering, eliminating the drag on the engine caused by a conventional hydraulic power steering pump.
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The four speed automatic transmission features three low ranges, which you can use like a sequential gearbox.
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The instrument cluster sits in a pod at the center of the dashboard. Climate controls are big and easy to use at the base of the stack.
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This little LCD on the instrument cluster is a nice feature, but it doesn't have a full trip computer, so you won't see how many miles you have left on a tank.
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This stereo comes with the Power package upgrade, and features a nice, large screen. It is satellite ready, although you would need to install an XM or Sirius tuner.
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An auxiliary input jack sits in this pocket to the side of the console. The pocket makes a convenient place for an MP3 player.
