2012 Toyota Yaris Review and Prices

Styling: The 2012 Yaris could get a late-life freshening if Toyota believes the investment would help this subcompact out of its sales doldrums. Styling changes wouldn’t amount to more than a revised grille and maybe tweaked taillamps. They’d be the first for a car that debuted as a 2007 model and quickly shot to No. 1 in the U.S. subcompact sales. By 2010, Yaris sales were mid-pack and falling. Part of its challenge is styling: Yaris doesn’t have much. Sleeker designs such as the Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, and redesigned Accent prove fun and function can coexist near the bottom of the automotive food chain. All three Yaris body styles are egg-shaped to provide maximum interior space. That they do, with tall rooflines accommodating upright seating that maximizes leg room and head clearance. But only the four-door hatchback has much visual character. Still, the 2012 Yaris will remain the only car in its class to offer more than two body styles. The Yaris hatchbacks – “Liftbacks” to Toyota – provide more cargo-carrying versatility than the Yaris sedan, though the sedan has a tad more rear-seat leg room. All share an odd dashboard design that locates the instruments at the centerline. It forces the driver to look laterally to read them and puts blank dash surfaces before the driver and front passenger (the surfaces actually open to reveal useful storage bins). Expect the 2012 Yaris to return in a base level of trim that can be decorated with a Sport Package option that includes some aerodynamic body addenda. The package also adds sportier front seats, upgraded fabrics, and a leather-covered steering wheel and transmission shift knob. Alloy wheels in place of plastic wheel covers also are available.     

Mechanical: The 2012 Yaris will retain a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine and a choice of manual and automatic transmissions. Horsepower will likely remain at 106, which is a bit weedy for this class nowadays. At around 2,300 pounds, however, Yaris is among the very lightest cars in the category. So acceleration is entirely adequate around town and as long as you’re judicious, serviceable for freeway merging and two-lane passing. A manual transmission with five speeds puts Yaris in league with most subcompacts, though its automatic transmission is  behind the times with just four speeds. Newer rivals have more efficient five-speed automatics or even new-age clutch-pedal-free manuals that act like automatics. With a 40-mpg highway rating the new benchmark for fuel economy in this class, Toyota ought to consider advancing Yaris’s transmission technology, though odds are slim it will before the 2014 redesign. Like all subcompact cars, Yaris is front-wheel drive. This concentrates the mass of the powertrain over the tires that also propel the car, which benefits traction and also minimizes drivetrain intrusion into the cabin. Rushing into corners induces lots of body lean and lots of tire scrub, but Yaris’s trim dimensions and low bulk encourage creative maneuvering and easy parking in the urban crush. Ride quality is surprisingly good, but highway cruising is compromised by intrusive noise levels and directional stability is upset by   crosswinds. Yaris was not among the Toyotas recalled during the unintended-acceleration controversy. Nonetheless, like all current Toyotas, it comes with an electronic override system that prioritizes the brakes if both the brakes and accelerator are applied simultaneously.

Features: Every 2012 Yaris will continue with air conditioning and a tilt steering wheel among its standard features. But don’t expect to equip one with a navigation system, heated seats, leather upholstery, or moonroof, at least until the next-generation Yaris. Still, the 2012 Yaris will be available with a good selection of features, even if most of the desirable ones are again likely to be confined to extra-cost – and sometimes quite pricey – options packages. These include power windows, mirrors and locks, cruise control, rear defogger, and a rather basic audio system with an auxiliary jack. A USB iPod interface has been included only in the most expensive option package, and Bluetooth hands-free cell-phone connectivity has been available as a Blu Logic-brand accessory. For 2012, Toyota ought to at least transfer to the standard equipment list Yaris’s split/folding rear seatbacks. This feature particularly enhances the Yaris hatchbacks because it includes a reclining rear seatback and allows the rear bench to slide fore and aft several inches to customize cargo or passenger room. Part of Toyota’s response to the sudden-acceleration controversy was to fit all its cars with a comprehensive suite of standard safety features. So the 2012 Yaris will remain at the forefront of subcompact-class accident-avoidance technology with antilock brakes to help it stop, traction control to help it go, and an antiskid system to help it negotiate turns. On the passive-safety front, head-protecting curtain side airbags also will be standard.