So in 2014, I bought a new 2014 Yaris! Here is the review for the car so far:

I’m not sure who designed the interior, but someone was not thinking when they designed the audio jack and usb port inside the glove compartment. Every time I have my phone charged, or have my mp3 player plugged in, I have to have the glove compartment open. With stuff inside, I’m always worried that things will fall out during a turn or sudden stop. I wouldn’t be able to use it if a passenger was sitting since the compartment butts out into their legs. The ports are farthest away from the driver seat making it a hassle to literally lean onto the passenger seat and try and look for the plugs in the dark compartment. A huge minus for the modern age.

I now close the compartment when I drive due to things falling out when driving, but it can be a pain having to open the compartment to turn on/off or navigate my mp3 player… I’ve decided to order a longer cable so I can have the cable and device out with the compartment closed. Boo…

Being able to connect bluetooth to your phone is a plus. You can make/receive calls with the buttons, or play music from your phone which can be heard through the nice speaker system (the bass is nice) though I found that sometimes it sounds muffled at times…

I keep thinking that I’ve already scratched my new car, but it’s only where the coating cover comes to a abrupt stop. I’m not sure why. Looks to me like a design flaw.

I’ve been getting neck pain from driving in this car. The head rests are not adjustable, and for me, it’s bend in an awkward way that doesn’t suit my neck. It’s great that the seat can move front/back/up/down, so not allowing the neck to be adjusted is another huge minus.

The shift stick seems a little flimsy compared to my bulkier ’97 Corolla. It feels like it’s going to break if I put too much force on it. Also, the way it’s lit is really hard to see in dark conditions. The Corolla was way better. It also had a lock button that you had to push in order to move from one transition to another which was a nice safety feature.

Having a back wiper is great. With the Corolla, since it had a trunk, it had no wipers, and it was really hard to see at times, especially at night. I have no idea why they don’t make all cars with them. Is it that difficult to add? Anyways, it’s nice, but having intermittent speed choices would be nice. Also, the way it’s design makes it so that it only cleans like 60% of the back windshield. I have seen other compact cars have better wipers.

The big thing with the Yaris as it’s advertised is the amount you’ll save on gas. I was informed that it did an average of 6 -7 litres/km, but so far, mine is around 9.5L/km which is supposedly the same as my old ’97 4 door sudan Corolla. I haven’t really seen a huge difference in the number of trips to the gas stations, but perhaps its still too early to tell. I have noticed that my bills were always around the $45, and now it’s about $33. So less, but it could be the drop in gas prices. I haven’t really calculated everything to see if I’m actually saving due to fuel consumption efficiency and not gas prices.

The interior is surprisingly quite roomy. A friend and coworker were both impressed with the amount of space inside the compact car. The black interior is nice, though it does seem ‘cheap’ with certain things and does show dust and small dirt very easily. The extra cup holders and compartments for your little knick-knacks are a plus.
I’m not a huge fan of having the clock in my dashboard – and it’s so small. I liked it in the Corolla where it was where the radio was. It was large enough and easy to see. Also, in the Corolla, the clock was on it’s own, not crammed with outside temperature readings and other readings. Also, other passengers could see it too. With it in the dashboard, only I can, and because it’s surround by other information, it’s not so evident – though I guess you do get accustomed to it. Depending on the handwheel position, it can cover the clock, making it even more unsuitable for its location.
However, I’m glad that they got rid of the stupid idea of having the previous models have the dahsboard in the middle between the driver and the passenger! If that was the case for 2014, I definitely would not have purchased the Yaris.

The dark grey is trendy, and eliminates the hassle of trying to keep it looking clean and spotless. The chromes are a nice accent. Although I do not usually have the back seats occupied, it’s nice to have 4 doors instead of 2. It’s nice to be able to put luggage at the back seat without having to fold down the front seats. Also, I like the look of 4 rather than 2.

Acceleration is a bit sluggish, but I drive to and back from work where traffic jams are frequent, so not much acceleration power is needed.

The new Yaris comes with a 3 year Road Assistance which literally replaces the BCAA. However, if you’re in a situation where they can’t reach you, there is a jack underneath the driver’s seat. (which I didn’t know until going to Toyota New Westminster’s Workshop – lol)

The radio has jumped to a completely different station while driving twice during the 3 months. I inquired about it at the workshop and the service manager told me that maybe I didn’t press the button for each station until it beeped. This was also something I didn’t know. Doesn’t one expect to go to the station once you’ve pressed on the button? I tried it yesterday upon learning this, and you have to at least press for 4 seconds before it gets selected. Who knew? But they said that if it only happened twice, then that’s likely not the cause of problem…he told me just wait and see…Since then, I haven’t had that problem, so hopefully, it was just a user error.

But overall, I’ve been happy with the purchase. Some pros and cons.

Read my previous post on my decision on getting rid of my old Corolla ’97 for a new 2014 Yaris.
Read my previous post on Toyota New Westminster’s Workshop after purchasing the new 2014 Yaris.