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Sunday, 21st of March 2010
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2009 TOYOTA Yaris reviews
TOYOTA Yaris reviews by year of make: 2000 2001 2002 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Read all reviews
The Toyota Yaris accounted for a quarter of all Toyota car sales between 1999 and 2007. The winner of numerous awards the Yaris is a strong car, dynamic and aerodynamic, safe, versatile. Quality.
Michelle Arneės, France
Toyota Yaris 1.33 SOL manual 6 speed 2009
Oh GOD! what a ridiculous car and what BIG mistake having bought one, why that day wasn’t I ill? Or probably I was to buy a Yaris as many reported here I must agree 100% that the clutch is a pain, the gearbox is crunchy and the dealers aren’t able to manage it (tried different). I’m trying to sell this c**ppy car but it’s almost impossible due to its very low valuation and the pedal recall no one wants to drive a Toyota any more, What a mistake! I’ll never buy a Toyota again in my life time and I would never recommend anyone to buy a c**ppy Toyota!
Submitted: 10/03/2010 20:06:06
Riley Lesley, Lancashire
Toyota Yaris 1.33 2009
I bought this car in October 2009. Since then I must have been back to the dealer several times. The main problem is the gear change, and the ’revving’ noise it makes as you are changing gear. Toyota are insistent that this is ’normal’, but, having owned a 07 model prior to this, and have also owned loads of cars, I have never known revving as you are changing gears; it is more evident on the low gears, from 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd etc. My husband has been on a test drive with an engineer, and the engineer insists this is ’normal’. I do not think this is right, but I have again taken it to the garage this morning because the drivers seat jammed in the far back position, and wouldn’t move, forcing me to have to drive with several cushions behind me. This wasn’t ideal as I have to drive 7 miles or so in this way, and also to the garage this morning, which is about 7 miles again. They again said there is nothing wrong with the engine, although the mechanism on the drivers seat needs a part. Also the car is always stalling, and as I have been driving for more than 20 years, I find this most annoying especially if you are in a traffic queue, and the lights change to red again because the car has again stalled. My husband also drives this car on a regular basis and he is suffering the same problems. I would never buy another Toyota, never mind another Yaris after all the problems I have been experiencing. I don’t agree the car is reasonably priced, and think it is expensive for what you get.
Submitted: 09/03/2010 19:41:55
Andy, Northamptonshire
Toyota Yaris 1.3 2009
I drove a little Aygo for just under 3 years. I loved it, a great little car, so when it came to the time for a change I went for a Yaris thinking I would be upgrading (I think you know whats coming!) So far as space,comfort and trim level, the Yaris is an improvement on the Aygo, but that’s to be expected. I didn’t, however, expect annoying little sqeaks from somewhere I can’t identify, except to say it stops if I open the drivers window slightly. The seats are OK, but I find that I’m either too far away from the steering wheel or on top of it, and I’m just a regular 5"9’ tall. There’s a fair bit of storage space in the cabin, which is a plus, but the fit and quality of the storage lids is poor. I have a 1.3l engine model. I find that 1st gear is far too short, and 4th gear difficult to select. 6th gear can only be used economically on the flat and down hill. Try to keep up with the traffic on even a slight incline in 6th and watch that MPG display plummet. I try to drive mine carefully, and on a 20 mile commute to work, I’m averaging between 45 and 49 MPG, which it appears from reading some comments here is not bad, but dissapointingly way off the 67MPG that Toyota promote. Infact so much so that I was begining to wonder if there was something wrong with my engine. I also find that I’m having to hold the steering wheel slightly (but enough to be annoying) to the right to keep it in a straight line. I took it back to my Toyota dealer and was told that an engineer had road tested it and that the gear selection was a bit "stiff" and had been adjusted, and that the steering was fine and that it was probably the camber of the roads causing me to have to hook it right all the time. He managed to test drive it and manouver it around their site and only put 2/10 mile on the clock. Great test drive he must’ve given it! Even the little Aygo didn’t have to be hooked right because of road camber. Now I can hear the brakes rubbing, after 7800 miles. I also have the same problems mentioned by others regarding the Eco system, that worked fine for a start, but I can’t remember the last time it DID work. I also have the heater problem. A cold breeze can be felt coming from somewhere, even with the heater on full. At low speeds the brakes catch me out by biting, but at all other times they feel OK, although I’ve not done a lot of motorway driving in the Yaris. I’ve been driving for 22 years and it’s taken me 7 months to learn how to drive this car, and I still stall it occasionally. I should have saved my money and got another Aygo, they really are "Cheap n Cheerful" and great fun for it, the Yaris is, sadly, only "OK n OK" at the very best.
Submitted: 09/02/2010 20:24:08
Stephan, Newport
Toyota Yaris 1.33 2009
I will continue to update information as my experience and opinion with the car change. New stuff to report. Water is a huge issue with the design of this car. I mentioned earlier about trapped water due to excessive condensation. I now notice that water gets trapped on the bottom of the door jam. It’s not a little bit of water either, it’s a whole lot. The water never enters the car interior,it just remains trapped leaving oone to worry about future rust.I suspect this water issue had a lot to do with my not being able to unlock my doors during to cold winter days without the help of graphite oil in the key hole (the wife has the only remote control key). I really like driving this car a lot, and what surprises me is that this is truer now than when I first purchased it. Yes the car has some issues,and I get the feeling that quality was not a top priority with this Toyota as would have been with previous models, but it really feels good to drive. We are of course talking about a price catagory so lets not get carried away. In my moments of doubt, I decided to go back and test drive the competition once again. I drove a variety of cars,all with either the 1.2,or the 1.4 engines. I seriously considered selling the car in my moments of winter frustration. None of the cars felt as good to drive in the under 120 kmh range,while a few were as good in the higher ranges. The third gear is very long,and the power delivers the promised horsepower. Fourth and fifth gears do very well too, the sixth gear a little disapointing in power. At lower speeds this car wants to please you badly. It does almost everything right including taking sharp turns. I am not too happy about the brakes, they tend to bite in a strange way at lower speeds,but at higher speeds they feel normal. My hope is that this car with its European driving characteristics will perform like a Japanese car when it comes to reliability. My German car driving neighbours have greatly enjoyed watching the latest news on Toyota’s troubles. I can no longer drive down the street with that smug I outsmarted you look on my face.
Submitted: 08/02/2010 09:42:25
Stephen (Stephan), Newport
Toyota Yaris 1.33 2009
I forgot to mention a few other things that I dislike about the car. Cold air is always blowing on my feet when it’s cold outside, I have tried everything to make it stop but it won’t. Dealer says this is normal and I should turn the heater at the feet vent on a higher setting. What I get now is hot air from the vent at feet level while cold air blows in from somewhere else also down at foot level but it’s not coming from the vent. The start stop feature is an absolute joke as so far in my driving experience, it has only worked for about twenty percent of the total driving time. The manual says that in cold weather the battery needs more energy and thus the start stop will only work sometimes. I live in Germany so I don’t know if my post will be allowed and I pressed a county lising at random as this was the only way my post could be entered, I am sorry about that.
Submitted: 31/12/2009 10:31:55
Stephen, Newport
Toyota Yaris 1.33 2009
I will give you an honest word on this little car. Purchased it about three months ago, and I have mixed feelings. I have a problem with a leaky front window, the gears are fine, however, sometimes reverse has difficulty getting in and second gear too. The clutch has to be pressed to the floor to get a smooth gear change in either reverse or second gear and even then it sometimes decides not to go in without several tries. Dealer, as usual, said everything normal except for leaky glass. The car drives nicely, has excellent handling, I always feel in control and slippery roads were a pleasant surprise. Car has excellent power up to 120 kmh, however, power fades badly after that. I don’t know about the hundred plus horsepower, I have driven cars with less rated power that were much stronger at higher speeds. I have been driving Toyota’s for almost twenty years and have loved them all, except for this one. I gave her a three star rating, but it could have just as easily been two stars.
Submitted: 31/12/2009 10:25:52
Peter Boothroyd, Yorkshire
Toyota Yaris 2009
As a driving instructor I have used various makes/models. In August I thought I would go for a Yaris, what a mistake. I was already noticing excessive oil use. At 4000 miles. On a lesson the engine partly disintegrated, bits of sheared off engine parts in the road!!! Apparently on all recent Yaris’s there is a problem with the turbo which causes oil to be sucked from the engine into the turbo/inlets. So out of the the last month it has spent 3 weeks on a garage ramp with courtesy cars provided by the Driving Instructor Centre. Compensation; by going to the very top, I contacted Mr Adashi, CEO Toyota Europe, my agreed compensation so far stands at £900!!
Submitted: 22/11/2009 15:59:18
Chris Brown, Cornwall
Toyota Yaris 1.33 TR 3DR 2009
I still like the car overall, as I reported below, but having tried to get used to the gearbox I find it’s clunky, not smooth finding the gears and is often very, very reluctant to go into second shifting down. Looking for postings on this I find I’m not alone and I also have the reported "burning smell" occasionally in normal driving. I thought the clutch might be slippng once or twice, but put that down to my being "off" in handling a new car, now I’m not at all so sure it’s me. It’s just not got the transmision my 16 year old Corolla had. Seeing the dealer tomorrow; let’s see how this goes.
Submitted: 18/11/2009 13:45:47
Dipu Devadas, Worcestershire
Toyota Yaris 2009
One of the best cars that I have ever driven.
Submitted: 09/10/2009 12:17:56
Robert, London
Toyota Yaris 1.3 2009
For me the Toyota Yaris is a great car without problems. My parents bought one after test driving. They are a bit older and love the seats for their backs. They owned a Hyundai Elentra. My friend trashed his Fiat and also bought the Yaris. Previous car (15 years) was the Toyota Corolla: 320,000 km without any problems.
Submitted: 09/10/2009 09:58:30
Flavio, London
Toyota Yaris 1.33 Sol 6-gears 2009
One of the worst cars ever, it reminds me a typical chinese car, the build quality is really low, it is not comfortable at all, the steering is too light (very dangerous), the seat (driver side) is too close while the steering is too far so it’s impossible to find a decent (and definitive) driver position. When it rains it seems to have the water inside! The new engine 1.3 (100hp) is underpowered but it drinks like a Scotsman, on highway over 70/80mph seems to drive like a jumbo jet. It starts to squeak after 4/5000km, now seems a concern. Very poor and badly assembled plastics, the gears are a real nightmare, every time you shift it seems that the engaged gear is coming out, very heavy/hard gear and above all very noisy. The clutch is too high (I mean really too much), the brake system is good only at low speeds, at high speed you should cross your fingers hoping to never stress your "eco" (as economic) brakes. This is my first and will be the last Toyota.
Submitted: 05/10/2009 09:10:54
Peter Walsh, England
Toyota Yaris T Spirit 1.4 Diesel 6 Speed Manual 2009
Purchased a new Yaris 1.4 Diesel 6 Speed Manual in late August, the car has done less than 800 miles and the gearbox is giving trouble. When you change down from third gear to second, you can’t select second gear leaving you stranded as you are too slow for third gear and too fast for first. It’s been dangerous at times, especially when coming off a motorway or approaching a roundabout as you are left stranded without being able to select a gear. Car went back to the dealer at the start of this week, no courtesy car was offered, after a few hours told by the dealer they can’t find any fault. When asked if they had driven the car the dealer said ’no’. Left the car with the dealer for further investigation and stressed that they need to road test it to find the problem. After 3 days, still not heard back and called the dealer for an update. Dealer said they still can not find any fault so they are going to change the gear selector cables but by their own admission admitted that this will not solve the problem. Has anyone else had problems with the 6 speed manual gearbox in their 2 as trying to put a portfolio of incidents together to take to Toyota and the media to try and get this resolved. If the dealer can’t rectify this, then I’m going to reject the car and buy a Polo instead!
Submitted: 29/09/2009 11:13:28
Davide, Northern Ireland
Toyota Yaris Sol 1.33 manual gear (6) 2009
Decent car but with a nightmare gearbox. I just sent a couple of letters to Toyota and they answered back that they don’t know anything about the problem I reported & mine is just an isolated case, as I can read here it isn’t... Toyota has lost its good name for reliability.
Submitted: 10/09/2009 12:21:10
Denise, Staffordshire
Toyota Yaris sol 2009
It ABSOLUTELY SUCKS AND I WANT MY MONEY BACK!!! What did toyota think it was doing with this idiotic mmt thing? Everytime I drive it I come out of it sick from those lurches and sick of its moaning and whining noises!
Submitted: 04/09/2009 15:56:26
Anthony Long, Northumberland
Toyota Yaris 2009
I am having trouble with the gear box. Also, is anyone having problems with the front doors? When it rains, or when washing the car, water gets in to the door and when you open it you can see it pouring out of a drain hole...
Submitted: 18/08/2009 08:58:42
Mags Allsopp, Lancashire
Toyota Yaris D4D T3 2009
I am a driving instructor and bought my 3rd Yaris diesel T3 end of April. From the start there was black smoke from the exhaust and it used all the engine oil in 3,000 miles - I had to fill it up every week. Dealer offered me an oil consumption test and said Toyota say 1ltr of oil per 1,000 miles is OK!!!! Not prepared to do a 20 mile round trip every week for this test when it was obvious that it was more serious, but they didn’t seem bothered about the smoke. Took it in again lasty week and insisted on a test drive. It broke down 2 mins later. Took 3 days and the engine out to find that the engine block, cranckshaft, piston and valve all knackered. New short motor being put in-takes another week. Very unhappy and angry with Toyota and dealer. I could insist on a new car but so much hassle I will have to accept the repair. But I will be getting rid of this car asap. Oh and I told them about the problem with 2nd gear too - same as an ADI friend with the same model.
Submitted: 17/08/2009 09:44:14
Daphne, England
Toyota Yaris TR 2009
As I have never had the pleasure of purchasing a brand new car, I decided to use the scrappage scheme to get rid of my beloved peugoet 306 and buy a Yaris TR . What a mistake. I am truly disappointed. As already mentioned by quite a few people on this site, the gears are absolutely rubbish I am having a lot of trouble getting into 1st and 2nd gear, and worst is trying to go from 3rd to 2nd, what nightmare. I have been driving for nearly 20 years, and I now feel as if I have just passed my test. So instead of looking forward to driving my brand new car, it fills me with dread, as I have already stalled it on numerous occasions, and I am slowly losing my confidence. Will be taking it back to the dealer ASAP.
Submitted: 10/08/2009 08:54:07
Chris Brown, Cornwall
Toyota Yaris 1.33 TR 3DR 2009
I traded in a beloved 16-year-old Corolla 1.4 XLI under "scrappage." Important to me, the rear space with the seats down in the new Yaris is possibly greater than the old Corolla: not quite so long but deeper, as the seats fold more efficiently. Better mileage but more powerful, as gradient climbing on the A30 in Cornwall soon showed. Quiet engine, sharp steering. Lots of adjustment in the driving position, and not many cars suit my long back and relatively short limbs. My main whinge is getting used to the extra features including the extra gear, the A/C and the digital dash display. I don’t think I could have picked better for the price.
Submitted: 06/08/2009 08:46:46
Joseph Alis, Middlesex
Toyota Yaris 5 door 2009
I too purchased one of these abominations. I previously had the Yaris T Spirit which was really a great little car, large car feel and motored well, very easy to park, handling was good, the automatic unit compared to normal automatics of 5 years ago was slightly unpredictable... However no real complaints, so I upgraded to the latest Yaris... Big Mistake, far and away worst move I have made in my motoring life of 40 years, the auto and preselect gearbox for this new Yaris are appalling in every conceivable way. Before you consider buying it... drive it for at least 15 minutes. I am off to exchange it tomorrow on its 7th day with me... to hell with the cost, my nerves are more important.
Submitted: 16/07/2009 09:42:02
Claire Tomkinson, England
Toyota Yaris 2009
What a load of old c**p that guy is talking! I have driven a Yaris for the past ten years and have had no problems at all. I found them excellent, in fact a very reliable little car. I am about to purchase another and I certainly wouldn’t drive anything else. I’ve had French cars previously which were a load of tinny rubbish.
Submitted: 16/07/2009 09:27:20
Bob Smith, England
Toyota Yaris 1.33 SR 2009
A classic example of cynical manipulation of the tax system. Create a car that can return less than 120g on the formal test cycle but which has virtually no usable power in normal use. So it has to be drive incredibly hard and delivers none of the advertised savings in the real world. There is simply no power at all below 3000 rpm. The 1.33 engine is fairly quiet at tickover but raucous in normal use. Also not that economical, returning about 35 mpg, and in that respect no advance over the earlier 1.3 Gearchange now much improved over earlier models and now merely poor. The crazy boot arrangement has been changed by removing the false floor so now the floor area has a large lip in it! Other Yaris traits remain, poor build quality and rattling trim, scattered unlit controls, still no heated mirrors. Spec is now even lower than before. Very easy to get 20% plus discounts and even at that price this is not a good buy.
Submitted: 27/05/2009 09:00:08
Stephen Garside, Yorkshire
Toyota Yaris 2009
Traded down from a Corolla to the Yaris and not disappointed. I expected this to be a "tinnier" car than the Corolla but pleasantly surprised. Still a nice roomy car and adequate for the annual mileage I cover. Excellent mpg even with only 1500 miles on clock. The gears were initially awkward to engage (2nd & 3rd) but even this seems to be easing now - perhaps the warmer weather helps (I took delivery in January). A good little car.
Submitted: 14/04/2009 10:19:43
Dave Yaris Driver, London
Toyota Yaris 1.33 TR 2009
Just bought a 2009 Yaris with the new 1.33 petrol engine and 6 speed gearbox. Incredibly quiet engine, has new ECO drive facility that allows for the engine to shut off when idling at traffic lights or in stationary traffic. Increadible that Toyota have made a car that has 100bhp engine and yet still comes in at 120 g/km CO2 so is taxed at £35. In general I am really impressed with the car. Very comfortable, I am just over 6ft and so small cars can be a bit cramped. Really good driving position and front visibility is on a par with that of my Mazda 5 (MPV). Great basic spec, including a/c and handy AUX IN for MP3 player. Steering mounted controls and also the funky heads up central digital dash display that is a feature of the Yaris (and Prius). I am very pleased with the car. The discounts available make it very competitively priced too.
Submitted: 03/02/2009 09:39:34
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