Toyota Yaris I - Japanese bank

I want a car for the city! And what's the first thing that comes to everyone's mind? Fiat! At least that's how it usually is. After a moment's thought, the most creative will also look for other cars - Volkswagen Polo, Skoda Fabia, Ford Fiesta, Opel Corsa ... but there are also Japanese cars.

Why doesn't everyone like cars from the land of cherry blossom trees? Maybe because they seem a little rougher than the German ones? Or maybe because in German cars a piece of plastic that often breaks costs 5 zlotys, and in Japanese cars it costs 105 and not zlotys, but euros? Most importantly, you can love them for their reliability - well, maybe this is not the rule now, but previous generations of Japanese cars were really great in this regard. And the real story of Asian immortality is the Toyota Starlet.

Can you do something better than what is already really good? Depends on how you take the topic. The Starlet captivated and captivated with its durability, but this is a fine example of a Japanese car of its time, with the main flaws in the foreground - stylistically it fascinates like a bag of wet rye, and its sophistication can be compared to a guy dressed in women's clothes. To make it more interesting - the Avensis of the late 90s was also insipid, and the Corolla was strange. So it's no surprise that Yaris, the successor to Starlet, has made huge strides. It was just different and interesting.

And in general, everyone should be surprised, because the little Toyota was not only poorly equipped in the basic version, it also cost a lot of money. But because there was something about her that made most women vomit and wanted her, she sold like hotcakes. But does the Yaris live up to Starlet's longevity? To begin with, I will say that this car had two periods in its life. It entered the market in 1999 and came to us from Japan, but since 2001 it has been produced in a country that loves amphibians and shellfish, just like we love pork chops - in France. And keep that in mind, as some parts are not interchangeable between pre-2001 and post-XNUMX models. The first copies of a small Toyota had to deal with imperfections, which was probably due to the ability of a person to make production errors when someone yells at him and tells him to hurry up - so there were problems with the gearbox, trunk lock, body seals, corrosion or lambda -probe. There were even corrective actions because strange things were happening to the brake corrector. However, compared to the competition, the car's overall durability cannot be faulted. Even the suspension somehow copes with the condition of our roads, and, as a rule, its main problem is the stabilizer links. Interestingly, the generator will not move along our roads. Experts from Asia did not foresee that after heavy rain they could only be driven by amphibians or cars in which the generator was not installed, so that in larger puddles, which are full, he would take mud baths every time. And for free - only that this beneficial effect allegedly affects only people. How does this car actually drive?

Well, not convenient. The short wheelbase makes it a little "telephone" on bumps, and especially bad on the transverse. However, something for something - do not be afraid that when turning the car will run out of the way and hurt everyone. And this despite the rather high and square body. Also, the engines won't let go crazy - they're aimed at "normal" people who want to drive instead of showing the Kozakiewicz gesture to everyone in town and racing. Although the largest, 1.5 liter, 106 hp gasoline engine. is different. It is eager to accelerate at almost all speeds, so there is nothing to cheat here - the Yaris is a featherweight and not one "sports suit" in something like a tuned Opel Calibra with a giant spoiler on which all the pigeons around the neighborhood defecate, you might be very surprised - the little Toyota comes to “hundreds” in just 9 seconds. However, not everyone needs such performance in a city car - if you like to jump out of the city from time to time, “shake” through the pits for a change, then the petrol 1.3 l 86 hp. perfect. In the city - just right, because he doesn’t smoke much. On the track - if you turn it on, it somehow overtakes even in a heavily loaded car. The smallest, petrol unit is only 1.0 l and 68 hp. If she could speak, then when accelerating above 100 km / h she would shout: “It doesn’t hurt! Save your shame!” so that one of you will get angry along the way. But in the city it feels like a fish in water, so if you are going to buy a Yaris for such purposes, do not overpay - take a 1.0l engine. Please note - there is also a minidiesel. With 1.4 liters, he squeezes 75 km and, interestingly, is quite hardy. And with this, modern diesel engines have trouble. Yes - you need to fill its tank with good fuel, monitor the turbocharger, and sometimes even replace the timing chain, because. it is defective - but this unit can burn less than 5l / 100km on average, and this is enough for many people to love it. The fact is that its standard equipment is a powerful turbolag, but above 2000 rpm. now you can move quite accurately, although it is difficult to talk about some amazing dynamics in this case.

How is the interior of the car? Pretty roomy and original. The manufacturer abandoned traditional watches and used digital ones. Also, he placed them in the center of the dashboard, covered them with what looked like a magnifying glass to look at them, and hoped people would like it. The fact is they are picky, so you can get used to them. Toyota only exaggerated with the tachometer, because the narrow, “flying” strip in this case is as readable and visible as a roadbed hidden in the bushes. However, if you take a closer look at all this, it turns out that the manufacturer had good accountants in the office. The plastic is hopeless, as is the soundproofing of the cabin, and almost all the switches are assembled right in the center of the dashboard - significantly reducing the cost of converting the cabin from left-hand traffic to right-hand traffic. All you need to do is turn the steering wheel and insert the console facing the other way. What is most pleasing, however, is that the person in charge of the interior had a brain, and even knew how to use it for the benefit of mankind. There are plenty of compartments, and although those in the doors are a bit small, anything that doesn't fit in them can be crammed into the double in front of the passenger, under the steering wheel, in the center console, and even hidden under the passenger seat. The back is also interesting - the sofa can be moved, so you can choose: crush luggage or passengers' legs. As a rule, it is better to choose the legs of travelers, because the trunk will increase to more than 300 liters, and the back will still be crowded, because the car is made for the city, and not for transit between capitals. There is enough space in front for everyone, because there is just a lot of it. The shallow chairs you sit in on the windowsill in high school are a little annoying, but for short distances they still shouldn't bother you. Not everyone will like maneuvering either, because the rear pillars are thick, the hood is not visible and, unfortunately, not all models have power steering. But don't worry - the car is light, so you can live without it. And thanks to its small size, conquering the city is fabulously easy.

So is the Yaris I worth it? In general, I don't even need to answer this question, just look at the prices in the secondary market. The Yaris has a lot of value and is different from German cars, that's a fact, but it also proves that the Japanese can also make interesting city cars. However, it's hard to resist the impression that he's still not very masculine, and that's probably why women tend to like him better.

This article was created thanks to the courtesy of TopCar, who provided a car from the current offer for a test and photo session.

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