Faults:

Nothing. Maintenance only.

General Comments:

I bought this car at least partially with the Toyota nameplate behind it. This was the sedan version of the car, as it also came in a hatchback version. It was super reliable for the time I had it. I used it daily, putting on around 20000 km/year. Also took it on one long distance trip (about 2000 km). No problems.

Fuel economy was hybrid-like. Regularly got better than 7 L/100 km in mostly city driving. Highway driving, I got in the 5's (L/100 km). Power was by no means great, but the manual transmission added to the fun factor, and made it seem more powerful.

Only took this car in for its scheduled maintenance, so I had zero other problems with it. Because I anticipate traffic when I drive, and generally don't slam on the brakes, I still had over 80% brake tread left even after 80000 km.

This was an entry level car, so the interior was pretty Spartan, though generally durable. I put aftermarket seat covers on the two front seats to keep them in mint condition. I noticed the inside door panels would lightly scuff, but it was nothing excessive. The drivetrain was surprisingly very refined for a car of this level. You could see Toyota put all their money here. The 1.5L engine has been in other Toyotas before it like the Echo and Tercel, so I knew it would be a sturdy beast. The doors closed with a reassuring "thud". The car felt very well put together.

It was rather unfortunate, that I was rear-ended rather harshly and that severely crumpled the rear end. Modern cars tend to crumple. It looks awful, but it absorbs a lot of energy, and actually makes it safer for the occupants. The car was deemed a write off. It was too bad, as it felt like it could go to 300 000 km!

Faults:

- On the first day getting the car, I noticed some white spots on the spoiler. But I don't mind about that.

- Sometimes the beeping sound on reverse gear sounds like the speaker is going to run off soon. But sometimes it works properly.

- Need improvement on built up quality, I noticed some parts were not assembled tightly. I can see the component parts inside the steering wheel from the assembly line.

- Some ergonomic problems.

General Comments:

Although this is my first car, I have experienced driving different kinds of cars before. From MPV to sedan.

I bought the E trim, which is above the J trim and below the S trim. The J trim doesn't come with safety equipment, while the S trim has some features that I don't really need.

Personally, I think the newest facelift looks sporty. What I like about it is that it has rear spoiler as a standard feature. You don't get that in the Honda Jazz. I bought the silver one. I think silver looks fabulous.

The dealer hospitality is very good, although Toyota is the best selling car manufacturer in my country.

On the first day getting my car, I noticed some white spots on the spoiler. But it's not a big deal.

Many Yaris owners are complaining about the driving position. I had the same problem too at first, but after a few months I have found a nice seating position (note that I'm a very short guy). I like the seats; I think it's supportive. It's comfortable too. The fabric is soft and elastic.

Surprisingly it has spacious room inside for a small car. Although technically it's smaller than my dad's Corolla, but the legroom feels more spacious, probably because it's a hatchback, and hatchback is usually taller than sedan, so it has extra legroom. Well, that's my opinion.

Another surprise from Toyota is the storage room. There are plenty of storage places. My mum likes to put much stuff inside my car such as pens, pencils, notes, snacks, books, and many more. It's very rare to find a Japanese car with lots of storage places.

I like the design of the dashboard. But I don't really like the plastic. It feels scratchy, and when you close the storage door, you can hear a cheap sound. The plastic feels very hot during sunny days. But what do I expect from a car at this cost? I guess I can live with it everyday.

What I don't like about my car is the ergonomics. For example, the buttons on the centre console are hard to reach. My friend, whose mother also owns a Yaris said the same thing.

Another thing is the speedometer. It is located in the middle instead of in-front of the driver. It's kinda annoying sometimes, especially when I'm checking up the speed and fuel consumption, and sometimes it distracts my concentration to the road. The huge front pillar sometimes blocks my view, I almost crashed many times because of this. My friend who test drove my car also almost crashed because of this.

Another problem is the white arm rest. During sunny days, the white color is reflected to the side windows, causing a visibility problem to the side. Side visibility is very important in Indonesia, since the roads are very tight and there are many motorcycles overtaking.

Although it has many ergonomic problems, I still like this car. But I am hoping that Toyota should care more about ergonomics, especially for visibility. It's important for road safety.

Performance is okay. The 1.5 engine runs well. You get more power in lower gears. At higher gear, it starts to lose power, but it's still fast enough, and somehow in higher gears, the engine runs smoother. Probably because of the loss of the power.

Fuel consumption is excellent. Around 10 km/l. But if you drive it more often at higher gears (gear 3-5), maybe you can get better fuel consumption.

The automatic transmission is sometimes clumsy when shifting down and up. But what do I expect from a car at this price? Toyota said that the new Yaris has something called Eco Drive. I don't really know what that is, but I'm sure that it's more eco friendly.

Sometimes the gas feels too sensitive, and sometimes when I hit the gas, the car revs and freezes for a couple seconds, and then goes. Probably because of the automatic transmission. It take times to learn how to drive the car smoothly without revving a lot. In my opinion, it has unique performance.

One time I had an accident, and the dealer fixed my car very fast. In my country, Toyota's dealer service has a very good reputation. This is why most of them buy Toyota. Toyota cars here also have great resale value and running cost.

Overall, I like it. Although, I'm expecting Toyota to be more careful at ergonomics.