2009 Toyota Yaris

Five-door liftback adds cargo versatility to Toyota’s value-priced subcompact

By Nina Russin

2009 Toyota Yaris 5-Door Liftback

In 1994, I went to Japan to drive a Corvette between Tokyo and Kyoto for a magazine story. I wanted to see how the most iconic of American cars would perform in a culture vastly different than our own. While the Corvette turned plenty of heads, Tokyo’s narrow, traffic-filled streets were better suited for smaller cars.

Driving the Toyota Yaris stateside, I feel as if the shoe is on the other foot. Despite Toyota’s popularity here, few of the models we see in the US reflect the automaker’s Japanese roots as faithfully as the Yaris.

The Yaris’ diminutive scale is perfect for Japan’s two-lane rural roads, many of which are no wider than the average driveway.  Ditto for parking garages, where attendants use small cages to transport vehicles to the upper floors.

High fuel prices are a fact of life in Japan: the average price of gas in 1994 was about five dollars per gallon. I would rather have filled up the Yaris than the thirsty Corvette that preferred premium.

The Yaris interior reminds me of Japanese business hotels: designers make the most of its limited space with cleverly configured seats that fold and tumble, and small storage compartments around the passenger bay. Read the rest of this entry »