Topic: Fit vs. Yaris vs. ???

[rrocket]

Well..that's 120+ to the wheels on pretty much stock everything...

[The Mighty Duck]

Well..that's 120+ to the wheels on pretty much stock everything...

Which is pretty good.  The torque curve looks a lot better, too, so you'd probably feel the gains there more than anywhere.    But with an increase in boost and whatever engine mods are needed to support it, the Fit could be a lot of fun. 

I thought about "one day" doing a swap to a K24 (TSX) mill into a Fit, but why bother when the stock motor can probably be made to put out the same or better numbers, probably for less money?

[tpl]

I doubt that mrs tpl would agree, but for me a 200 bhp Fit with some serious suspension work  and decent rubber would be just the ticket ( ooops!) to replace the BMW.  I'd also want a 6mt for quiet cruising together with a quiet ( non-fart can) exhaust.


Demo I am going to drive around trying to detect this rev hanging thing... in both cars.

[Ex-airbalancer]

I would just keep your '99 for 2 years until you are finished school, and let it get eaten by the salt in Kingston

When you done get a new car with a grad discount
I have some 17" winter tires I can sell you 

[hoodlum]

I am surprised no one mentiond the positioning of the centre dash in the Yaris.  I found it more distracting when glancing at my speed.

[dorin]

I would just keep your '99 for 2 years until you are finished school, and let it get eaten by the salt in Kingston

  It seems to make much more sense to bring the old car out east than to buy a new car to drive in the salty slush.

[Zoo]

I am surprised no one mentiond the positioning of the centre dash in the Yaris.  I found it more distracting when glancing at my speed.

I felt the same way as well and kind of fought the instrumentation during the test drive. With more time in the car I got used to it and now find the central instrumentation really easy to live with.

Now, if only the Yaris had a temperature gauge! Maybe they will add one later this gen or for the next gen version.

[rrocket]

I am surprised no one mentiond the positioning of the centre dash in the Yaris.  I found it more distracting when glancing at my speed.

If you find glancing at a speedo in the center (you know, the same general areas where the radio and HVAC controls are) distracting, you probably should not drive....

I've never understood the people who have a problem with the central location.  You look in the center for everything...radio, HVAC, rear view mirror, ash tray, cigarette lighter you name it. Maybe it has something to do with left brain/right brain people??

I never bothered me in the least in my Echo, and seemed quite natural to just glance to the center.

[mmret]

But if you sit on the left...the center of the car is not the center of your view.

[The Mighty Duck]

It actually takes less effort to look to the right than it does to look down, though.  Since you look to the centre of your lane anyway...  *shrug*  Interestingly, when I asked the salesperson why Toyota went this route, she said it was a safety feature - I was very tempted to ask "if it's safer, why don't the Corolla, Camry, etc. have centre clusters?"  My understanding is that centre gauges are a cost-saving measure - no need to wire the cluster for LHD and RHD and all that...

I found the centre gauges easy enough to live with, but I still prefer the normal approach with the gauges on the driver's side.

As to holding onto the Civic for a while longer: that is certainly an option, and one that I was considering.  But the possibility of getting into something newer came up, and while it's not set in stone, I'd be silly to refuse a good opportunity when it comes along.    Plus, a new car would be far more comfortable if I chose to drive out, and during the summer months in Ontario.

[Zoo]

I really hated central instrumentation before we got the Yaris. Now that I have gotten used to it I have come to like it. The glovebox in front of the driver is genious as well. The perfect place to keep my sunglasses, gloves etc. The upper glove box on the passenger side is perfect for CDs etc and the lower one on the passenger side is great for the owner's manual, extra maps etc.

The central instrumentation really ceases to be any issue after a couple of hours driving. I actually have to adjust more when going back to the Chevelle and Civic now! 

Perhaps it is just a cost savings measure to facilitate left and drive hand versions with one dash mold. Who knows... Either way the car is awesome and the Sedan would have made an easy primary car choice for us. As it is the hatch is the ideal second car choice for us with its excellent fuel economy, ample storage space with the rear seats folded, and fun driving dynamics. We have no regrets with our decision to buy a Yaris.

[rrocket]

The central instrumentation really ceases to be any issue after a couple of hours driving. I actually have to adjust more when going back to the Chevelle and Civic now! 

OMG...it's so funny you say that....I do the same thing when I get in the Supra!!  Does that mean the central gauges feel more natural to us?

[Zoo]

Good question!

I am driving the Civic about 85% of the time and am lucky to get a few hours saddle time in the Yaris when I can pry it away from my wife.

I really thought that central instrumentation was stupid etc. Yet, in practice it seems to work really well and the efficient packaging it allows (e.g. glovebox in front of the driver) is awesome!

As others have said I am checking my rear view mirror constantly so it is only a slight glance downwards to check my speed on the central pod. When sitting in a showroom or at the car show it seems really off (central instrumentation). Yet, when actually driving it seems to flow really well.

The "optitron" Lexus like gauges in my Yaris are killer too! So easy to see day or night. A temperature gauge would be nice though. They could easily fit another LED gauge next to the fuel gauge in the Yaris. Again other things for Toyota to tweak as time goes on.

[rrocket]

I agree 100%.  I may seem "odd" in the showroom, but it really works well and is very practical on the road..

[hoodlum]

I am surprised no one mentiond the positioning of the centre dash in the Yaris.  I found it more distracting when glancing at my speed.

If you find glancing at a speedo in the center (you know, the same general areas where the radio and HVAC controls are) distracting, you probably should not drive....

I find it amazing that people feel they need to put down others if they have a differing opinion.   

I look down at my speedometer/tachometer (standard) much more often than my radio/AC controls (usually set it once for me).

[mmret]

It actually takes less effort to look to the right than it does to look down, though.  Since you look to the centre of your lane anyway...  *shrug*  Interestingly, when I asked the salesperson why Toyota went this route, she said it was a safety feature - I was very tempted to ask "if it's safer, why don't the Corolla, Camry, etc. have centre clusters?"  My understanding is that centre gauges are a cost-saving measure - no need to wire the cluster for LHD and RHD and all that...

Its not less effort if it pisses me off.

Center of the lane, 50+ meters ahead is not nearly as far to the right as the center cluster.

Anyways I think we can almost all agree that it is brutally annoying and is just a cost saving measure.

[Ex-airbalancer]

Miss the HUD that was in the Grand Prix, that was really nice