Review: 2012 Toyota Yaris – fighting in a cut-throat segment

2012 Toyota Yaris LE 5 door
2012 Toyota Yaris LE 5-door in ‘Absolutely Red’

The 2012 Toyota Yaris was redesigned for the 2012 model year, and it needed it to be to remain competitive.  Does it have what it takes to compete in the crowded mini-car market?  Lets look at the details and find out.

Gone is the Yaris sedan that accompanied the previous generation hatchback.  The Yaris is now available in 3-door or 5-door hatch variations only.   Everything you see is new.  However, most of the stuff  you don’t see carries over from the previous car.  The design is a bit more athletic and also more mainstream.  The exterior has nice proportions and does not look as awkward as the previous generation.  The interior is completely transformed.  Gone are the center dash mounted gauges and so are the vertical climate control dials.  In their place are the traditional gauge cluster in front of the steering wheel, radio/stereo in the center, and the climate controls below.

2012 toyota yaris interior dash
2012 Toyota Yaris with the upgraded HD Radio and Bluetooth

I was a bit surprised when I looked at the gauges and saw an empty space where the tachometer should be.  The LE model makes due with no tach, but one is available on a more sport oriented Yaris SE.  My car had the upgraded stereo that has MP3, HD Radio, AUX and USB inputs, and Bluetooth phone connectivity.  However, I thought that the AUX/USB inputs that are located inside the glove box were difficult to locate and use.  One other noteworthy comment is that the 2012 Yaris has a single windshield wiper, with a whopping 30 inch blade.  It worked very well when I encountered rain and sleet; this wiper has excellent coverage.

The interior is a little tight and strangely similar in volume and feel to that of the Prius C.  Perhaps, it’s because these two cars share the same platform.  Nonetheless, my 4 year old Sophia and 1 year old Max fit comfortably in the back.  The LATCH child seat anchors were not as simple to reach as in the Prius C, but it was acceptable.

2012 toyota yaris engine bay

Now, lets get to the mechanical bits.  The redesigned Yaris makes use of the same 106 hp 1.5 liter 4 cylinder engine and 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic as before.  That’s right, it makes due with a 4-speed automatic.  I can understand why Toyota may have chosen to retain the older drivetrain in the new car.  For starters, it saved them a big load of development costs.  Also, it helps to maintain a lower MSRP.  Thrifty folks may point out that the older mechanicals are well-known, reliable, and have plentiful spare parts.  This is all good, until you start looking at the competition.  More on that a little later.

The Yaris feels good on the road.  The steering is well weighted and provides good feedback.  I would judge the steering feedback better than that of a Prius, although it’s not quite as much fun as a Mazda2.  The ride is good, especially considering the short wheel base of the car.  It won’t beat you up on a rough road.  I was also impressed by Yaris’ small turning radius.  It’s not as small as that of the Scion iQ, but it’s very maneuverable.  This car feels at home in tight parking lots and narrow street of a big city.

My test car was equipped with the 4-speed automatic and as such is EPA rated at 30/35 MPG for a combined 32 MPG.  My Yaris did better.  After a week of mixed city and highway driving, the computer read out showed an average of 36.4 MPG.  I traveled a total of 262 miles and the computer displayed another 57 miles of cruising range left over.

2012 toyota yaris in the snow

So far, the new Yaris is shaping up to be a good and solid little city car.  Is it enough to beat the numerous competitors?  I came up with no fewer than 11 other cars that can be cross-shopped against the Yaris.  This table is alphabetically sorted.

Starting Retail Price City/Hwy MPG Passenger Volume (cu-ft) Cargo Volume (cu-ft)
2013 Toyota Yaris $14,370 30/37 85.1 15.6
2013 Chevrolet Spark $12,245 32/38 86.3 11.4
2013 Chevrolet Sonic $14,800 26/35 90.6 19.0
2013 Ford Fiesta $14,200 29/39 85.1 15.4
2013 Honda Fit $15,325 27/33 90.8 20.6
2013 Hyundai Accent $14,795 30/40 90.1 21.2
2013 Kia Rio  $13,800 30/40 88.4 15.0
2013 Kia Soul  $14,400 27/35 102.3 23.7
2013 Mazda2 $14,720 29/35  87.1 13.3
2012 Nissan Versa  $14,670 26/31  94.3  13.8
2012 Nissan Cube $14,980 25/30 97.7 11.4
2012 Scion xD $16,100 27/33 84.5  10.5

This is the segment where every dollar, every mile per gallon, and every cubic inch is vitally important.  How does the Yaris compare?  There are three cars on this list with a lower starting price.  There are three other cars with higher MPG ratings.  And there are nine cars with bigger passenger volume.  The picture is growing grim after this competitive analysis.

On the TFLcar scale of:

  • Buy it!
  • Lease it!
  • Rent it!
  • … or Forget it!

I give it a Rent It!  My test 2012 Yaris LE 5-door carried a sticker price of $17,290 including delivery charges.  This price opens the door for all the other competitors.  Many are larger, some are more fuel efficient, some are more fun to drive, and some have a lower price.  The Yaris does not provide a good enough value proposition for me to rate it higher.  It is a good little car, but it does not stand out from the crowd.

Please enjoy this TFLcar video review of the 2012 Yaris:

Andre Smirnov
Andre Smirnov

 

Andre Smirnov is a life-long automotive enthusiast, writer, and software engineer. On the weekends – you may find him at a car show, an auction, watching a race, or tinkering with a car in the garage. When not working or spending time with the family – he often scours the internet and other media for various automotive, mechanical, and computer related information.