Do you like the 2012 restyle?

[broody]

Originally Posted by roxy1

obsolete why? it doesnt look dramatically different from alot of 5 door hatches. as for the rest, id have to vehemently disagree having spent much time in both cars over the last 2 months.

the new accent is vastly better than the 12 yaris in almost every way, and most all reviewers and buyers do agree. it has enough interior volume to be classified as a compact by the epa..so quite a bit bigger than the yaris.

passenger volume: accent 90.1
yaris 84.4

cargo volume: accent 21.2
yaris 15.3

the accent with rear seats folded down has almost 50 sq feet of cargo volume.

as you can see, the numbers really arent very close. i can say sitting in both cars, its easy to tell the accent feels more like a compact car and the yaris a subcompact. saying the accent is not roomy in comparing it to the yaris would lead me to think a person hasnt really been in the new accent.

the interior plastics in the accent have a nice texture (unlike the bizarre and excessively cheap looking paper mache type plastic in the yaris) , the head unit looks modern versus the old square radio toyota shoved into a hole in the dash of the yaris), seats are bigger, and as a 6'+ driver i can verify the driving position is superior. the yaris steering wheel is built so close to the dash that to put ones seat where there is a proper reach to the wheel, ones legs are crammed in too tight.

the accent offers quite a bit more power and barely weighs more, offers better mileage whether auto or manual, has easily less road/engine noise and a far more refined feeling engine.

the one single thing i could say the yaris has over the accent is rear visibility, but not enough to worry about.

the whole reliability argument went out the window a good 5 years ago.

there is nothing wrong if one likes the looks of the yaris over other cars in the class or if someone just wants to own a toyota. however being objective as i can be (and i have been a toyota loyalist since getting my license 30 yrs ago), the yaris has fallen far behind the accent.

Obsolete because the shapes aren't really well defined, it looks like nothign and everything... But the yaris will be obsolete too with the next generation. Usually, german cars have a better design, they still look fine even when the new gen is released.

And I work for a restaurant, we had 2-3 accent (01 to 03 or so) before and after we got two echo hatchback (Canadian market) and a bunch of yaris now (no 2012 yet), and the accent defininetely wear faster. accent < yaris < echo.

And I can certify you that the yaris 2012 has more useful room for it's occupiants than the accent. Compared to the 06-11, the front seats are able to go more rearward, accomodating taller drivers than on the old models and all the competition but the Sonic. And even with the seats at rear most, there is still enough room in the back for adults. I'm 6'3'' and I tried them all in the back and front. The yaris is now just as good as the fit (better up front actually). I agree that the steering would need to be telescopic for an optimal driving position.

As for the cargo volume, I don't beleive the figures they give (mostly for hatchback cars), it's probably up to the roof, european measure are more significant. And I never said that the yaris has a big boot. Anyway, my mom has a Honda fit, so anything else seems small and badly designed for me.

The plastic texture is a matter of personal taste. The new texture of the hard plastics in the yaris reminds me of the one found in the more expensive Prius 3 and the Sienna, and they made the effort to put some soft touch plastic here and there. The only downside I could see is that the new plastic looks shiny, while the old one was mate, but then again, it's a matter of taste. I don't remember the plastics in the accent so well but they feel at least as cheap as on yaris to me, and there isn't any soft plastic.

I would probably agree about the noise and engine feel if I drive the Accent (I'll try to drive one soon), I was a bit disapointed by the noise level of the yaris 2012 (pretty much the same as the previous one). But the engine of the yaris feels all right for it's purpose and weight, and for the gas mileage, I will wait to see more consumer reports.

And for me, the fairly good visibility and the super short turning radius in the base yaris (since they ruined the SE) is still a major argument, especially for delivery since I make u-turns everywhere and park tight all the time.

But really, FOR ME, the major argument of the yaris, other than the reliability, is the driving position. I can't stand the position and lack of legroom in the echo and first yaris, just as I can't stand it in most cars in the segment (fit, fiesta, etc.). The new yaris is just so much better than before, and a quite comfortable and smooth ride even if noise level isn't the best. And I wasn't really expecting improvments there since Toyota is usually getting worse and worse, but they were able to keep most good arguments of the older yaris and to fix a few bad ones, especially driving position and legroom.