Any regrets?

[advocate]

My only regret is that the xD is a 1.8L and therefore probably a lot more fun to drive.

Also +6 for the sway bar and drop spings so as to not get blown over on a bridge, etc.

[why?]

Originally Posted by advocate

My only regret is that the xD is a 1.8L and therefore probably a lot more fun to drive.

Also +6 for the sway bar and drop spings so as to not get blown over on a bridge, etc.

y'all are so overstating this. The car is not that unstable in wind. try driving a conversion van...

[eht13]

Originally Posted by why?

y'all are so overstating this. The car is not that unstable in wind. try driving a conversion van...

I agree; this is often overstated around here. Many cars, and especially SUV's, are less stable in wind. I wonder if any prospective buyers who do not want to have to do any mods have been scared away by reading some of these posts.

[tomato]

Originally Posted by eht13

I agree; this is often overstated around here. Many cars, and especially SUV's, are less stable in wind. I wonder if any prospective buyers who do not want to have to do any mods have been scared away by reading some of these posts.

I really think the Yaris 's handling in the wind is worth mentioning, so people are prepared. Then again, I live on the coast, where the wind can be, ahem...

As far as scaring away prospective buyers, I don't know about that. I read mediocre reviews of the Toyota Yaris and still decided to take a chance because it looked like I could live with the negative and the positive elements far outweigh the negative

Also don't forget, we are also a consumer group and our feedback through forums like this one is invaluable information for Toyota and other auto manufacturers. There is no doubt in my mind that their marketing people at the very least pay attention to consumer feedback through boards like this one.

[eht13]

Originally Posted by tomato

I really think the Yaris 's handling in the wind is worth mentioning, so people are prepared. Then again, I live on the coast, where the wind can be, ahem...

As far as scaring away prospective buyers, I don't know about that. I read mediocre reviews of the Toyota Yaris and still decided to take a chance because it looked like I could live with the negative and the positive elements far outweigh the negative

Also don't forget, we are also a consumer group and our feedback through forums like this one is invaluable information for Toyota and other auto manufacturers. There is no doubt in my mind that their marketing people at the very least pay attention to consumer feedback through boards like this one.

But that's just it; I don't think the handling in the wind is as bad as people make it out to be, unless the hatchback is far worse than the sedan, which I doubt. To read some of these posts, you'd get the impression that the car is just unsafe without a rear swaybar.

Regarding mediocre reviews of the Yaris not scaring us away; well, true, but we are here so we obviously bought it anyway. There are surely readers of those websites and magazines who did put more stock in what they were reading and chose to buy something else. Their loss, in my opinion, but it is still a case of incomplete information leading people to make not-totally-informed buying decisions. Just yesterday, I read a new car review magazine with another mediocre review of the Yaris, where the author did not seem to be able to actually point out what they didn't like about the car, just that they didn't really like it... despite the great reliability and fuel economy that they acknowledged that it had. I just shook my head. I especially like the ones that criticize the driving/handling, but who may very well have not actually driven it, and just based what they wrote on assumptions.