Motortrend : 2012 YARIS : 1st drive of ...

[MadMax]

Originally Posted by djct_watt

I think the majority of people don't buy it for the looks... The MAJORITY (and this forum is a tiny minority) buy it for the reputation, reliability, because it's a Toyota, the price, and the mileage.

Yes, it's a downgrade in many ways, but it's a bit over-assuming to think they give two poop nuggets about what we think here.

I disagree, and this article says that style is first reason consumers buy one new car over another.

Most people are visually oriented, and want things that please the eye. If functionality was the main reason most folks buy a vehicle, we'd all drive Jeeps and Subarus!

After style comes storage, that "new car smell" (), then the dashboard (which may explain why the Yaris is not more popular in the US, and why Toyota went back to the gauge cluster behind the steering wheel despite the center-mounted position being more practical), followed by the stereo system.

And while this forum may represent a small majority of Yaris owners statistically, it does represent a more passionate group of owners and I do think that Toyota does pay attention to what is discussed on here. I don't think it impacts every decision they make, but I would go as far as to say I believe there are Toyota representatives that monitor some of the discussions we have here and take notice of what's said. I know it's done on other vehicle forums, such as the Jeep one I'm on.

If they don't, they're missing out on a lot of great information about their vehicle!

Cheers! M2

[djct_watt]

Originally Posted by MadMax

I disagree, and this article says that style is first reason consumers buy one new car over another.

Most people are visually oriented, and want things that please the eye. If functionality was the main reason most folks buy a vehicle, we'd all drive Jeeps and Subarus!

After style comes storage, that "new car smell" (), then the dashboard (which may explain why the Yaris is not more popular in the US, and why Toyota went back to the gauge cluster behind the steering wheel despite the center-mounted position being more practical), followed by the stereo system.

And while this forum may represent a small majority of Yaris owners statistically, it does represent a more passionate group of owners and I do think that Toyota does pay attention to what is discussed on here. I don't think it impacts every decision they make, but I would go as far as to say I believe there are Toyota representatives that monitor some of the discussions we have here and take notice of what's said. I know it's done on other vehicle forums, such as the Jeep one I'm on.

If they don't, they're missing out on a lot of great information about their vehicle!

Cheers! M2

I would agree with you, but the problem is that this is car marketed at the bottom of the automotive food chain. It's not a Ferrari, it's not a Lexus, it's not even a Camry level car. It's a Yaris. The bell-curve responds far less to aesthetics. Heck, even the Element, xB(1st gen), and to a much lesser extent the Aztek sold due to their packages, not their aesthetic value. In this market, it has a much less heavy effect on buyers. Take a look at Versa sales, and the Versa is ugly as sin! Old Kia's, Hyundai's, Cobalts, Cavalaiers, Sunfires, and even Saturns all sold in reasonable amounts. . . The Corolla, Camry, or whatever the competitor Toyota had old sold them, not based on looks, but the overall package; which is where Toyota usually wins out.