Yaris: How Many RPMs @ 70mph?

[grampi]

I guess Highway RPMs is somewhat of a concern to me as it directly effects two things; fuel economy and engine longevity.

Before I became interested in the Yaris I was considering a Scion tC. While I love almost every aspect of the tC, it's geared extremely low. So low in fact, it turns 500-700 RPMs higher than does my Corolla in the same gear at a given speed. This wouldn't be that big of an issue to me if 95% of my driving wasn't spent on the highway.....but it is. After doing some research on the tC, I was finding out it only gets high 20s to low 30s MPG. Since I put roughly 3000 miles a month on my car, and the fact that the price of gas is just going to keep going up, that doesn't cut it. While Toyota builds some of the most durable engines in the world, I can't see the 2.4 liter tC engine lasting 200K-300K miles when it has to turn 3500-4000 RPM at highway speeds. That's a lot of mass having to spin so fast.

The Yaris seems to be geared more in line for my needs. Turning 3000-3500 RPMs for a 1.5 liter engine is right about where an engine of this size should be at highway speeds. I can easily see the Yaris engine lasting 200K-300K miles with normal care. It also seems to have the potential to achieve mileage figures of more than 40 MPG (depending on driving style), which is something the tC will never achieve.

I realize the tC is probably more of a sports car than is the Yaris, but the Yaris is sporty simply by virtue of its small size and light weight. And while the tC has a more classic sports car look, there's something about the Yaris LB's look that has this intregue I can't explain. To me, it's quite attractive.

At any rate, because I drive so much, I need a car that's as good on gas as possible, that'll last 200K-300K miles, and is comfortable enough for me to be able to spend 5 in hours at a time. I'm hoping the Yaris LB will meet these requirements.

[eTiMaGo]

Originally Posted by grampi

At any rate, because I drive so much, I need a car that's as good on gas as possible, that'll last 200K-300K miles, and is comfortable enough for me to be able to spend 5 in hours at a time. I'm hoping the Yaris LB will meet these requirements.

I think most of us here can say our cars fit those requirements almost perfectly.

The only discomfort that quite a few people are reporting is the position of the steering wheel, which is not telescopic, it can get tiring after a while because it is too far forward and you either have to sit very straight, or have your knees bent a lot. There are some people working on a steering wheel extension to remedy this, though, so all hope is not lost

[grampi]

Originally Posted by eTiMaGo

I think most of us here can say our cars fit those requirements almost perfectly.

The only discomfort that quite a few people are reporting is the position of the steering wheel, which is not telescopic, it can get tiring after a while because it is too far forward and you either have to sit very straight, or have your knees bent a lot. There are some people working on a steering wheel extension to remedy this, though, so all hope is not lost

That might work out well for me since I have the arm length of an orangutan!