Debate Yaris vs. Smart Car Please help!

[staticorex]

Originally Posted by Loren

Jetta TDI.

I love the Yaris, but that is the end of the discussion, unfortunately.

If you like your Jetta, the TDI version will solve all of your problems.

And your car won't sound like "whooooooooooooo" It'll "Vroooom" :p

[MadMax]

Originally Posted by Loren

Jetta TDI.

I love the Yaris, but that is the end of the discussion, unfortunately.

If you like your Jetta, the TDI version will solve all of your problems.

Loren

I would almost agree with ya as I seriously considered the Jetta SportWagen TDI back when diesel was considerably higher than gasoline. But I did the math and found that it would take eight years to reach the break even point as compared to the regular gasoline-engined Jetta wagon.

Plus, to get one equipped the way I wanted I was looking at $24-26K and figuring I picked up my Yaris for $16K I thought it was a better deal.

But I bought my car mainly as an inexpensive commuter. We have five vehicles and Sprocket is mainly just to get me back and forth to work, and to run a few errands here and there. For that it is perfect.

Cheers! M2

[marcus]

this should be IQ vs smart.. yaris is not on the same catagory..

plus ur on yaris thread..mostlikely yaris will win this..

smart is too small and noisy due to its diesel engine although its pick up is pretty impressive but its limited to i think 130 or 140 km/hr

[tuckevalastin]

You don't ask this question on a Yaris forum and expect any sort of fair review. That being said I'd go with the Yaris and that is a completely unbiased opinion.

[ROCKLAND TOYOTA]

Originally Posted by Tamago

scion, yes, and hopefully out this summer!

if it's priced where it SHOULD be (under 12,000 dollars) i'll pick one up. i need a new project :D

doesn't look like this year and i heard mid 15's to start.....

[SailDesign]

Let's see...
The Yaris is cheaper to buy, eats cheaper gas, has more interior volume, better performance, better gearbox, an from the original figures, got better gas mileage on top of it all. Plus, its spares are Toyota-priced, not Mercedes....

No contest.

[wooverstone8]

Another advantage to getting a Yaris is that Toyota is offering (at least in my region) $1000 cash back. I don't think Smart is giving any rebates or incentives?

[supmet]

Nobody bothered to mention the smart car is a death trap?? weird

[SpaceShot]

I would have to say Yaris. I ran a spreadsheet analysis comparing Prius, Yaris, Fit, Smart 4/2, and Mini, for 3 months before buying the Yaris a year ago. The premium fuel additional expense eats up the mileage benefit for both the Smart and the Mini. And if you check here as well as Fueleconomy.gov, you will see larger percentages of Yaris owners beating EPA rating than for the others.
(but I don't deny that the Mini isn't fun to borrow or rent for the weekend...)

I do 120 miles/day of country 2 lane and freeway driving, averaging 40-45 Mpg each commuting trip. I have even done some careful FE runs and duplicated my trip record of 52.5 Mpg. My coworker gets 44-54 Mpg in his Prius for a much shorter commute.

Even though my prior ride was paid for and getting 23 Mpg on the commute, at $3.70 gallon and 42+ Mpg, the fuel savings of the Yaris pays for the loan expense. Not to mention having avoided some major maintenance expenses that were soon to come after 166K miles on the other vehicle.

I am putting just $30/week into the Yaris tank. (compared to $75+ before)
Fortunately for me, the Yaris has the same engine and wheels as my wife's first gen Scion XB, which makes it even more cost effective to do my own tire and oil changes and any other basic maintenance.

On a business trip to Bern, Switzerland I saw a lot of Smart cars in the city, but Opel and others in the outlying areas. If you want the most economy and might do at least some of your own maintenance, get the Yaris. If you only ever get dealer service and style or character is important, you might still consider the Smart.
But certainly rent one or get an extended test drive and try on at least a good portion of your daily route.

[Sirius-XM]

One issue that comes to mind is driver fatigue. The Smart 1.0 liter engine has to work harder to maintain highway speed. While OK for city/surburban driving the drone of the Smart's engine would take it's toll on longer trips. Even the Yaris is hard on longer trips.

Back in my younger days I had a 1972 Volkswagen Super Beetle. I drove that thing all over the Northeast. It was excellent no frills driving and it was rust not mechanical problems that did it in. It was very tiring at times. The Yaris is much more comfortable that the Bettle was. Still I probably wouldn't want to make those same trips today. Maybe I'm getting older <VBG>.

[Sirius-XM]

Originally Posted by supmet

Nobody bothered to mention the smart car is a death trap?? weird

It's actually not. The Smart is built around a safety cage that absorbs the impact of the crash. I have seen some (Mercedes sponsored) crash videos and it held up remarkable well. One thing it has going for it is less weight means less inertia. Of course, that won't help if your caught between two SUVs

[supmet]

Originally Posted by Sirius-XM

I have seen some (Mercedes sponsored) crash videos and it held up remarkable well.

IT holding up well is what you don't want in most serious accidents. If that was the goal everything would still be solid steel. Crumple zones are necessary to absorb the impact - the smart, and I'm sad to say, the IQ as well, are just too small to have proper crumple zones. Either solid objects(cars, walls, etc) will enter the cabin, or you'll hit lethal forces on deceleration. There is no magic way around this. Barring ablative car armor or honeycomb aluminum, the yaris is about as small as you can get and have a good chance of surviving ALL types of highway crashes.

[Sirius-XM]

From the Smart website

"The smart fortwo meets or exceeds all federal government crash test standards, including a 5-star side crash rating, and the highest scores for front and side crashes from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety."

"Te highlight of the safety management system is the tridion safety cell. The safety cell is made from steel, half of which is high-strength material, especially in highly stressed areas. The cell is designed to keep occupants protected. The reinforced steel and the design of the car, including the wheel bases, allow the distribution of the crash energy."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnVNUvixWUQ

[tk-421]

Originally Posted by tuckevalastin

You don't ask this question on a Yaris forum and expect any sort of fair review. That being said I'd go with the Yaris and that is a completely unbiased opinion.

+1

[aeipee13]

Originally Posted by staticorex

Well the Yaris will have more cargo room if you would ever need it. But if mpg is the only thing you care about... Hope that helps.

doesn't the yaris get better mileage? i read somewhere that even though the smart is listed at 33 city and 40 highway it isn't true. Reason is because the engine is so small you spend a lot of time on the pedal even compared to the Yaris.

[Yaris Hilton]

Heck, I went to the Toyota place pretty much set on buying a liftback Yaris, till I compared the liftbacks and sedans side by side and saw how much more I could carry in a sedan. No way I could get by with a Smart. When I rode motorcycles with no luggage capacity, at least I could wear a backpack. The Yaris sedan works as well for hauling cargo home from the grocery store, Wal-Mart, etc. as the big Volvo 850 Turbo sedan I traded off. And it can capably handle some especially bulky recreational equipment I like to haul on occasion.

[Airforce1]

Thank you for everybodys feedback. After some careful consideration and everyones responses i will be going for the yaris! I hope to be posting pictures soon!!

[Astroman]

Yay!