Didn't buy; awkward shifting?

[MadMax]

OK, time for my two cents…

For one, if you actually watch that video on the Smart car crash, you will see it did pretty well for a car of its size involved in a collision like that! I drove a ForFour as a rental in Germany for a week and it was a pretty good car; but the ForTwo they sell in the US has too many points against it in my book. For one, it requires premium gasoline, offsetting the cost benefits of better mileage. Secondly, there is absolutely no storage space whatsoever, and although the Yaris may be small it at least offers some carrying capacity (especially the liftback). Thirdly, the dimensions of the car, tall with a very short wheelbase, would concern me during spirited driving. I see it as a city car period, and seeing them on the Texas highways reminds me that they aren’t in their element in those situations.

As for the Yaris in an automatic, I love mine and whereas it may not be as “fast” as a manual (in relative terms), it can be manually shifted to some degree. However, as the car is primarily a commuter, the auto works perfectly for me. If I want performance and the ability to control what gear I am in as well as use a clutch, I will jump on one of my motorcycles…

And if you think a manual Yaris shifts like shit, try a Jeep Wrangler! That is another reason I went with the auto in my LJ...

Cheers! M2