New York Times Reviews Yaris...

[bronsin]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/10/au....html?hpw&_r=0

[Hershey]

Good find . Wish they would bring the YARIS hybrid here . Would consider it . The "C" seems lower and not much headroom in the rear . Getting old , can't do the limbo as in the younger days .

[Yarflana]

I wonder what the increased weight is between a gas Yaris vs. a hybrid Yaris, same exact model/build. Gotta be a lot.

On another note, I have a lot of choice words for the whole "goin' green" stuff, but will choose to retain a genteel flavor to my rhetoric.

[Hershey]

Battery does add weight . Helps with traction since it's right over the rear wheels . We had a 'Prius and that did very well in the snow . Took it to vacant parking lot in a snow storm and couldn't get the rear to come around . Owners claim the "C' is a great in the snow at Priuschat .

[DMZ]

"... with just 106 horsepower and 103 pound-feet of torque, Toyota’s hatchback is among the slowpokes of its class."

I never could figure out why HP and torque are even used as review criteria in the sub-compact/economy class. What do I care if I can not keep up with a 140 HP Sonic Turbo? I am not Dominic Toretto.

[fnkngrv]

Wow...they really love to bash on the Yaris that is for sure. Perhaps they need to get with the program themselves...let them see Garm's LB, my sedan, etc and then say that it doesn't have potential. NY Times have once again proven that they are among the most pompous elite out there. There are just too many things in this article to make comments on to even bother. Personally I find that I prefer the 07-11 models over the 12. It has lost its originality.


Here is the BIGGEST glaring issue of the article imho...with how they have built the first page of the article it doesn't lend to pushing folks to get to page 2.

[bronsin]

Yes they even had to trash the ECHO! Perhaps the best small car ever made. Examples with 150k on them are going for $5000 now. But they dont get it.

All they care about is "What do people think of me when they see me in this car?"

They are pathetic!

That someone could want a cheap, well built, reliable, car that gets high mpg doesnt seem to occur to them. Edmunds was very similiar in their review of both Yaris and ECHO.

That their owner surveys raved about the cars they were oblivious to. The great unwashed public is UNWORTHY!

I think their basic reasoning is....its not a BMW.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by fnkngrv

Wow...they really love to bash on the Yaris that is for sure. Perhaps they need to get with the program themselves...let them see Garm's LB, my sedan, etc and then say that it doesn't have potential. NY Times have once again proven that they are among the most pompous elite out there. There are just too many things in this article to make comments on to even bother. Personally I find that I prefer the 07-11 models over the 12. It has lost its originality.


Here is the BIGGEST glaring issue of the article imho...with how they have built the first page of the article it doesn't lend to pushing folks to get to page 2.

I agree with almost everything in your post (I do like the '12 and '13 SE 5-door better than the 2nd Gen 5-door (except for the dash) ). Even through the compliments, the author can (IMO) barely hide his disdain for cars that (if you caught him in an unguarded moment) he'd probably say are 'designed for the bridge and tunnel crowd'.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by bronsin

All they care about is "What do people think of me when they see me in this car?"

They are pathetic!

I agree that this attitude is pathetic, but the people are not necessarily pathetic. The author may not have diverse enough life experiences to have anything but a myopic point of view. If that is the case, in some ways I feel sorry for him.

The phrase 'all they care about' might be a bit hyperbolic. There are good, largely down to earth, people who still have a hard time getting away from that way of life completely. My aunt is a wonderful, sweet, caring person. She has volunteered at the nursing home my grandmother spent her last days in for over 20 years, visiting with the patients and helping the women 'feel pretty'. She will go to a simple (what her friends might call hole in the wall) restaurant if she likes the food and or the location. She loves to be outside. She loves to walk. She reads the daily word and takes it to heart. She loves to spend time with her grandchildren.....BUT....at the same time, she worries about going to the grocery store without looking as perfect as possible (and she's lived in the same place for 35 years). When her son (my cousin) got married, he and his wife paid for their own wedding and reception (their idea). The reception was at a place that was 'different than what was expected', and my aunt was worried about what some of her friends were going to think.

My grandmother (my aunt and my mother's mother) was the best person I have ever known. As my mother once put it, 'if your grandmother even thought she had possibly hurt someone's feelings it would ruin her day'. My grandmother was the most egalitarian person I have ever known, in every way possible. She would treat the person who cleaned her house and the CEO of a corporation in the same wonderful manner. She loved to laugh. She helped found several local charities. She loved her grandchildren, and welcomed all of our friends....BUT....at the same time she kept a book that listed her social events, what she wore, and who was there....so that no one (outside the family) would ever see her in the same outfit twice. I remember when her favorite salesperson at I. Magnin died, she panicked (she was indecisive re what to wear). My grandparent's house was so well built that if people were having a heated discussion inside, one couldn't hear them outside. The house was also on a fairly large lot, yet if my mother and I started to argue when visiting, my grandmother would say "Shhhh, the neighbors".

During the times when my parents weren't together, my dad had a fairly seedy life, so I got to see both extremes. In those moments, I was a bit self conscious about my dad's various situations, but I'm now glad I have that perspective. I find I'm more apprevciative and have more gratitude in my heart than many people I know.

P.S. Ultimately, My points are that: 1. Depending on your surroundings, there are varying degrees of difficulty removing oneself from the 'what will people think about....' mindset, and 2. That some people can still 'care what people think' in a few ways that are ultimately superficial (and don't really matter), but still be good, loving people.

[bronsin]

I didnt mean to highlight society as a whole just the people writing columns about cars!

Heres what they should say:

"I cant be seen in this car for social reasons but if you are interested in a small car this one has unequaled owner loyality and phenominal resale value!"

[Amdkt7]

The same fools who want 100 mpg cars also want them to be able to screech away from stop lights, go 0-60 in six seconds, and be fully loaded with power options and features.

I really would like to have more power. The Rio does, and specifies the same FE, however, the lower total cost of ownership sold me. Mostly the fact that it has a timing chain.... and much higher reliability.

[enviri]

riight...talking shit about acceleration, while I merge in NY highways having no issue accelerating to 80. This reviewer guy MUST be one of those assholes that drive up the saw mill pkwy with his audi/bmw. That road is full of em.

[Amdkt7]

It could be quicker, but treated right the Yaris gets over 40 mpg, some even hit 50. You can not blow the doors off of bigger cars and get that kind of mileage. They are not comparing it to cars in it's class.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by bronsin

I didnt mean to highlight society as a whole just the people writing columns about cars!

Heres what they should say:

"I cant be seen in this car for social reasons but if you are interested in a small car this one has unequaled owner loyality and phenominal resale value!"

,

[Jason@SportsCar]

The same paper that just had some issues with Tesla after a "review" of the Model S. Hard to imagine a paper in NY could review any car other than a cab.

[bentjazz]

The New York Times is evil....

[TOUGEghost]

They had good stuff to say about it on the second page. I guess not too many people made it that far?

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by TOUGEghost

They had good stuff to say about it on the second page. I guess not too many people made it that far?

I read the whole article. IMO, the praise could be likened to standing over what you perceive to be a turd on the pavement while holding your nose and saying complimentary things about the perceived turd.