More Eco Friendly Cars,
Featuring The Toyota Yaris

Are You Looking For A Hatchback To Go Green?

Right side view of a blue Toyota Yaris on the street Although you may not have really liked the former Toyota Echo, Toyota has replaced it with a new eco friendly car, known as the Toyota Yaris. Everything about this vehicle has been stepped up by Toyota, changing the problem areas that the Echo used to have.

There are two versions of the Yaris, one a two door liftback/hatchback and the other a four door model, and each of these models were developed by different teams, which makes them quite different from one another.



When you look at the Liftback, you will probably find it to be quite cute. It has been described as looking happy, and while it is even smaller than the Echo coupe, the wheelbase on this vehicle is longer, which is helpful. The four door is a bit longer and lower, and it is wider as well, which gives it the look of a mini sport sedan. Red Toyota Yaris in the backyard Almost everything about the Liftback and the four door version are different. There are three glove-boxes within the Liftback and the instruments are mounted in the center as well. The rear seats in the back of the Lifeback recline and slide to give more legroom to the passengers in the vehicle. On the sedan, there are new features like color treatment that is two tone, front seats that are height adjustable, and more.

You can get the base level in the Yaris sedan or you can go with the S trim, which is the sporty version. If you choose the base model, you get a tilt steering wheel, air conditioning, vanity mirrors, and a drivers seat that is adjustable. With the S trim you will get lower body skirting, a rear seat that slips and folds down, a nice stereo and CD system, and instead of the 14 inch wheels, you'll get the nicer 15 inch wheels instead. You can choose a power package as well, which will give you cruise control, ABS breaks, power mirrors, power locks, power windows, and more.

When it comes to the Liftback, there is only one trim level available. You can however add the convenience package to the Liftback, which gives you a rear defroster, a stereo with CD player, and the 15 inch wheels. A step higher is the performance pack, which adds on the ABS breaking system, power features, rear seat that splits and folds down, and reclining and sliding rear seats.


Blue Toyota Yaris on display at the auto show

With the manual in the Toyota Yaris, it gets a feel that is sporty and peppy, the engine feeling smooth while you drive it. Whether you are idling or you are running out on the freeway, the gearshift in the vehicle feels smooth. Of course, the automatic is not as fun to drive, since you lose some of the performance, but it still does well getting up to higher speeds when you are on the freeway.

Although there is a lot of competition in this market, the Toyota Yaris is a smaller vehicle that definitely can compete with other similar cars in the market, definitely bypassing what the Echo used to be. It is well built, affordable, and has some excellent upgrades that you are sure to like.