My Thoughts On My New Yaris Hsd

[Hybrid-Harry]

Well I've had my brand new Yaris hybrid for 10 days now, time for my thoughts. The car is a bog standard Excel with 16" wheels and no extras.

When I took out the Yaris HSD on demo for the day (4782 miles on the clock), I reset the AVG to zero and when I finished for the day my MPG readout was 69.1. After driving my new one for 243 miles the AVG fuel readout on the dash is 58.8, that's from when I drove it away from the dealers to now. I live 6 miles from a city and 4 of them are on a dual carraigeway so all in all I find that reasonable for the miles I have done so far, as the engine is still tight, although I don't think you will ever get the makers claimed MPG. The sad thing is I'M GETTING TO LIKE TRAFFIC !.

The first thing I did when I got it home was to give the whole car a coat of Collinite 845, coating paintwork, wheels and glass, mainly because where I live I get a lot of tree sap in the air. Whilst doing this I found the car to be more tinny than I expected with a few rattles when taping around the rear valance which I think is due to the type of plastic fixings used and again the front fog surrounds. The doors don't sound solid when you close them, but apart from the use of a lot of plastics the build quality and under floor protection is good, as you would expect on a NCAP 5 rated vehicle.

The screen on the TOUCH 2 is nice to view with a decent sound quality, and after reading other posts, I checked the software version to see if was up to date.

http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/166399-dab-radioproblem/?p=1381785

It looks like the software on new cars has been done. The bluetooth sync with my HTC One was not a problem, but using my USB stick loaded with MP3's resulted in me having to set out the folders differently. The parking camera is very good once you get to know just how far the lines actually are, (RED = 50cm/19.5") (FIRST BLUE = 1m/40") (FAR BLUE 3.95m/13') ( WIDTH 2.55m/8' 4").

The cruise control makes driving easier and aids in keeping the MPG high, but the position of the stalk needs more thought as it rotates with the steering wheel. As for the position of the tyre pressure sensor reset button, you need a torch to find it.

The dashboard has a nice feel to it, but there is nowhere to mount a SatNav or camera except on the windscreen because of the soft finish, not everyone want's to pay the extra for a TOUCH 2 & GO when they already have a TomTom.

The feel of the brake pedal seemed inadequate to start with until you realise the first section of foot pressure is regenerative braking, but you soon get used to it by braking lighter and earlier.

I tested the tyre pressure pump in the repair kit against a calibrated guage, when the pump registered 30 PSi (following the user guide instructions) there was actually 33.4 PSi in the tyre. A note to anyone who has not used the repair kit, once you re-inflate a tyre using the repair solution, many tyre fitting shops refuse to repair them, and opt for new replacements. Another point, Why Toyota has used "F" rated, noisy, ECO tyres I don't know, cost I suppose, I certainly won't replace with like for like when the time comes for new ones, and I do wish dealers wouldn't use tyre dressing on new tyres, it flings off onto the wheels, rotors and bodywork.

When I first read up on the Yaris HSD, I decided to order one, then I saw on Fuelly how little MPG others were getting and it started "Buyer's regret". But now I have one, and am getting a good MPG, it makes me wonder how others are driving them or even if they should have bought a HSD to start with.

[rrockettman]

I've had mine for 4 days now, a 2013, so pre run in.

I agree with your comments on the doors and bodywork. I had a Civic prior to this and the Yaris is a step or two down from that.

I was getting excited on the way home tonight as I thought I'd hit the average 70mpg mark, then realised it was how far I'd driven since I reset it!

It's showing 56mpg so far, still learning how to make the most of it's fuel sipping abilities.

I had a Daff 33 many years ago and that had the same sort of infinite improbability drive, so no problem there and it's nice to left foot brake again!

I'm looking forward to a few years of cheap and trouble free motoring.

[FROSTYBALLS]

I agree with your comments on the doors and bodywork. I had a Civic prior to this and the Yaris is a step or two down from that.

The Yaris is one market sector down from the Civic, so the build quality as regards the doors and bodywork will be different. Compare the Yaris to the Jazz, or the Civic to the Auris.

[rrockettman]

I know what you are saying but don't think the quality of the car should depend on it's size

I drove a new Mini a couple of weeks ago and that felt like a quality car, solid and well put together.

It's down to price and where the money is spent.

It seems to me that Toyota spend their budget on building a car that is going to be reliable over the long term, not just the first 3 years, where as the Mini's budget is on style rather than substance.

That's why I bought a Toyota, I need a car that will be reliable and has a good dealer network.

[CPN]

...so no problem there and it's nice to left foot brake again!

I wouldn't have thought that that was good driving practice? Especially not in a Hybrid? I can understand the use of left foot braking when you have more of a direct connection with the brakes via the pedal (I come from a Rallying background in the past...) but you don't have that in a Hybrid Yaris...

[CPN]

That's why I bought a Toyota, I need a car that will be reliable and has a good dealer network.

Exactly why I bought mine...

[rrockettman]

...so no problem there and it's nice to left foot brake again!

I wouldn't have thought that that was good driving practice? Especially not in a Hybrid? I can understand the use of left foot braking when you have more of a direct connection with the brakes via the pedal (I come from a Rallying background in the past...) but you don't have that in a Hybrid Yaris...

On the narrow and overgrown country lanes on my drive home, we have a local idiot that treats them like a rally stage. I don't fancy meeting his Discovery and stock box as he comes tearing down the hill and round the blind bend because he thinks he's the only one using the road!

I don't push on on these lanes but find left foot braking does reduce the risk of being a victim as the distance travelled from lifting off the throttle and braking is shorter.

[Sidrat]

Hybrid-Harry, how did you have to change the folders for your MP3 to work? I have a USB stick full of music I used on the old Yaris Touch system but the Touch 2 will not recognise it to get the albums and playlists on screen.

[CPN]

For your MP3 library to work, it needs to be in the form that Windows Media Player (and others) saves it to by default and that is:

Artist (folder) ---> Album Title (folder) ---> Tracks

|------------> Album Title (folder) ---> Tracks

In other words, each artist has their own base folder and their specific albums branch within it. This way, the head unit will be able to make sense of the whole collection...

[CPN]

Here's a pictorial representation if it helps...

[Tiziano]

I've recently bought a 4yr old, yet just 10.000km, Yaris model 1.3 VVT-1 twin with S&S. Pratically as a brand new car.

These my impressions and experiences

Positive points:

- nice body and perfect varnishing;

- very comfortable seats;

- very still while cruising;

- precise steering

- powerful brakes;

- very elastic motor.

Now the negative ones:

- only one lock over four doors;

- the door lock opens in clockwise direction (opposite way compared to usual) while the back door opens counterclockwise;

- ECO S&S cannot be disabled and when stopped in the traffic, in front of my home gate or while opening the garage door, the car stops in 0sec (it also stopped 5 times during a parking operation);

- when S&S stops, sometime it gets in conflict with driver operations thus lighting "engine fault" warn and impeding restarting for 20-30sec (it happened frequently while waiting in front-line of a crosslight: a real disaster!!!);

- the first gear won't enter (idling it or trying the reverse or the second gear doesn't always help);

- the cockpit central display is very difficult to read (on the right hand, to far from eyes and directly flashed by the vertical mid-day sun).

- the gas "reserve" indication is very... "reserved" (it doesn't want to bother ...yet waiting to see you stuck with empty tank!!!)

- the little trays on the central column sides have slots where coins and keys fall in with no chances to retrieve them.

Well, a GOOD car with little yet bothering flaws!!!

[FROSTYBALLS]

The stop/start system can be temporarily disabled by using the Eco switch. How are you trying to restart the car when the stop function of the stop/start activates?

[Tiziano]

The car starts always with S&S enabled. So, if you forget to disable it (as usual...) at the first stop the engine goes off and when it does it if you try to avoid it by cicking down it goes in "engine fault".

I'm not against S&S but it should...

- be deselectable as a default;

- have a configurable delay to activate;

- have a configurable number of driving stops before enter in a "in-line" S&S logic;

- warn with a beep before stopping the engine.

The way it is now, doesn't save anything yet wearing the Battery, the start motor and... driver nerves.

Ciao,

Tiz

SP: would be nice to have a car with the logic I suggest and compare with a standard one the ratio among "stop time" over "number of stops".

[FROSTYBALLS]

The car starts always with S&S enabled. So, if you forget to disable it (as usual...) at the first stop the engine goes off and when it does it if you try to avoid it by cicking down it goes in "engine fault".

I'm not against S&S but it should...

- be deselectable as a default;

- have a configurable delay to activate;

- have a configurable number of driving stops before enter in a "in-line" S&S logic;

- warn with a beep before stopping the engine.

The way it is now, doesn't save anything yet wearing the battery, the start motor and... driver nerves.

Ciao,

Tiz

SP: would be nice to have a car with the logic I suggest and compare with a standard one the ratio among "stop time" over "number of stops".

Yes I did say using the Eco button temporarily disables the stop/start function - the system resets when the ignition is turned off.

To restart the engine after the stop function has operated, one should fully depress the clutch pedal, select first gear and the engine restarts straight away. If you're doing something different, you're not operating the feature correctly. If the engine doesn't restart after fully depressing the clutch pedal and selecting first, there could well be a fault with the car.

The owners manual explains the parameters the stop/start system operates within.

Since 2009, I've had two Auris 1.33's with the same system, had no issues with the stop/start system, found car to be more economical than my previous 1.4 Corolla and found the Auris to be more relaxing to drive in city traffic

[Sidrat]

I will try that, thanks.

[Sidrat]

OK, got the media player to list Albums, Artist etc, how do you get it to do Playlists? Also on my old Yaris it would show the Album Art, now it does not? I contacted Toyota UK about all this, got a reply back, "As this query is of a technical nature please contact your nearest dealership", so Toyota UK know nothing about the technicalities of their cars!!

[Hybrid-Harry]

I thought you made up the playlists on the USB stick using a PC and notepad, making up a .m3u file

[Sidrat]

Yes you do, on the old Touch system the playlists had to be in Windows Media Player format .wpl with the same name as the folder it was in. The Touch 2 does not recognise these, but saying that as previously stated it did not recognise the USB stick file format I used on my old Yaris, it will play files but nothing appears when you press browse. What I ment Hybrid-Harry was in what format and where do you place Playlists for them to be recognised by the Touch 2.

When I first got my last Yaris Hybrid I got all the info to do with USB playback etc from a Prius forum, Toyota seem to be lacking in coming forth with detailed information in this area. I have contacted my dealership as suggested by Toyota UK and await a reply, I will keep the forum posted.

[Hybrid-Harry]

Just a thought, have you tried using a playlist generator such as oddgravity.

EDIT: 13.30 I thought I would just try it myself, and no it will not read the playlist.

[Bemused2]

Sidrat, please do keep us informed as to the Dealership reply as to making a playlist. Touch 2 usb must be the only consumer electronic device without instructions on how to set up and operate the frigging thing.

[Sidrat]

Well, as I thought the dealership did not know, one sugestion was for the file to be MP4 format but that does not answer the Playlist and Album Art questions. They have given me the number for Toyota UK customer services, and we all know what customer services anywhere are like, most of the time give you a run-around and useless. I will try them next week and see what they come up with.

[Hybrid-Harry]

I tried making a playlist today. I wrote it with notepad and saved it as an m3u file. It contained 3 albums and I picked 1 song from each and it worked a treat until the last song then it just repeated that song over and over and would not let me restart the list.

Something isn't right with the TOUCH2, because it worked perfectly in my friends VW when we tried it this evening.

[Sidrat]

I have found the detailed instructions for the Touch 2 - - it is noted as navigation on their web site under owners manuals. The bit on USB media states as with the older Yaris Hybrid that Winamp m3u files are not recognised! I have now sent a bit of a snot-o-gram back to Toyota UK about the lack of information about this matter, I await their reply. In the mean time I will continue playing around with file formats etc. Will keep you informed.

[CPN]

Pages 54 through to 57 lists all the specs... I think I am right in saying that because the Touch2 is iPhone/iPod certified, the only playlist type it will recognise "out of the box" is when you plug in an iPhone or an iPod and of course the format of these is proprietary to Apple. M3u format is a bit of a mystery because on pages 56 & 57, reference is made to it but the main clue is in the statement "M3u playlists are not compatible with the CD player", to the fact that the software still thinks that all music sources are coming from a CD!!

I think it's time that Toyota (and a lot of other car manufacturers actually!) realised that iPhones/iPods represent a small minority of the mobile marketplace which is overwhelmingly dominated by Android devices!

[Sidrat]

Well I got a reply from Toyota UK, was not expecting it until next week, here it is -

Thank you for your email to Toyota.

In response to your query, I am sorry we are unable to answer your query as we are not technically trained to do so.

Your Toyota Centre is your point of contact for any technical queries like the one you have listed. If they do not know the answer you can request they contact the technical helpline for dealers at Toyota Head Office. Unfortunately this technical helpline is only available to the dealerships.
Further to that this type of technical information is certainly available from the Technical Department at Toyota (GB) Head Office. However, please be aware that due to the nature of the information you are looking for, this is chargeable.

You can either contact the Technical Department at Head Office via telephone, or access the information via the Technical website. For your convenience, I have stated the details below:

Telephone: 090 6661 0061
Website: www.techdoc.toyota-europe.com

If we can be of any further assistance please feel free to contact us on 0344 701 6202.

Yours sincerely,

So by this they might charge me to obtain information on how to use an item I have paid thousands of pounds for, good customer service or what. Although not the best analogy this would be like buying a PC and then having to pay again to get information about how a part of the operating system works, they tell you it's there but keep the info only to themselves on how to use it.

Might try and find the CEO for Toyota UK and write directly to him, go straight to the top.

Will keep you posted. :ffs:

Quick info, I tried the web link, could not get it to work!