For the past few years, car shoppers looking for an inexpensive new car at a Toyota dealership would have been gently guided to the Echo. Had we been there, we would have whispered in those shoppers' ears, "Friends don't let friends drive Echos." Thankfully, it's been cut from the 2006 team roster and its replacement, the all-new 2007 Toyota Yaris, is a better vehicle in just about every regard.
Though the Toyota Yaris will be new to Americans, the 2007 model will actually be the start of the car's second generation. A first-generation Yaris was available in other markets, and it was Toyota's best-selling car in Europe. The 2007 Yaris is available as a two-door hatchback (named Liftback) and a four-door sedan. It is situated below the Corolla in Toyota's model lineup hierarchy and as such, is meant to appeal to the young and/or money-conscious consumer.
Toyota has put in extra effort to differentiate the two Yaris versions. The sedan is almost 20 inches longer than the hatchback and has a longer wheelbase. There's also more room for rear passengers in the sedan, though the hatchback can compensate nicely thanks to its optional rear seat that can be adjusted fore and aft. Toyota has even gone to the trouble of designing two distinct instrument panels. The Yaris sedan and hatchback share the same 1.5-liter, four-cylinder engine, and it's the same one that's featured in the Scion xA and xB. Pricing starts out pretty darn cheap: The Liftback's MSRP is right around $11,000 and the sedan with the top-shelf S trim is about $14,000.
