Wow! I want this car - new, little car from Toyota.

[leftyladyfrommo]

Just over 9 feet long. Will seat 3 adults and one child. And it is cool looking.

I have a Toyota Yaris now and it is pretty little - but this one is even smaller. I wonder what kind of gas mileage.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=481263&in_page_id=1770

Link working now.

[rox63]

1. Link not working

I clicked on the link and got "Article not found"

[bdamomma]

2. sharp looking car!

[leftyladyfrommo]

4. It's cute. Kind of like the one they drove in the Divinci movie.

Didn;t care for the movie but I sure liked the little car.

[Ediacara]

50. That was a Smart Car

http://www.smartusa.com/

They're also featured in a lot of Nintendo Wii ads.

[SoCalDem]

15. reminds me of an athletic shoe n/t

[Gruenemann]

3. try this?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=481263&in_page_id=1770

[hlthe2b]

5. cute...!

What does it run on?


My big doggie girl would like the fact you can configure it to a two-seater with extra room in back! She loves to ride shotgun, but the darned airbags make it necessary to put her in back...LOL

[kestrel91316]

6. How do you like your Yaris? I am thinking about getting one

when I finally retire my 1988 Accord........

It's just me, and I don't carry passengers much, so I don't need tons of steel to haul me around......

[leftyladyfrommo]

9. I really like my Yaris.

I am a pet sitter so I drive a lot - sometimes 150 miles a day.

So far my Yaris has just been fine - and it is fun to drive. I put the back seat down and have plenty of room to put stuff. And plenty of room up front, too.

I get about 36 miles to the gallon in it.

[krispos42]

16. The auto magazines generally give higher marks to...

the Nissan Versa and Honda Fit, IIRC

Here's a comparison article. Enjoy!

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/compact/112_0608_economy_car_comparison/

[greatauntoftriplets]

31. My sister has a Versa and loves it.

It is actually bigger on the inside than her old Altima. Last Saturday, there were four tall adults in that car (I am 5' 10") and we all had plenty of leg room.

[stanwyck]

17. I also have a Yaris, but

it's taking me a while to adjust. I've always had Volvos, so the Yaris is quite a change. The gas mileage is great. But I sure do miss the little perks. No keyless entry. No alarm. (I just got broken into for the first time.) Also, it's a bit awkward. Not sure why there's a cup holder in the upper left corner...unless you're a leftie. Overall, the car seems designed by someone who has never driven one before.
I was just trying to be a little more green. Plus, it was so darn cheap. Having no car payment is nice. I just wish I could acclimate a little more quickly.

[benddem]

21. What is

a yaris? On Edit Never mind I googled it. Cute. I drive a Prius.

[LiberalHeart]

49. I bought a Yaris for all those reasons ... big mistake.

When I saw it, loved the wind-up toy appearance, loved the mileage, loved the size.

But reality set in once I owned it: The seat felt hard and uncomfortable. The back was unyielding, offering no way to get comfortable. The neck rest fit all wrong. The driver's seat belt can't be adjusted on the shoulder to keep it from cutting into the neck (at least that was the fit on me and nothing could be done about it).

Climate control was impossible. It was always too hot or too cold and the air didn't distribute properly. It operated a lot like the old VW bugs that had a heater that aimed in one spot (on the driver's heel, in that case). In the Yaris, the airflow was toward the face, and if you aimed the it elsewhere, you got no benefit from it. The side windows fogged relentlessly when it rained. Couldn't see, and couldn't make the fogging stop.

The cup holders are in a crazy place. They're right in front of the air vent, so if you have coffee there during hot weather with the AC running, it gets cold. And if you have a soft drink there during cold weather, the heater melts the ice and heats the drink.

The odometer being in the middle of the dash instead of in front of the driver is hard to get used to. It also causes the driver to look away from the road longer when checking speed.

But one good thing about the Yaris is the storage. There are lots of hiding places. Trouble is, they're made of very cheap plastic.

I also found it very hard to raise and lower the back seat to turn the 3-door hatchback into something akin to a station wagon.

The doors are surprisingly wide, so the first time I opened the driver's door to get out of the car, it swung into the mirror on a car parked in my driveway beside me. I'd never driven a car with such wide doors before and it was a bit of a shock. After that I had to be extremely cautious in parking lots so I didn't have a similar problem. In tight spaces, it was not always easy to get the door open enough to get out, but not so fully open it would crash into the next car.

I did not get the advertised mileage, though it was still good.

After three months of cussing out the car every day, I traded it in on a Ford Focus and have been delighted with it.

[stanwyck]

51. I'll have to show your post

to my husband. He really wanted this car. But, he's not the one driving it. And it's my fault for not test driving it and making sure I'd like it. But I've always been confident about his past decisions and car buying bores me. He loves it. Also, I had rather hoped to give the Yaris to my daughter and keep driving my Volvo...but that turned into a dispute. He wanted me to have the "new car" and have her drive the ancient Volvo wagon. Thing is, the ancient Volvo wagon is a better car.
And I agree with absolutely everyone of your comments. Every one.
It's just bad design. The concept is fine. It's the execution which sucks.

[cbear70]

29. love my Yaris

Read reviews on both sides but love my yaris... only thing.. has more pep than I thought and was not used to the middle of the car speedometer.. got myself a ticket..other than that we get 40-42mpg.. love this car..very comfortable, more roomy than you would think ..

[judaspriestess]

7. I have over time grown so attached to smaller cars

I drive a Prius. This car is really cool.

[bullwinkle428]

8. Looks similar in profile to the Smart Car - from what I've heard/read

of those who have had a chance to test drive the Smart Car, many were not particularly impressed. I'm sure Toyota is looking at this as an opportunity to blow away the Smart Car, given their track record in recent years!

[seemslikeadream]

19. yea you know somebody would do this

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

10. Very cute but a bit too small for me. I drive an Acura Integra which

is as small as I'll go.

[AngryAmish]

11. My wife has a Mini

Pretty fun to drive.

[DangerDave921]

12. LOL

As long as your wife doesn't say you have a Mini. :)

[ThomWV]

13. That may be the ugliest concept car I've ever seen

It looks like an overturned wheelbarrow humping a groundhog.

[seemslikeadream]

20. maybe you haven't seen this yet?

[DangerDave921]

14. Smart

I saw a bunch of Smart cars the other day. So tiny! They looked like golf carts with an outer shell. I've never driven one but I have a hard time believing I'd feel safe in one with all the SUV's flying around me.

Anyone driven one? Can't beat the price. Under $12,000.

[seemslikeadream]

18. Where did you see them?

[Bluebear]

23. They are for sale here in New Hampshire

http://www.mcfarlandgreencars.com/

[DangerDave921]

35. Towson, Maryland

I drove by a Holiday Inn, and there was a semi parked there that had a bunch of Smart cars being unloaded. And then as I was driving around town during lunch hour, I kept seeing them go by me. Either they were offering test-drives or they were Smart car reps driving them to get the car seen. Either way, I could not believe how tiny they are. I mean it really looks like a clown car from the circus. If someone hits you from the rear, you're dead because your body looks to be right up against the back of the car.

[dipsydoodle]

22. Smarts are not too funny

on a icey road with a camber. When you stop they slide sideways into the kerb...lol.

'Case anyone don't know they were a jv between Merc and Swatch the watch company. Part of the idea was that they took up less parking space but they are just too long to park nose into the kerb. There's a convertible out now too - at least here in the UK anyway.

[alfredo]

32. Great video. Smart Car crash at 70 mph

http://youtube.com/watch?v=biYLn47VwJs

Smart vs Mercedes

http://youtube.com/watch?v=02eghIfyHP0

Had to add this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV1zQMcSsk0

[lligrd]

41. Wow That's Amazing

Not only smart but safe.

[alfredo]

43. Maybe they have taken some lessons from the Formula 1 cars.

[CRF450]

24. Eww, no way I want that!

[Bake]

25. I think I'd prefer the Lamborghini ... or the Ferrari

From the article:

By contrast, looking like a cross between a Batmobile and a stealth bomber, Lamborghini launched its gas-guzzling £600,000 Reventon supercar which has a top speed of 211mph and can sprint from rest to 62mph in just 3.4 seconds.

Only 20 will be built for rich clients specialist collectors.

Former F1 world champion Michael Schumacher launched the new Ferrari 430 Scuderia which can sprint from rest to 62mph in under 3.6 seconds with a top speed of 198mph.


Top speed of 211! Zero to 60 in 3.4 secs!!!!!

I like things that go fast.

Bake

[CRF450]

26. I would take the ZO6 Corvette over any of those anyday!

Its cheaper, more reliable and gets way way better fuel milage. Up to 30mpg in the highways to be exact.

[Bake]

33. I could do that, too!

Me like fast shiny things.

Bake

[CRF450]

34. Thats why I own an 01 Trans Am WS6, a poor mans Corvette haha!

Doesn't handle as good but still an awsome car to drive!

[Bake]

36. I *had* a '97 Toyota Supra Ltd Edition. Sigh.

Did 155 without breathing heavy and plenty of headroom left. Handled like a dream. My son refers to it as "she whose name shall not be spoken." Because it makes us cry.

Bake

[CRF450]

37. Supra's are awsome cars too!

Though they were pretty expensive for their factory performance level, but it didn't take much to make the turbo models into a beast of a machine!

[LaPera]

27. MPG?

[Clark2008]

28. Wow! I want people to buy American - and keep our unions strong.

[orleans]

30. cousin "it" car. n/t

[KillCapitalism]

38. I want one of these...

It's a Honda Fit, gets about 36 mpg and has a 5-star crash rating. Plus they look cool. :)

[DangerDave921]

42. Screen Name

Interesting screen name - Kill Capitlaism. I have to ask: how are you going to get a new Honda car without capitalism? Build it yourself out of spare parts? :)

[leftyladyfrommo]

54. Looks just like my Yaris. I see these all over the place.

I also see a lot of Ford Focus. They look just like mine, too.

[Javaman]

39. looks like a smart car. nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

40. Just don't get hit by a Yukon.

[lonestarnot]

44. Jay Leno said about the smart car, see how smart you are when you're hit by an SUV.

Well for a dem, he sure says some disheartening shit. Reality, but disheartening that purchase of these vehicles should be ridiculed because one "might get hit by an SUV." Couldn't one get hit by an SUV on their bike? hmmmmf.

[madokie]

45. just what we need, a little car for my Wife and I and Roxie too

tooling down the road smiling like we all had good sense.

[Freddie Stubbs]

46. I would hate to be in an accident is something that small

[LiberalHeart]

47. I bought a 3-door Yaris and sold it three months later.

Hated it. It was like a plastic toy and very uncomfortable. This thing looks like a lesser Yaris, if it's possible for a car to be less than a Yaris.

[stanwyck]

52. My daughter's boyfriend calls my Yaris

a roller skate.

[leftyladyfrommo]

53. I call my Yaris a roller skate, too.

But right now that roller skate is getting about 40 mpg. And I drive about 100 miles a day so that is a pretty important consideration.

[Blackhatjack]

48. Mini Cooper to get 72.4 mpg w/o hybrid engine, why don't US Automakers build/sell similar cars here?

LINK http://www.autospies.com/news/Forget-the-Prius-MINI-Cooper-D-to-get-72-4-mpg-15567/


"72.4 mpg. 104 g/km C02. No batteries required."

"MINI hatch models are to receive technological revisions later this year, resulting in jaw-dropping performance and efficiency figures. Already BMW Group’s cleanest ever car, the MINI Cooper D will be capable of returning an astonishing 72.4mpg, with CO2 emissions of just 104 g/km.

When production of the revised models begins in August 2007, there will be no requirement for alternative fuel sources or hybrid technology to achieve these stunning stats. All model variants will instead be supplied as standard with high-tech engine tweaks, providing exceptional economy and minimal emissions without compromising the MINI driving experience.

Brake Energy Regeneration, Auto Start-Stop Function and Switch Point Display complete a package that will come at no extra cost to future MINI customers."

MORE


***********************
With gas prices high today, and for the foreseeable future, why are the 'Big Three' US Automakers not building and selling 'Mini Cooper-like' cars in the US?

All the technology necessary to allow the 2008 Mini Cooper to reach 72.4 mpg is provided as standard, and this is on a vehicle that DOES NOT rely on a hybrid motor. Plus it is as 'clean' in its emissions as a Toyota Prius.