Consumer Reports injected a bit of clearly directed humor in its review of the most recent incarnation of the Toyota Yaris. It is, as most Toyotas are, perfectly adequate at being solid, good cars, but lack any kind of thrills (the FR-S/GT86 doesn’t count in this supermini company).
The reviewer says the Yaris is not in any way fun to thread around a windy road, its ride is busy “even on an apparently smooth highway,” and while the new snout looks sporty and mean, there’s nothing to actually back it up.
The obvious go-to model for extra driving fun is the Ford Fiesta, which not only drives but also looks better than the slightly tall and awkward Yaris. Once the Mazda2/Demio goes on sale, then Toyota will really need to rethink its approach to the future next-gen model, if it wants to be competitive and not just rely on zombie-like repeat buyers whose brains have been turned to mush by marketing.
It’s a shame that any of its Korean rivals is a more desirable car. What ever happened to Japanese engineering prowess pride?