This is not the first time that we have had a Toyota Yaris in the Top Speed test fleet. The last time we got to drive the Japanese automaker’s compact city car it was wearing a sporty red paint job as well as a few aggressive body pieces, like a rear wing and big mouth front bumper. Just like before, it was nice to enjoy some of the simpler things in life. Like a 1.5 Liter VVT-i four cylinder that makes 106 HP and 103 lb-ft of torque, this may not sound like a lot, but the satisfaction of driving an ultra low emissions vehicle should be enough to make up for it.
Like before, our Pacific Blue Metallic Yaris was of the 5 door variety. Despite the Yaris’s diminutive appearance from the outside, it is quite spacious on the inside thanks to the hatchback layout. The only part of the Yaris that kept with the compact theme was the trunk; don’t think about bringing along more than one set of golf clubs. It was hard enough to get one bag to fit between the car’s rear suspension towers.
The Yaris is definitely a good car for the money, especially when you factor in the outstanding Toyota reliability. Our car came with a few nice touches like the upgraded 14 inch rims as opposed to a set of hubcaps and there was a CD player in the center stack. The base Yaris starts at around $13,000, not bad for a new car. The power package that our Yaris came equipped with added about $2,000 worth of window motors and remote locks to the city car. The power locks are actually a big deal for a four door, this way you will never be sitting in a restaurant thinking: “Did I lock that back door?” Whereas with our Yaris, you could just hit the locking button the key to make sure.
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Times are changing, gone are the ways of the oversized thirsty automobile in favor of leaner more efficient machines. Compact cars with sports inspired attitudes are where the future of fun to drive vehicles is going. The Japanese automaker well known for making fuel-efficient compacts, Toyota, is continuing the trend with their upcoming compact sports car, based on the small city-car, the iQ. The next generation sport compact is expected to make its auto show debut sometime next year.
According to the automaker, the new model will be a "fun to drive" car, created for younger new car buyers. The vehicle will combine a six speed manual transmission with Toyota’s new 1.3 Liter engine, the combination should be good for a very Prius-like 55 MPG. When it goes on sale, the vehicle should retail for around 200 Million yen, or around $20,000 if it ever comes to the U.S.
Chances are the new car could become the next Scion, but until we get a chance to see Toyota’s long awaited sports car collaboration with Subaru the iQ based sport compact will just have to do.
In a recent interview with Automotive News Europe, Renault’s CEO, Patrick Pelata announced that the French automaker is preparing a new compact city car to compete head to head with vehicles like the Smart ForTwo, Toyota iQ, Fiat Topolino and future Volkswagen Up!
There is no concrete information about the future petite Renault, but rumors say that it will be built on the same platform as the company’s current Twingo model. There is also a possibility that Renault will produce an electric version inspired by the Kangoo BeBop Z.E. An electrified city car would be all the more feasible due to the European automaker’s ties to the Nissan-NEC next generation lithium ion battery pack.
You can expect to see something along the lines of a concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. A production version should follow shortly after.
The designers at Nissan were on to something when they came up with the Altima Coupe. By taking a relatively attractive Altima, loosing two doors, tightening the back glass and stretching the rear sheet metal to pronounce a metal step over the rear wheels, they have created a very stylish sports coupe, a package that looks like something that would normally cost much more to own. When you choose the tried and true VQ35 engine, a power plant that Nissan used in everything from the 350Z to the FX35, you also get a sport tuned suspension and 18 inch split five spoke rims standard. The sleek two door profile and rear over fenders make the Altima Coupe a vehicle that would make Inifiniti owners jealous.
Our Nissan Altima Coupe 3.5 SE came with a $3,200 Premium Package that will definitely help when it comes time to impress the ladies. The package upgraded the Coupe with luxury comforts like soft leather, 7 speaker Bose audio system and HID headlamps. This bumped the $26,890 base price of a V6 powered Altima Coupe up to $31,560.
Did we mention that our SE came with another acronym, CVT, continuously variable transmission? Top Speed recently had a four door Altima equipped with the same transmission not too long ago, but this time the Coupe came with Nissan’s Xtronic version that allows the driver to shift manually. However, the 270 HP from the V6 and excellent coupe styling, make this Altima an entirely different kind of animal.
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To be honest, when we received Korea’s newest box car, the Kia Soul, in the Top Speed press fleet my feelings were far from joy, the Kia Soul concept was such a cool idea, so it was a shame when the Asian automaker left out a few things: like the roof mounted CD player, in dash computer and storage compartment in the rear hatch. However, that was the concept, an example intended to generate the most buzz and attract the most interest possible. Concepts almost never translate directly into a production model, and Soul was no different.
After all, our Soul kept the same body lines that were attractive on the concept, and look even better in real life. The Soul truly is like nothing you will see on the road. The designers at Kia have managed to blends a playful exterior with a little bit of aggressive attitude.
You have to get behind the wheel in order to fully appreciate the Soul. The seats are wrapped in a funky design, the driving position is comfortable, the large windshield makes for a spacious cabin, the car handles great and the sound system is fantastic. However, it wasn’t until I found the switch to activate the speaker lights that Soul truly won me over.
After only a day of driving I now understand what those hamsters in the commercial were so happy about.
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First launched in 1975, the Polo is now officially in its fifth generation. With the official launched made at the Geneva Motor Show, the new generation Polo will go on sale in Europe this June, with the other continents to follow shortly.
For its fifth generation, Volkswagen prepared a new design, new TDI and TSI engines, new 7-speed dual clutch transmission (DSG), but also new technologies and standard equipments.
The seven engine develop from 60 to 105 hp. Among them the BlueMotion version delivers 90 hp and has a fuel consumption of 3,8liter/100km and a CO2 emission of 96 g/km.
The new Polo will be offered in three different versions: “Trendline” continues to represent the entry-level variant, and “Comfortline” still refers to the mid equipment level. New to the lineup – and bringing the Polo in line with the Golf here – is the top version called “Highline”.
Press release after the jump.
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Didn’t become an agent for the Fiesta Movement? Fear not, you still have a chance to get behind the wheel of the new Ford Fiesta well before its official launch. Ford is aiming to log 100,000 test drives by the time the North American version of the Fiesta is revealed later this year.
The events are starting this month, so head on over to Fiesta Movement to find dates for your area.
Mini’s parent company BMW are taking a step in the right direction. Coming up with a model to compete head to head with sports inspired roadsters like Mazda’s MX-5. Dubbed the Speedster, the future Mini promises to be the fastest model in the line-up.
The Mini Speedster promises to be a genuine sports car, with a shorter and wider stance than the standard model. Not to differentiate itself from all other Minis, the Speedster will keep the split front grill, hood scoop and center exit exhaust that have become standard issue on all of the modern Mini models. However the Speedster will ditch the cramped rear seats found in Mini Cabrio the becoming a strictly two seater.
The new open air Mini is expected to be launched in 2011 for a price of around £18,000. Expect a JCW version to follow shortly after.
The Nissan Cube may be new to the U.S. market, but the miniature box shaped people mover has been on sale in Japan for over a decade. For 2009 Nissan has redesigned the Cube and decided that they can compete with other space conscious small cars like the Scion xB and the new Kia Soul. Powered by a 122 HP 1.8 Liter four cylinder engine connected to either a six speed manual or an automatic continuously variable transmission, the smaller Nissan box should be a strong competitor for the segment.
Continued after the jump.
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We were happy to hear the Toyota Yaris was going to be joining our fleet because we have plenty of first-hand knowledge of Toyota’s legendary quality, but we are curious how that holds up on the lowest rung of the ladder. The Yaris starts at about $15,000, and for that kind of cash we knew that there would be the quality materials from Toyota. But would there be enough compelling reasons to keeps us, if it were our money, from buying a late model used car?
There are three basic reasons not buy new as opposed to used in the automotive world. First is that new cars have the best warranty. Second is that the history is known about a new car (there are not that many grannies who only drive on Sundays out there.) Last is selection. Even in the days of internet searches, its still easiest to get the ideal car by buying new instead of used.
So basically for the Yaris to win us over, it not only had to be dependable, but it also had to have charm. To accomplish this, a Toyota dropped a five-door Yaris S with enough goodies to push the price up to $19,244.
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