AUTO RED BOOK REVIEW: 2011 TOYOTA YARIS

On The Cover Review: 2011 Toyota Yaris

The Red Book had the opportunity to drive a Toyota Yaris pretty hard recently, and if there were ever a car that fit the definition of “just transportation,” this was it.  But for some, that’s just what the doctor ordered.  It’s got the four little tires made from genuine rubber, 106-horsepower to turn the front wheels, even fancy options like ABS.  In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, it makes it all the way up to the second level of the pyramid.  From the bottom.  But that still counts for something!  What it lacks in power, handling, style, passion, prestige, or fun, it makes up for in reliability, and it comes with a very nice paint job.  The most obvious thing that could disturb the car’s utopia of mediocrity would be the goofy speedometer and gauge pod that is positioned right in the center of the minimally styled dashboard.  Some people really don’t get excited about cars, they just want something that will get them around without too much trouble, and without burning through too much fuel.  And for them, the Yaris does a pretty good job.