50mpg Achieved in the Yaris Sedan

Driving through Fall on road 242, West of Bend, Oregon - Click to Enlarge

Sorry, it's been a while since posting. I finished my West Coast roadtrip then had work to attend to, so updating slipped by the wayside.

Wind in Wyoming
The crowning achievement of the Yaris during my West Coast roadtrip (besides fitting a 9 and a half foot surfboard completely inside) was getting 50mpg for about 240 miles on Interstate 80 in rural, wind-ridden Wyoming. I have driven this stretch of road many times and believed if there was any place to get 50mpg, this would be the place. I-80 through Wyoming is a wind factory and I knew the advantage of a tailwind while heading east could help push the fuel economy into the half-century zone.

I'm guessing the tailwind was between 20 and 30mph during my drive. Even with the long, rolling climbs and descents and speeds of 70 to 75mph, I managed to get 50 miles per gallon from Little America to Laramie, Wyoming.

This was nearly the last leg of my 3000 mile trip, and I wasn't terribly excited about taking it easy on the throttle...I wanted to get home. Had I been more patient and kept the speed to 65-70mph, I'm sure MPG could have gone higher. Most big trucks and almost all cars were doing at least 75mph (the speed limit on that portion of Interstate), and I didn't want to be a burden to other drivers, so I stayed out of the way when possible. There were two construction zones that forced 55mph driving, so that couldn't have hurt the results.

Moment of Truth
When I pulled into the Laramie, Wyoming gas station with 241 miles on the trip odometer, I was so anxious to see what the fill-up would be. The first brick on the digital gas gauge of the Yaris didn't even disappear until 97 miles in and the gauge wasn't even to the half-empty (or full) mark when I pulled in. 4.8 gallons later, she was topped off! My excitement and audible, "YES!" made the local cowboys look at me with suspicion.

Wind, Friend AND Foe of MPG
There is something interesting to study on this stretch of road, however. Eight days earlier, I drove the same piece of I-80, but was heading west, into the wind. I did not drive with a light foot and noticed the difficulty of pushing through such a strong headwind. That strenuous portion of my drive yielded 38mpg, driving anywhere between 70 and 80mph. The headwind was quite stiff, at least 20mph or stronger. Quiet amazing that, per gallon, there was a 12 mile difference...just because of wind.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!

Surprising Cargo Space - A 9.5 foot Surfboard Fits in the Yaris

I'm having an incredible road trip to the Northern California coast, so here's a quick update. I'm about 1300 miles in on the trip. MPG per fill-up is anywhere from 38.7 (75mph and headwinds) to 47.2 (55mph winding mountain roads). Suprised at how much it varies. Anyway, below I've included some photos of the Yaris at one of my favorite places on Earth, the Klamath River overlook. It's rugged, beautiful and empty.

The storage space of the Yaris Sedan is perfect for my needs. You'll notice there are two photos of a surfboard inside. Yep, a full-size 9.5 foot longboard fits COMPLETELY inside the car, with room to spare (I have no doubt a 10 footer would make it in). I couldn't believe it and am bummed I didn't try to put my board in before I left. I just didn't even think it would fit, so I had to rent this kooky foam board that's in the car (don't make fun, I wanted to get in the water : )

I've been snapping photos along the way, but have been remaining unplugged for most of the trip. Full details and update when I return home. Tomorrow it's the Oregon coast, then over to Bend, followed by a trip to Boise before returning home. I think on the way home, I might be able to hit 50mpg with the tailwinds in Wyoming. We'll see...

Yep, that's a 9.5 foot surfboard

No, seriously, it's COMPLETELY in the Yaris!

38.7 MPG - "Realistic" Conditions

Nearly at the 1000 mile mark and I just had my third visit to the pump. Boulder is a nice place to live because driving isn't too necessary when you have a bike, work in town and love the bike path system. That means filling up doesn't happen too often. I netted 38.7 MPG on this tank (well 3/4 tank). Driving condition were more probably more "realistic" this time. Mostly in-town driving than highway, and the weather got cold (below freezing), so warming the car up and having the heater/defroster on were probably factors. Still, I'm not disappointed with 38 MPG at all.

I noticed that when the defroster is on, the car idles a little irregularly. I'm guessing this is because of the size of the motor vs. the work it's doing with the defrost. When asked for power during idle, the idle drops to about 500 rpm and ramps up to about 800 rpm before settling in again.

Departure for a big California/Oregon/Idaho road trip is slated for Thursday and I am excited to see how the car feels after long days in the saddle. Pics and reports will be flowing like the "salmon of capistrano." : )

Thanks to Edmunds.com for Great Information

I would like to mention that my decision to purchase a Yaris was greatly influenced by the consumer input found on www.edmunds.com - the Toyota Yaris forum to be exact. I recently posted my positive Yaris experience in the "Real World MPG" thread and was asked some questions about how I decided on the Yaris sedan over the hatchback, Honda Fit or Nissan Versa.

Here is my response and thanks to Kip for the interest!

I was mulling over between a Civic, Fit or Yaris (the Versa was shortly on the list). The Civic was on the high end of the price scale and the styling/look of the Fit didn't really appeal to me. I have owned two hondas in the past (87 CRX HF hand-me-down from father, which ruled and 91 Civic AWD wagon...so fun in the snow, but died an early death) so I wanted to try a Toyota.

I don't need a lot of space and I liked the way the Yaris Sedan looked, so I went for it. I wanted something dependable (Toyota) with minimal investment and the bare bones Yaris seemed to be the best match. Reading MPG reviews, the Yaris seemed to be on the better end of the scale with most personal experiences.

Looks aside (I'm not a fan of the hatchback), I like the idea of a trunk to keep some of my photo gear out of plain sight and having access to the backseat through back doors seems handier to me when dealing with gear or passengers.

So far I'm really excited. I am having to adjust to manual windows and locks, but it was a decision to see what luxuries I could live without I guess : )

I still can't believe the MPG. After my 1k mile oil change, I'm heading on a long roadtrip out West, so I'm looking forward to see how she runs.

Reading other experiences on this site was a HUGE help in my decision, so thanks Edmunds!

Yaris Roadtrip Report: 47 MPG!!!

I'm not kidding. I went on a roadtrip through Eastern Colorado yesterday to see how the Yaris and I connect. My tank was bout 1/2 full, so I fueled up before leaving (my first time). Mileage on the car was 299 and the gallons used to fill up were 6.6. Math indicates that is 45.3 MPG on an even mix of highway and driving around town! I always fill up until the pump turns off, remove the nozzle, re-insert it and squeeze until it stops again. I was stoked, but a little leery of it being a fluke.

THE TRIP
I love Eastern Colorado. Maybe I'm just tired of the mountains because the incredible wide open spaces of the plains invigorate me. The old homesteads fascinate me when thinking about what it would take to live in such an exposed environment. I found my self about 100 miles East of Boulder through Byers, Last Chance and Akron before heading North where I stopped to take some shots of the new beauty. The grey day was refreshing, but eventually the skies cleared.

I found the noise level of the car to be pretty good. I was going anywhere between 55mph and 70mph and was generally on smooth, paved roads. Once in a while, the rural county roads would have seams that ran across the road, repeating for minutes on end. The Yaris was fine, but I definitely noticed the difference between this sub-compact car and my 2001 Chevy Malibu; the bumps felt rough compared to what I was used to. I had the windows down which was a little much over 55, but since it was a cool day, I never used the A/C, only the fan. The stock stereo read the CD I burned with MP3 files, and I was glad to have a lot of songs to choose from, as I didn't bring my iPod.

As I drove North, I found a fantastic old homestead that told stories of duststorms and a long, hard life on the plains.





An afternoon of peaceful open spaces was achieved, and as I headed home, I noticed I wasn't even to half full/empty on the gas gauge. I wasn't driving easy, but I wasn't pinning it either. I also think I got pretty lucky with wind direction, as it seemed I had a light tailwind heading east on the way out and a light tail/crosswind in the afternoon as I headed southwest on I-76. I couldn't wait to get back to Boulder and fill up to see if the MPG matched up to my first fill up.
I merged onto U.S. 36 from I-76 and it was busy, cars flying. I drove between 65mph and 70mph for that 20 mile stretch, so I wasn't being conservative on the throttle. I finally pulled in to a gas station. The digital gauge on the Yaris was still indicating half full/empty, though it had to be close to removing the next brick from the meter.
I filled up, watching the gallons climb. It hit 6 gallons and I hoped it would stop, LOL. The numbers kept rising, but the sound of the fuel rushing in was changing as the tank approached full.
CLICK! 6.8 gallons!
I re-inserted the nozzle and squeezed. 7.053 gallons with my odometer reading 332.4 miles. HOLY CRAP! 47MPG from my new 2009 Yaris Sedan. I was in awe! What will happen when the car is broken in a bit? Is 50mpg with a Toyota Yaris possible if conservative driving is used? We'll find out because I now have a new goal in life : ) Proof below

BMX Bike in Back Seat? Check!

A couple photos. The new Flint Mica 2009 Yaris next to the retired, but ever-so-faithful 2001 Chevy Malibu. So far, they're getting along.


Since I ride BMX bikes at the skatepark quite often, the fact that the Yaris passes the BMX-bike-in-the-backseat test is pretty crucial. The bike fit with room to spare (yes, the front wheel is still on it, this is just a cell phone picture) and I hate using bike racks.

157 miles in and climbing

So, the Dow dropped 777 points today, but the Yaris went up today, to 157 miles. I took a trip down to Denver and made sure I hit some back roads on the way home. I'm getting used to the car, the size and her characteristics. Though the window space is a still feeling a little cramped, the rest of vehicle seems to have plenty of room for what I need to lug around.

One thing I was really surprised by was how the car climbed the hills around here. When leaving Boulder on U.S. 36, there is a pretty good grade that is about a mile long. In every other car I've owned or driven, downshifting (whether automatic or standard) was necessary, even when ramped up to 65mph or 70 at the bottom. I was at 65mph and I didn't have to downshift on the way up the hill. The car was empty aside from my presence, and was down to about 60mph at the top of the hill, but I couldn't believe it. In fact, I figured I'd just have to downshift to 4th or even 3rd gear, like I have with cars in the past. There was little traffic, and my pace wasn't interrupted, but again, this was a huge surprise. And a nice one at that.

Here's a geeky little photograph with some real images to come soon.

I now own a Yaris sedan! The 37 mile review

I took delivery of the Yaris today! It's now too dark, however, to take any real photos, so I'll get them taken for a following post.

Boulder Toyota (whom I have no affiliation with) was very helpful and the entire experience was pretty pressure-free. If you are interested in a car and wind up there, ask for "Coach." He helped me when the first salesperson I talked to didn't have an interest in dealing with such an inexpensive car.

"Uh, hey Coach, can you help this gentleman out? I have some other stuff to do," he said.

I was pawned off on Coach, which was for the best. He took care of me without any hesitation and got me exactly what I wanted. Communication throughout the entire experience (about a month in total) was open and easy. Tell him you read about it here.

Let the adventure begin!

Initial thoughts in the first 37 miles of driving my 2009 Toyota Yaris Sedan. I never had the chance to test drive this car, so the entire Yaris experience is brand new to me.

• It's surprisingly zippy. I have the manual transmission and there is some pretty good power off the line (for a car of this class). At highway speeds, I was going 65 mph and thought I was doing about 45.
  
• The Flint Mica paint is really nice and has a catchy sparkle/fleck in direct sunlight. I'm very pleased this was the color I ended up with. Because of the darker color, scuffs and dirt may show more easily, but I don't mind.
  
• There's less window area than I expected. When compared to my 2001 Chevy Malibu (the car I drove until a few hours ago), the Yaris is noticeably smaller (obviously), and I feel like the visibility is a little lacking. Even with my seat in the lowest position, I have to crouch down to see out the front when the sun visor is lowered. Also, half of what I see in the rear view mirror is back seat and ceiling. I still see the entire rear window, but the size of the window just isn't that big. I don't really feel like there are any major blindspots, though.
  
• 2009 models have a built in jack for iPods and such...that's a bonus I wasn't expecting.
• It has a tachometer, I also wasn't expecting that. Maybe because of the manual transmission?
  
• I'm still getting used to the gauges being in the center of the dashboard, rather than on the left/driver's side.
  

Anticipation - The Yaris Arrives This Week

I received a call from Boulder Toyota, where I'm purchasing a 2009 Toyota Yaris sedan, saying the car is in transit and should arrive this week. Excitement is pretty high, but anxiety creeps in too, as I've never driven a Yaris sedan before and this is a first-time new car purchase.

When I visited the dealership about a month ago, I was surprised at how limited these cars were. I wanted a very basic, no-frills sedan. My options were chosen and I entered the lottery of color options, rather than choosing a specific color as it expedited delivery of the car. Luckily, my first choice, Flint Mica, is what I will be receiving.

This is what the car should look like!