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I've been looking at various Toyotas as I know they are reliable. The range is quite vast though. I began by looking at Toyota Runx & Allex 1500's then moved to Vitz & Yaris & Echo!! All a bit confusing. Then I saw on your forum that some Vitz have CVT which I've heard can be troublesome.
Are there certain years & models that are CVT or do you have to ask every seller what the transmission is??
I guess I would love for you to be able to advise me as to which specific models you would choose if you were looking for reliability & economy as your main selection criteria.
I hope to get a vehicle of 2004/2005 vintage & can pay up to $10,000 tops.
One more thing, with economy would a 1300cc be more economical than a 1500cc, or would the later be better because it's not working so hard. Our vehicle will be used more for around town but with the odd 4 or 5hr trips, usually with 2 adults & luggage.
Thanks so much, I hope you can make head & tail of all this!!
Cheers,
Graham
Hi Graham,
Just my two cents worth. I was in the same predicament as you- been looking for a small car myself for the last month and had the same questions (see my question below). I test drove all the cars above and I ended up buying a Mazda Demio/2 on Friday. Really happy with it
I was also bothered by the CVT aspect of the Vitz. The CVTs were only released in Japan and they can be present in any year or sub model of the Vitz. The Yaris/Echo is NZ new it should be 4 speed auto This conventional Vitz/Yaris with 4 Speed was a nice car to drive with a bit of space. Its also got a reputation for reliability and there's heaps of parts available.
The 1500cc Allex/Runx was a bit underpowered. Its quite a heavy car (for its class) and that engine is a bit too small for the weight of the car. You really feel it when you're driving up hills or carrying a few passengers.The 1800cc engine which is in the NZ new Corolla version is much better in terms of performance with not too much lost on fuel economy. Its probably the pick of the bunch!
We took our 1300cc Demio down to Hamilton and back today. Whew! I think you may find that the 1300cc engine is a bit small for 5 hour trips especially if you go up hills. There's not much difference in fuel consumption between the two so its better to go for the bigger engine size
Hope that helps
PB
The New Zealand new Yaris should have the conventional automatic transmission but the used imports will have either a CVT (most likely) or the conventional auto. You can also consider the Toyota Passo/Daihatsu Sirion in this engine size (1.3L) as it has a four-speed auto transmission.
The 1.3L motors will need a lot more encouragement on the uphills and therefore will use more fuel but the difference won't be significant. The Mazda Demio is a good choice to consider as it is popular and has a good reputation for reliability but the 1.5L motor will be the preferred choice for performance over the smaller 1.3L.