RE: Audi A1 quattro vs. Toyota GR Yaris

[richterswil]

Limpet said:

There is apparently a simple mod that you can do to the rear view mirror in the Yaris to raise it slightly and increase the gap between it and the infotainment screen. Harry Metcalfe mentioned it in his YouTube review of the car, having done it to his own example. Apparently just involves shaving something slightly.

I had to chuckle at the comment earlier suggesting a half modern VAG product would be likely to outlast a Toyota. I don’t think that been true since the 1990s when the Japanese got their heads around rustproofing, and VAGs quality and reliability began to decline. I would trust the fundamental long term mechanical reliability and engineering integrity of a modern Japanese car over an equivalent modern German one every time.

I have a mirror riser in mine and it helps but the visibility a still compromised when looking to the left (around 10-11pm) and the fronts seats are higher than I would like. Aside from those niggles I love the car (having replaced the OEM exhaust). Don’t regret buying mine for a second.

[Nimerino]

Nubiann said:

When the Toyota is crushed into a small square of recyclable gumph, it will be the A1 that will stand the test of posterity, and is preserved as an automotive Icon for what it stands for and how good it was a full decade before Toyota caught up. For that reason it gets my vote and my cash if I could buy either.

You obviously get some nonsense posted in forums, but even so this is baffling.

[cerb4.5lee]

richterswil said:

Aside from those niggles I love the car (having replaced the OEM exhaust). Don’t regret buying mine for a second.

I've seen a few of them with aftermarket/upgraded exhausts on them now. I had a good look around one the other week, and I love how aggressively styled the wheel arches are.

[Jon_S_Rally]

big_rob_sydney said:

I would have preferred to see a comparison with older Subaru and Mitsubishi equivalents with the Yaris. The WRX's of the 90's had similar weight and performance. Seems like we haven't come very far in 25 odd years besides a few more MPG.

I bet the Yaris would do a much better job of protecting its occupants in an accident too. And its engine is producing similar power to the cars you mention, despite it missing a cylinder and 400cc. And it has things like Bluetooth and all sorts of other stuff that people like nowadays.

footsoldier said:

The high seats are that way by design.
I guess it might be a problem if very tall, but the visibility on country roads is much better the way the car is intended.
How well you can see round corners, over hedges etc is one of the reasons you can push on, compared to being low down in a sportscar. Was one of the things that really struck me first time I had a proper blast in it,

I can't say I've ever felt like I had visibility problems in any car I've owned, even with lower seats. Sadly, I don't actually fit into the GR Yaris, which is a far bigger issue than not being able to see over hedges quite so well. I'm 6'3, which isn't short by any means, but it's hardly freakishly tall either. Given how many other manufacturers manage to get their seat position right, I think the fact that a fairly normal-sized person doesn't fit into the Yaris is a pretty big blunder personally.

[SuperSonicSloth]

Nimerino said:

Nubiann said:

When the Toyota is crushed into a small square of recyclable gumph, it will be the A1 that will stand the test of posterity, and is preserved as an automotive Icon for what it stands for and how good it was a full decade before Toyota caught up. For that reason it gets my vote and my cash if I could buy either.

You obviously get some nonsense posted in forums, but even so this is baffling.

A lot of people seem to have this idea that the German stuff is genuinely better engineered than anything else out there. I struggle to understand it too. They certainly know how to make a fancy interior - perhaps as that's the first thing a lot of people notice, they assume the same difference runs right through the product?

[Nimerino]

SuperSonicSloth said:

A lot of people seem to have this idea that the German stuff is genuinely better engineered than anything else out there. I struggle to understand it too. They certainly know how to make a fancy interior - perhaps as that's the first thing a lot of people notice, they assume the same difference runs right through the product?

I reacted as much to the grandiose confusion of the prose in the original comment, but I think you’re right. Perusing these comments I’m realising I’m in the minority here, but I couldn’t give less of a s**t about the dashboard materials or the infotainment. Dynamics, practicality and value matter to me, in that order.

[blade7]

4 cylinder 2.0 German v 3 cylinder 1.6 Japanese. Someone is having their pants pulled down...

[SuperSonicSloth]

Nimerino said:

I reacted as much to the grandiose confusion of the prose in the original comment, but I think you’re right. Perusing these comments I’m realising I’m in the minority here, but I couldn’t give less of a s**t about the dashboard materials or the infotainment. Dynamics, practicality and value matter to me, in that order.

Haha yes I see what you mean, the language used was a little over the top. For sure the majority of the general public prioritise a fancy interior over a lot of other considerations. I'm of the same mind as you - give me somewhere nice to sit and some decent primary controls and I'm happy.

[BAMoFo]

blade7 said:

4 cylinder 2.0 German v 3 cylinder 1.6 Japanese. Someone is having their pants pulled down...

Have you still got a 944? Now that is a car that would have been much nicer with more cylinders. I used to own a 944 turbo cabriolet and the smoothness of the four cylinder engine with its balancer shaft was completely at odds with the cylinder count. That, combined with a turbo made it sound pretty flat.

[footsoldier]

cerb4.5lee said:

Leon R said:

cerb4.5lee said:

I guess that it just depends on what you like/personal taste. I enjoy being sat up high in an SUV, but I much prefer being sat lower in a sports/performance car though.

Why would you want less visibility.

More visibility is good generally I agree, and when I pull out of a junction near home I much prefer the visibility in the GLE in that situation(I can see over most of the cars parked on the road) than being sat low in the 370Z/M4 in comparison(where I cant see over the cars parked). However I definitely prefer the feeling of being "sat in rather than on" in a sports/performance car though.

I also prefer being low down in a sportscar, ideally sitting on the floor! Yaris is a cross country rally rep though, and just like you can see more in an SUV at a junction, you can see over the undergrowth or over stone walls in a Yaris, whereas you wouldn’t if you were on the floor. An Integrale is very similar for same purpose.
That and Yaris size help makeit brilliant on specific kinds of roads.

[cerb4.5lee]

footsoldier said:

cerb4.5lee said:

Leon R said:

cerb4.5lee said:

I guess that it just depends on what you like/personal taste. I enjoy being sat up high in an SUV, but I much prefer being sat lower in a sports/performance car though.

Why would you want less visibility.

More visibility is good generally I agree, and when I pull out of a junction near home I much prefer the visibility in the GLE in that situation(I can see over most of the cars parked on the road) than being sat low in the 370Z/M4 in comparison(where I cant see over the cars parked). However I definitely prefer the feeling of being "sat in rather than on" in a sports/performance car though.

I also prefer being low down in a sportscar, ideally sitting on the floor! Yaris is a cross country rally rep though, and just like you can see more in an SUV at a junction, you can see over the undergrowth or over stone walls in a Yaris, whereas you wouldn’t if you were on the floor. An Integrale is very similar for same purpose.
That and Yaris size help makeit brilliant on specific kinds of roads.

My memory is a little hazy...but if I remember correctly I had a Mitsubishi Evo 8 for a 24hr test drive years ago, and I think that was a bit like that too in that regard. That was a stunning thing to drive down a nice B road I thought.

[SS54]

Just drive a GR Yaris. They are greater than the sum total of their parts. A guaranteed future classic.

[British Beef]

cerb4.5lee said:

footsoldier said:

The high seats are that way by design.
I guess it might be a problem if very tall, but the visibility on country roads is much better the way the car is intended.
How well you can see round corners, over hedges etc is one of the reasons you can push on, compared to being low down in a sportscar. Was one of the things that really struck me first time I had a proper blast in it,

I guess that it just depends on what you like/personal taste. I enjoy being sat up high in an SUV, but I much prefer being sat lower in a sports/performance car though.

I agree, the low rear view mirror and high seats recieve lots of negativity, but after 10k miles driving mine, I have absolutely no problem with either. Its a great little car!

Low mirror, very occasionally requires one to tilt head slightly to view past it.
High seats, as stated above affords slightly better view for cross country driving, which is much safer for travelling fast as can see further down the road /over hedges / walls.

Rear seats can be used to transport humans too, as long as they are under about 5f 7in, so perfectly usable as every day car

[sledge68]

Were you being sucked off by an Audi exec when you wrote that.

Nubiann said:

When the Toyota is crushed into a small square of recyclable gumph, it will be the A1 that will stand the test of posterity, and is preserved as an automotive Icon for what it stands for and how good it was a full decade before Toyota caught up. For that reason it gets my vote and my cash if I could buy either.

[sledge68]

I've been saying this for years, my brother gets a new MB each March, yes its nice inside but its each one has been unreliable. a mate went from a scirroco to a new C class, again in the garage for 8 of the first 16 weeks of ownership, he surrended the PCP in the end.

My dad runs 2 Xantias and they have been more reliable.

My 2006 JDM Legacy has been faultless for 5 years.

MBs were best back in late 90s early 2000, now they are fashion items.

SuperSonicSloth said:

A lot of people seem to have this idea that the German stuff is genuinely better engineered than anything else out there. I struggle to understand it too. They certainly know how to make a fancy interior - perhaps as that's the first thing a lot of people notice, they assume the same difference runs right through the product?

[AlphaDelta]

richterswil said:

I have a mirror riser in mine and it helps but the visibility a still compromised when looking to the left (around 10-11pm) and the fronts seats are higher than I would like. Aside from those niggles I love the car (having replaced the OEM exhaust). Don’t regret buying mine for a second.

I installed a mirror riser last week and it has definitely helped but still not ideal like you say. Seats are also a negative for me. Not so much the height, more that somehow I can't get my leg/arms in a comfortable position no matter where I put the seat. I get back in my fiesta and am instantly reminded what a good seating position feels like. However, I will gladly live with it for the driving experience it provides!

I saw on a Japanese youtube channel the GRMN parts will be made available in Japan after the GRMN run is completed so in an ideal world the GRMN Recaros would some how make their way across to the UK and I'll fit them.

[Gio G]

Nice review, however the GR vs the S1 would have been a better comparison, given the S1 had production numbers. We should praise both manufactures for sinking serious R&D money into making these models. S1 was a skunk works for Audi which was made at a big expense. No longer made, so GR would be a natural choice. I love my little S1, the only car I cannot seem to part with...



G

[J4CKO]

Nubiann said:

When the Toyota is crushed into a small square of recyclable gumph, it will be the A1 that will stand the test of posterity, and is preserved as an automotive Icon for what it stands for and how good it was a full decade before Toyota caught up. For that reason it gets my vote and my cash if I could buy either.

Oops, Audi Fanboy alert.

Have you not noticed all the classic Toyotas still about, or the ancient Carinas and stuff that still somehow keep going ?

The A1 is a nice car, and Audis are well made but the review points out how the Toyota is leagues ahead, it didnt take Toyota ten years to surpass it, they could have done it at any time as they know what they are doing, not that Audi dont, but sounds like the GR runs rings around it.

The A1 is pretty much a modified Audi A1 with 4wd and some bespoke bits, the GR Yaris is a whole, ground up design that happens to share a name with the other car called Yaris.

[nunpuncher]

Nubiann said:

When the Toyota is crushed into a small square of recyclable gumph, it will be the A1 that will stand the test of posterity, and is preserved as an automotive Icon for what it stands for and how good it was a full decade before Toyota caught up. For that reason it gets my vote and my cash if I could buy either.

I'm going to buck the trend of slating this comment and say it's possibly a valid point. History looks favourably on limited production run cars and people are far more likely to preserve them (and the Audi will need more effort in that department for sure). The GR Yaris will no doubt be a victim of it's own success when the world eventually corrects itself and the next shiny new thing comes along.

Edited by nunpuncher on Monday 8th August 10:01

[Stevil]

nunpuncher said:

I'm going to buck the trend of slating this comment and say it's possibly a valid point. History looks favourably on limited production run cars. The GR Yaris will no doubt be a victim of it's own success when the world eventually corrects itself and the next shiny new thing comes along.

Historically that may have been true, but we're rapidly running out of time for exciting new cars that aren't leaning heavily into Electrification and having mandatory speed limiters/loggers in place.