I replaced my Honda NSX with a Toyota Yaris
Discussion
Somewhat of a clickbait title!
Just to start with the what and why – I’d really enjoyed the NSX and had considered selling when I saw the new Alpine. Convinced the price of them would plummet and decided I’d get one when they got cheaper (a global pandemic would obviously cause a price crash, wouldn’t it?). Plus, I knew it just wouldn’t compare to the Honda (although performance was similar). I do however, appreciate the ethos behind the car.
Then the GR Yaris got rave reviews & figured I’d like one of those. But the huge waiting list and high prices for used examples meant that wasn’t going to happen – I refused to put 3k profit in someone else’s pocket. This wouldn’t have been a replacement for the Honda, I could (just about) afford to have both.
Fast forwards to the Emira launch and wow! What a great looker – it made me realise how wrong the Alpine looked. Having missed out on a GR & Alpine I had a real FOMO moment and put a deposit down shortly after Goodwood (I still hadn’t seen the car in person). This was a very grown up decision for me. No way I can afford this and the NSX so it had to go & I put in up for sale on Collecting Cars. In the end it smashed the reserve price and made the decision to buy an Emira more comfortable, plus meant I was able to buy a run around until it turns up.
So I’m waiting for the cash to arrive in the bank & I’m looking at GR’s, there is one for sale at less than list with 4k miles. Most are advertised well over list price (BTW, I really didn’t want a white one, it had to be red or black). So I call the seller, go and have a look and it all checks out. At this point I had no idea that many of the Yaris advertised are ‘feeler’ adverts and buying a real car is harder than you might imagine. I guess my timing just happened to be right.
An early start down to Surrey on the train to collect the car & spend 3 hrs crawling back around the M25. It was a properly miserable journey. The car felt claustrophobic, my leg was tired from the clutch, I was dehydrated & I’d never had a car with a screen before, all of the pages of data were confusing and a constant distraction. By the time I got home I was frazzled and not enamoured with the car.
I think I take a while to gel with a new car. The first few trips I was trying to experience what all of the road testers had said about the car in reviews. I just wasn’t getting it. But then started to use it just as a mode of transport to get from A to B & now it starts to make sense. It performs all of the functions of a Car very well & when the traffic clears the other personality comes out to play – the car is a Schizophrenic.
Comparing it to the Honda is a little unfair but I will anyway… GR has the better brakes and can carve through a roundabout much more quickly (very handy when you live in Milton Keynes). The NSX had a delicacy to the controls and a soft, languid nature that I really enjoyed. In comparison the GR is a blunt instrument, it’s a badly behaved dog.
So where do you train a naughty dog? You take it to the wilds of Wales. A circuit of the Evo Triangle, followed by some amazing roads up in the hills around Ffestiniog and ending at the base of Mt Snowdon. It was probably the perfect car for these roads and its ability and agility really showed. I still have some reservations, particularly its handling when pressing on – there is little feedback and a feeling that it will bite (kind of what you’d expect from a bad dog) but the pace is impressive.
I will continue to enjoy it until my (first ever) brand new car arrives. Anyway, some pics from the trip.
Just to start with the what and why – I’d really enjoyed the NSX and had considered selling when I saw the new Alpine. Convinced the price of them would plummet and decided I’d get one when they got cheaper (a global pandemic would obviously cause a price crash, wouldn’t it?). Plus, I knew it just wouldn’t compare to the Honda (although performance was similar). I do however, appreciate the ethos behind the car.
Then the GR Yaris got rave reviews & figured I’d like one of those. But the huge waiting list and high prices for used examples meant that wasn’t going to happen – I refused to put 3k profit in someone else’s pocket. This wouldn’t have been a replacement for the Honda, I could (just about) afford to have both.
Fast forwards to the Emira launch and wow! What a great looker – it made me realise how wrong the Alpine looked. Having missed out on a GR & Alpine I had a real FOMO moment and put a deposit down shortly after Goodwood (I still hadn’t seen the car in person). This was a very grown up decision for me. No way I can afford this and the NSX so it had to go & I put in up for sale on Collecting Cars. In the end it smashed the reserve price and made the decision to buy an Emira more comfortable, plus meant I was able to buy a run around until it turns up.
So I’m waiting for the cash to arrive in the bank & I’m looking at GR’s, there is one for sale at less than list with 4k miles. Most are advertised well over list price (BTW, I really didn’t want a white one, it had to be red or black). So I call the seller, go and have a look and it all checks out. At this point I had no idea that many of the Yaris advertised are ‘feeler’ adverts and buying a real car is harder than you might imagine. I guess my timing just happened to be right.
An early start down to Surrey on the train to collect the car & spend 3 hrs crawling back around the M25. It was a properly miserable journey. The car felt claustrophobic, my leg was tired from the clutch, I was dehydrated & I’d never had a car with a screen before, all of the pages of data were confusing and a constant distraction. By the time I got home I was frazzled and not enamoured with the car.
I think I take a while to gel with a new car. The first few trips I was trying to experience what all of the road testers had said about the car in reviews. I just wasn’t getting it. But then started to use it just as a mode of transport to get from A to B & now it starts to make sense. It performs all of the functions of a Car very well & when the traffic clears the other personality comes out to play – the car is a Schizophrenic.
Comparing it to the Honda is a little unfair but I will anyway… GR has the better brakes and can carve through a roundabout much more quickly (very handy when you live in Milton Keynes). The NSX had a delicacy to the controls and a soft, languid nature that I really enjoyed. In comparison the GR is a blunt instrument, it’s a badly behaved dog.
So where do you train a naughty dog? You take it to the wilds of Wales. A circuit of the Evo Triangle, followed by some amazing roads up in the hills around Ffestiniog and ending at the base of Mt Snowdon. It was probably the perfect car for these roads and its ability and agility really showed. I still have some reservations, particularly its handling when pressing on – there is little feedback and a feeling that it will bite (kind of what you’d expect from a bad dog) but the pace is impressive.
I will continue to enjoy it until my (first ever) brand new car arrives. Anyway, some pics from the trip.
LarJammer said:
Somewhat of a clickbait title!
Just to start with the what and why – I’d really enjoyed the NSX and had considered selling when I saw the new Alpine. Convinced the price of them would plummet and decided I’d get one when they got cheaper (a global pandemic would obviously cause a price crash, wouldn’t it?). Plus, I knew it just wouldn’t compare to the Honda (although performance was similar). I do however, appreciate the ethos behind the car.
Then the GR Yaris got rave reviews & figured I’d like one of those. But the huge waiting list and high prices for used examples meant that wasn’t going to happen – I refused to put 3k profit in someone else’s pocket. This wouldn’t have been a replacement for the Honda, I could (just about) afford to have both.
Fast forwards to the Emira launch and wow! What a great looker – it made me realise how wrong the Alpine looked. Having missed out on a GR & Alpine I had a real FOMO moment and put a deposit down shortly after Goodwood (I still hadn’t seen the car in person). This was a very grown up decision for me. No way I can afford this and the NSX so it had to go & I put in up for sale on Collecting Cars. In the end it smashed the reserve price and made the decision to buy an Emira more comfortable, plus meant I was able to buy a run around until it turns up.
So I’m waiting for the cash to arrive in the bank & I’m looking at GR’s, there is one for sale at less than list with 4k miles. Most are advertised well over list price (BTW, I really didn’t want a white one, it had to be red or black). So I call the seller, go and have a look and it all checks out. At this point I had no idea that many of the Yaris advertised are ‘feeler’ adverts and buying a real car is harder than you might imagine. I guess my timing just happened to be right.
An early start down to Surrey on the train to collect the car & spend 3 hrs crawling back around the M25. It was a properly miserable journey. The car felt claustrophobic, my leg was tired from the clutch, I was dehydrated & I’d never had a car with a screen before, all of the pages of data were confusing and a constant distraction. By the time I got home I was frazzled and not enamoured with the car.
I think I take a while to gel with a new car. The first few trips I was trying to experience what all of the road testers had said about the car in reviews. I just wasn’t getting it. But then started to use it just as a mode of transport to get from A to B & now it starts to make sense. It performs all of the functions of a Car very well & when the traffic clears the other personality comes out to play – the car is a Schizophrenic.
Comparing it to the Honda is a little unfair but I will anyway… GR has the better brakes and can carve through a roundabout much more quickly (very handy when you live in Milton Keynes). The NSX had a delicacy to the controls and a soft, languid nature that I really enjoyed. In comparison the GR is a blunt instrument, it’s a badly behaved dog.
So where do you train a naughty dog? You take it to the wilds of Wales. A circuit of the Evo Triangle, followed by some amazing roads up in the hills around Ffestiniog and ending at the base of Mt Snowdon. It was probably the perfect car for these roads and its ability and agility really showed. I still have some reservations, particularly its handling when pressing on – there is little feedback and a feeling that it will bite (kind of what you’d expect from a bad dog) but the pace is impressive.
I will continue to enjoy it until my (first ever) brand new car arrives. Anyway, some pics from the trip.
Really useful to hear less than glowing feedback for a GR Yaris. I'm similar to you and tend to buy special cars which are at the sweet spot of depreciation or even appreciation if lucky but I've a GR Yaris on order. My test drive was in Swindon for 40 mins. I had no sat nav (phone was dead) and it was heavy traffic so really not fun at all. I do however love hot hatches and live in rural B road heaven so still hope I will gel with the GR when it arrives. I can't say my fears of buying a depreciating asset have been dispelled though and the thought of new car ownership fills me with dread!Just to start with the what and why – I’d really enjoyed the NSX and had considered selling when I saw the new Alpine. Convinced the price of them would plummet and decided I’d get one when they got cheaper (a global pandemic would obviously cause a price crash, wouldn’t it?). Plus, I knew it just wouldn’t compare to the Honda (although performance was similar). I do however, appreciate the ethos behind the car.
Then the GR Yaris got rave reviews & figured I’d like one of those. But the huge waiting list and high prices for used examples meant that wasn’t going to happen – I refused to put 3k profit in someone else’s pocket. This wouldn’t have been a replacement for the Honda, I could (just about) afford to have both.
Fast forwards to the Emira launch and wow! What a great looker – it made me realise how wrong the Alpine looked. Having missed out on a GR & Alpine I had a real FOMO moment and put a deposit down shortly after Goodwood (I still hadn’t seen the car in person). This was a very grown up decision for me. No way I can afford this and the NSX so it had to go & I put in up for sale on Collecting Cars. In the end it smashed the reserve price and made the decision to buy an Emira more comfortable, plus meant I was able to buy a run around until it turns up.
So I’m waiting for the cash to arrive in the bank & I’m looking at GR’s, there is one for sale at less than list with 4k miles. Most are advertised well over list price (BTW, I really didn’t want a white one, it had to be red or black). So I call the seller, go and have a look and it all checks out. At this point I had no idea that many of the Yaris advertised are ‘feeler’ adverts and buying a real car is harder than you might imagine. I guess my timing just happened to be right.
An early start down to Surrey on the train to collect the car & spend 3 hrs crawling back around the M25. It was a properly miserable journey. The car felt claustrophobic, my leg was tired from the clutch, I was dehydrated & I’d never had a car with a screen before, all of the pages of data were confusing and a constant distraction. By the time I got home I was frazzled and not enamoured with the car.
I think I take a while to gel with a new car. The first few trips I was trying to experience what all of the road testers had said about the car in reviews. I just wasn’t getting it. But then started to use it just as a mode of transport to get from A to B & now it starts to make sense. It performs all of the functions of a Car very well & when the traffic clears the other personality comes out to play – the car is a Schizophrenic.
Comparing it to the Honda is a little unfair but I will anyway… GR has the better brakes and can carve through a roundabout much more quickly (very handy when you live in Milton Keynes). The NSX had a delicacy to the controls and a soft, languid nature that I really enjoyed. In comparison the GR is a blunt instrument, it’s a badly behaved dog.
So where do you train a naughty dog? You take it to the wilds of Wales. A circuit of the Evo Triangle, followed by some amazing roads up in the hills around Ffestiniog and ending at the base of Mt Snowdon. It was probably the perfect car for these roads and its ability and agility really showed. I still have some reservations, particularly its handling when pressing on – there is little feedback and a feeling that it will bite (kind of what you’d expect from a bad dog) but the pace is impressive.
I will continue to enjoy it until my (first ever) brand new car arrives. Anyway, some pics from the trip.
I’d read your update on the NSX & wondered what you were moving onto.
Sounds an interesting journey, & congrats on the Emira & GR.
I too wonder with the death of ICE if trying new things is actually the sensible & logical thing to do, it’ll only get harder to enjoy them after 2030.
Cheers.
Sounds an interesting journey, & congrats on the Emira & GR.
I too wonder with the death of ICE if trying new things is actually the sensible & logical thing to do, it’ll only get harder to enjoy them after 2030.
Cheers.
I dont want to come across as someone who dislikes the GR, because it is a likeable car.
What I failed to mention was the engine, which is a peach. It feels wrong to call a 3 cylinder 1.6 a monster but it is quite something, the spread of torque is incredible, as is the way it gets to the 7k redline. And it sounds like a motorbike had it off with a subaru. I hope this is a precursor to what I'll experience in the AMG engined Emira.
The level of grip in any weather is astonishing, a wet road really makes no difference and you can chuck it around with heroic confidence. Sometimes you need to exercise a little self control, I'm sure a few of these will end up the wrong side of a hedge.
What I failed to mention was the engine, which is a peach. It feels wrong to call a 3 cylinder 1.6 a monster but it is quite something, the spread of torque is incredible, as is the way it gets to the 7k redline. And it sounds like a motorbike had it off with a subaru. I hope this is a precursor to what I'll experience in the AMG engined Emira.
The level of grip in any weather is astonishing, a wet road really makes no difference and you can chuck it around with heroic confidence. Sometimes you need to exercise a little self control, I'm sure a few of these will end up the wrong side of a hedge.
I’ll be intrigued to see how your time with it pans out, as with the other chap above. It seems rare anyone criticises the GR.
Logically it should be right up my street, I too am rural surrounded by B roads, & yet I fear my bugbears with my Fiesta ST of high seats, rubbish seating position & overly stiff suspension seem to be present & correct in the GR too
Logically it should be right up my street, I too am rural surrounded by B roads, & yet I fear my bugbears with my Fiesta ST of high seats, rubbish seating position & overly stiff suspension seem to be present & correct in the GR too
acme said:
Logically it should be right up my street, I too am rural surrounded by B roads, & yet I fear my bugbears with my Fiesta ST of high seats, rubbish seating position & overly stiff suspension seem to be present & correct in the GR too
I saw a chap driving a Yaris GR the other day, and it looked like his head was touching the roof of it. I presume that he was tall, but it did look odd to me. A high driving position is usually an epic fail for me in a sporty/performance car, but everyone seems to defend/or not complain about the high driving position in the Yaris GR though. I guess that it does give you a good commanding driving position though, and much like the one that you get in a SUV(I do really like the higher driving position in a SUV to be fair). Volare said:
So what's it like doing the mundane? The 90% of the time you can't thrash it? Does it feel like a Toyota Yaris? I can't help but think the sense of occasion is going to be massively underwhelming compared to an NSX.
Its good at mundane & I can park it anywhere without worrying about car park dents. acme said:
I’ll be intrigued to see how your time with it pans out, as with the other chap above. It seems rare anyone criticises the GR.
Logically it should be right up my street, I too am rural surrounded by B roads, & yet I fear my bugbears with my Fiesta ST of high seats, rubbish seating position & overly stiff suspension seem to be present & correct in the GR too
High seats yes, can't really say the suspension felt overly stiff though, it's really compliant and just soaks up everything, it is stiff but the damping is really well judged and the car has a nice amount of roll to it, so you can feel it move around in a corner.Logically it should be right up my street, I too am rural surrounded by B roads, & yet I fear my bugbears with my Fiesta ST of high seats, rubbish seating position & overly stiff suspension seem to be present & correct in the GR too
acme said:
I’ll be intrigued to see how your time with it pans out, as with the other chap above. It seems rare anyone criticises the GR.
Logically it should be right up my street, I too am rural surrounded by B roads, & yet I fear my bugbears with my Fiesta ST of high seats, rubbish seating position & overly stiff suspension seem to be present & correct in the GR too
Oddly, despite every review mentioning it, I've never thought the seat is too high. In fact, I've adjusted mine up a bit (I'm 5'10"). The seats are very supportive. Yes the suspension is stiff but it doesn't suffer with that awful, constant jiggling that many do. I think it is well judged and much, much softer than a 911 GT3.Logically it should be right up my street, I too am rural surrounded by B roads, & yet I fear my bugbears with my Fiesta ST of high seats, rubbish seating position & overly stiff suspension seem to be present & correct in the GR too
Eta: agree with stevil above.
LarJammer said:
Oddly, despite every review mentioning it, I've never thought the seat is too high. In fact, I've adjusted mine up a bit (I'm 5'10"). The seats are very supportive.
I always thought that you sat too high(you sat on it rather than in it for me) in the E92 M3 I had(I'm only 5'8"). Whereas BMW have really improved that aspect in the F82 M4 in comparison though, and if I have the seat in its lowest position in that...I can't even see out of the windscreen or over the steering wheel! 
Do you know if it was deliberate of Toyota to mount the seat high in the GR? Or it is just a case of they couldn't mount the seat low in the first place? A genuine question.
I dont know if its a 'rally' thing, or if the seats are just too wide to fit in the space below.
Maybe its just a more comfortable position for me, with the narrow windows and massive dash.
Also, the poor rear visibility deserves a mention. There are huge blindspots in the mirrors and the view over your shoulder is poor. It makes driving on a motorway at night more difficult than it should be.
Also also, storage in the car is crap. The door bins are impossible to access with the door closed, there is nowhere to put the key, my phone or sunglasses.
Maybe its just a more comfortable position for me, with the narrow windows and massive dash.
Also, the poor rear visibility deserves a mention. There are huge blindspots in the mirrors and the view over your shoulder is poor. It makes driving on a motorway at night more difficult than it should be.
Also also, storage in the car is crap. The door bins are impossible to access with the door closed, there is nowhere to put the key, my phone or sunglasses.
Edited by LarJammer on Wednesday 10th November 16:26
Edited by LarJammer on Wednesday 10th November 16:57
LarJammer said:
I dont know if its a 'rally' thing, or if the seats are just too wide to fit in the space below.
Ok thanks. I had a 24hr test drive years ago in a Mitsubishi EVO 8(they are along very similar lines to the GR regarding the rally side of things I reckon), but I can't remember whether you sat low or high in that though. Sitting a bit higher in cars like the EVO/GR does make sense when you are throwing them down some nice country lanes I think. 
LarJammer said:
Oddly, despite every review mentioning it, I've never thought the seat is too high. In fact, I've adjusted mine up a bit (I'm 5'10"). The seats are very supportive. Yes the suspension is stiff but it doesn't suffer with that awful, constant jiggling that many do. I think it is well judged and much, much softer than a 911 GT3.
Eta: agree with stevil above.
The constant jiggling is indeed bl**dy annoying, I suspect the GR's suspension components are somewhat more expensive than the ST's! Some complain about my M3 having overly stiff suspension, but it seems like a limo to me in comparison!Eta: agree with stevil above.
acme said:
LarJammer said:
Oddly, despite every review mentioning it, I've never thought the seat is too high. In fact, I've adjusted mine up a bit (I'm 5'10"). The seats are very supportive. Yes the suspension is stiff but it doesn't suffer with that awful, constant jiggling that many do. I think it is well judged and much, much softer than a 911 GT3.
Eta: agree with stevil above.
The constant jiggling is indeed bl**dy annoying, I suspect the GR's suspension components are somewhat more expensive than the ST's! Some complain about my M3 having overly stiff suspension, but it seems like a limo to me in comparison!Eta: agree with stevil above.
cerb4.5lee said:
Do you know if it was deliberate of Toyota to mount the seat high in the GR? Or it is just a case of they couldn't mount the seat low in the first place? A genuine question.
Given mine has not arrived yet I'm not certain but the Toyota fanboys will repeat the marketing that the high seat is intentional 'because rally car' but I seem to remember hearing it was related to additonal chassis bracing or suchlike so the seat rails are mounted quite high.As such to lower the standard seats is not trivial.
I will say I am 6'1 and was fully expecting it to be uncomfy and mirror in the way and I was able to get comfy heightwise. The mirror is badly placed but not awful and I think can be modified to raise about an inch or so.
I do also worry for the 90% of driving the car will be suboptimal but I do enjoy the ownership proposition of a new car for once in my petrolhead life and this seems like a good option... sort of..
LarJammer said:
I dont know if its a 'rally' thing, or if the seats are just too wide to fit in the space below.
Maybe its just a more comfortable position for me, with the narrow windows and massive dash.
Also, the poor rear visibility deserves a mention. There are huge blindspots in the mirrors and the view over your shoulder is poor. It makes driving on a motorway at night more difficult than it should be.
Also also, storage in the car is crap. The door bins are impossible to access with the door closed, there is nowhere to put the key, my phone or sunglasses.
I really appreciate your honest experiences with the car. Maybe its just a more comfortable position for me, with the narrow windows and massive dash.
Also, the poor rear visibility deserves a mention. There are huge blindspots in the mirrors and the view over your shoulder is poor. It makes driving on a motorway at night more difficult than it should be.
Also also, storage in the car is crap. The door bins are impossible to access with the door closed, there is nowhere to put the key, my phone or sunglasses.
Edited by LarJammer on Wednesday 10th November 16:26
Edited by LarJammer on Wednesday 10th November 16:57
Pretty much everything else I've read on here about the Yaris GR...is that it is the best car in the world bar none(completely perfect)!
So it is very refreshing to read your honesty about it for sure. Rawhide said:
cerb4.5lee said:
Do you know if it was deliberate of Toyota to mount the seat high in the GR? Or it is just a case of they couldn't mount the seat low in the first place? A genuine question.
Given mine has not arrived yet I'm not certain but the Toyota fanboys will repeat the marketing that the high seat is intentional 'because rally car' but I seem to remember hearing it was related to additonal chassis bracing or suchlike so the seat rails are mounted quite high.As such to lower the standard seats is not trivial.
cerb4.5lee said:
I really appreciate your honest experiences with the car.
Pretty much everything else I've read on here about the Yaris GR...is that it is the best car in the world bar none(completely perfect)! So it is very refreshing to read your honesty about it for sure.
It is a good car, honest!Pretty much everything else I've read on here about the Yaris GR...is that it is the best car in the world bar none(completely perfect)!
So it is very refreshing to read your honesty about it for sure. I've not owned a car that didn't need you to physically insert the key in a slot. This keyless nonsense was all new to me and I found it properly annoying that the manufacturer didn't even put a cubby hole in the dash for storage. Mine just slides around in the cup holder, getting scratched. Unless I actually want to use the cup holder, then I put it on the passenger seat. Which is fine until I go round a corner. Then it ends up in the void down the side of the seat. Thanks a lot.
(BTW, I have keyless go disabled, to reduce my theft risk, hence I can't leave the key in my pocket).
While I'm sharing the little annoyances (there seem to be a few), why does the car automatically start playing Spotify when I plug my phone in to charge? And then it takes several button presses to get back to DAB radio. But now its decided I want to listed to Universal radio (it switches station at random times). But it takes several more button presses to get back to Virgin. All if this is impossible without paying full attention to the screen, which is difficult even on a straight and smooth road.
Just for balance Whilst I dont like the infotainment screen I do like the radar cruise control.
Just for balance Whilst I dont like the infotainment screen I do like the radar cruise control.
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