If you’re going to design an economy car, finding the right shape is key. You want to maximize interior space while minimizing both exterior size and wind resistance, but without sacrificing practicality. With those criteria in mind, you have to expect some convergent evolution across different manufacturers. In the mid 2000s, Toyota and Hyundai sold very similar-looking egg-shaped hatchbacks, but one wasn’t an obvious copy of the other. Both companies just arrived at the same conclusion about small car design. Who did it better? That will be up to you.
Yesterday’s choices were all about the silly ads, with a Ford truck whose seller was prone to braggadocio, and a VW Jetta whose seller might have been counting the hits and ignoring the misses a bit too much. Regardless of the Ford’s actual capabilities, a lot of you commented that it cost way too much for what it was. But the VW’s lousy reputation preceded it, and it lost in fairly spectacular fashion.
I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss that Jetta, though. The 2.5 is one of VW’s better engines, and the rest of the car looks like perfect winter-beater material. For two grand, if it gets you through the snow for a couple of years, and keeps the road salt off a better car, then it would be a good deal. The Ford looks like a good truck if you need a truck, but it’s overpriced by half. I’ll take the Jetta and replace the bumper.
I think we’re going to come to regret the loss of cheap little city cars in the market. Fans of larger, fancier cars like to dismiss them as “penalty boxes,” but there was an honesty and humility to cars like the Chevy Spark and Mitsubishi Mirage that I admired greatly, and I know I’m not alone. This bubble of bigger-faster-fancier-more expensive can’t keep expanding forever; at some point no one will be able to afford them anymore, and car shoppers will long for a simple, humble little city car. Hopefully someone will come along with a new one someday. In the meantime, we’ll have to turn to the used market, for offerings like these little ovoid numbers. Let’s check them out.
2007 Toyota Yaris – $3,999
Engine/drivetrain: 1.5-liter DOHC inline 4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Portland, OR
Odometer reading: 160,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
In the beginning, there was the Starlet, and its friend the Tercel. And they were both good, but the Starlet didn’t stick around for long. The Tercel was available forever, through five generations, and while it was not an exciting or particularly fun car, it did its job well for millions and millions of miles. But all good things must come to an end, and Toyota replaced the Tercel with the Echo, and it was not nearly as good. Ungainly, poorly-packaged, and even more boring to drive than the Tercel, the Echo didn’t stick around long. Its replacement was this car, the Yaris, which got back a little bit of the Tercel’s mojo. It’s still not much fun, but it’s a whole lot less gawky-looking.
Powering the Yaris is a 1.5-liter four, with Toyota’s VVT-i variable valve timing system. “Powering” may be too strong a word, come to think of it; it’s only packing 106 horses. But it’s not a big car, and the point here is efficiency, not speed. This one has a four-speed automatic, which sucks away even more fun, but makes city driving a snap. It’s being sold by a dealership, so we get a list of options and features instead of useful information about its condition, so you’ll have to go check it out if you want to know the whole story. But it’s a Toyota; I’m sure it runs like a top.
The Yaris did carry over one feature from the Echo that I’m personally not fond of: a center-mounted instrument panel. Many Toyota and Scion models used this arrangement, and I never did warm up to it. I guess you’d get used to it after a while. The rest of the Yaris’s interior is typical small-car stuff: hard plastics, sturdy fabrics, and no frills. This one even has manual crank windows. It’s in good shape, with only a little wear on the seat fabric.
Outside, it’s bright freaking blue, and yes, this is, in fact, the same car as the “Blueberry” from the TV show Psych, just with two fewer doors. It’s in good condition, with just a few bad spots in the clearcoat and some mismatched cheap plastic wheel covers. I really hate those things; I’d always rather just see plain steel wheels.
2007 Hyundai Accent GS – $3,500
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter DOHC inline 4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Mission Bay, CA
Odometer reading: 154,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Hyundai got into the small car game in the US several years after the Tercel was introduced, with a badly-built little hatchback called the Excel. The original Excels were truly wretched things, better built than a Yugo, but as you all know, that’s not saying much. But Hyundai learned quickly, and the second-generation Excel was considerably better, and its replacement, the Accent, was better still. By the time this third-generation Accent was built, Hyundai had economy cars down pat.
The old Excels used Mitsubishi-designed engines, but this Accent’s Alpha II engine is Hyundai’s own design. It has a good reputation for reliability, and this one runs just fine at 154,000 miles. It also has an automatic transmission, but at least it’s old enough to be a standard planetary and torque converter automatic, and not a CVT. It just passed a smog test, and it has new tires and a new battery, so it should be ready to hit the road.
The Accent has a much more conventional dash layout than the Yaris, but otherwise it’s pretty much the same idea. It also has crank windows and manual everything, and you know what? That’s fine. Fewer power-operated doodads means fewer things to break; I think I’ve had one manual window regulator fail in all my years of driving cheap cars, and replaced a dozen power window motors. It does, however, have the one comfort and convenience feature that everyone wants – air conditioning – and it works just fine.
It looks good outside, with some typical clearcoat failure, but all four original wheel covers. The rear bumper looks like it’s a slightly different color than the quarter panel in the above photo, but it could be a trick of the light, or a difference in how the paint is fading between the plastic and metal parts. But it does have a clean title, so even if the bumper has been replaced, who cares?
I know, neither one of these cars is exactly exciting. But if you just want to get around, excitement is overrated. There’s not much difference beween them spec-wise, so you’ll have to find some other criteria to make your decision. Color, maybe, or brand preference, or that cute little rear spoiler above the Hyundai’s rear window. Or, hell, flip a coin.
Finally a Showdown I feel qualified to comment on! My household owned that model Yaris for twelve years; my friend still has her Accent.
Both are the very epitome of An Car. The Yaris was 98% problem free—the only issue we ever had was an AC condensation drain tube getting plugged due to mud road shenanigans, resulting in water backup into the cabin. It was rusty AF underneath by the time we sold it; the exhaust hangar needed to be rebuilt/welded more than once.
The Accent is currently toast, might be an alternator issue, far more than the car is worth to repair. Accent has had more problems over its life, but my friend is less of a diligent maintainer than I.
Of the two? I’d still take the Accent by a whisker. The Yaris’ kitchen chair seats are awful, although my partner had no complaints, so maybe it works if you’re <6'/180cm. The Accent feels in every way like a car from the 1990s, and that's a good thing. Although…points to the Yaris for being surprisingly cavernous with the seats folded. Accent, but barely.
My grandfather, who was a quite-well-off college dean, spent the final 10 or so years of his life driving around in a tercel. “I don’t need any more car than that. It’s just fine.” Amen grandad, amen.
If the Accent was a stick, maybe. Since it’s not, blue Toyota is the obvious answer here
I currently own a 2008 Toyota Yaris 1.3 VVT-i and it’s a rock. I’m not particularly careful with cars and this one hasn’t given me any problems. 250,000 km and counting. At the mandatory technical inspection, I’ve been told a couple of times that this car is indestructible.
The centre console is strange at first, but once you get used to it, it doesn’t get in the way at all and looks good (mine is digital and the numbers are very large). It also gives you a glovebox behind the steering wheel, which is very useful. I usually use it to put my phone in with a holder and look at Google Maps directions
Ah! another perk is that the front fascia looks like a pug 😀
Yaris because I like the color better. I went to the dealership’s website and I didn’t see anything that screams shenanigans like $4k is the down payment or it requires in-house financing. The Accent is a good and honest little car, but I’d want something with a more cheerful look if I found myself needing to buy an 18 year old economy car.
Mildly biased as i own a accent sedan, these lil dudes are robust fellas, but cant really go wrong with either.
Me and my pineapple are getting in the Blueberry.
Is this really a question? All of these Tinyotas were absolute cockroaches if you could keep them from rotting away in a way that no Korean car has ever been. An extra $499 well spent.
Nobody longs for these turds new – you can always buy a much better for the money used. These are cars you settled for because you had no alternative. Especially the Hyundai – the official car of “Nissan couldn’t get me financed”.
Bummed the headline wasn’t a Turquoise Jeep reference (am I old or just chronically online?)
That said, I know a few Yaris’, Yarii, of similar vintage that just wont die so that’s where I’d put my money
Yaris sounds like a character from StarTrek:
“Lieutenant Yaris – Set course for Starlet Tercel”
“But Captain – Shuttlecraft Echo has not returned from the surface of Prius”
“They won’t be joining us on this mission. Engage!”
So that one.
I’ll stick with my Fit.
The Honda Fit/Jazz was insanely under-appreciated.
But the Yaris was not a bad car, just that it was no where near the level refinement/versatility of the Honda.
I bought a 2017 (GK) Fit 6MT this summer to be my “practical car” to go alongside my 17 370Z.
The Fit is such a great, well packaged car. And the manual keeps it lively.
Mine’s a 2009 automatic with paddle shifters. Even so, it’s way too easy to spin the tires.
I owned an Accent of this generation for a little over a year, purchased new (for basically nothing, I think it was something like 13k). It wasn’t a bad car at all. Just quick enough to get out of it’s own way, cheap but comfortable enough, and surprisingly roomy for a subcompact. As a hatch, it had a great deal of utility.
But when I moved to a particularly insanely cold and snowy mountain town, it just wasn’t up to the task of dealing with steep grades, considering it’s lack of ABS, traction control, etc. So I replaced it with a Suzuki SX4 (no regerts). But for someone who needs cheap transportation, it’s a good buy.
I still voted for the Yaris though, as I know multiple people who have schlepped these past the 300k mark. 4 grand may seem a bit rich, but in that condition I would bet I could get an easy 5 years out of it. Also, it’s blue.
300k on a Yaris, even in 18 years, is mind bending. That’s about 17k miles a year, every year. That is either a heckuva lot of city miles/commuting, or it has been taken on at least some road trips.
Road tripping a car as tiny as a Yaris has to be an adventure in itself. I mean, I’ve road tripped a motorcycle, but with that, I at least had the power to get myself out of trouble. But a Yaris? Especially an automatic Yaris!!
Yikes.
Yaris all day. It’s the same engine as what went into the GenII Prius with different valve timing; it’s absolutely solid. I don’t know about the transmission but it’s from Toyota who are notoriously conservative with that kind of thing. Quick this thing will not be, but if you have the time you and a modest amount of your stuff will arrive safely.
I used to own a Hyundai. Neither I nor my stuff, and also not my wife or kids, always arrived. And the 20 years of development between that Hyundai and this one notwithstanding, that kind of frustration leaves a mark that lasts. Hard pass. I’ll walk first.
I have a weird affection for tall, tiny cars like the Chevy Spark and this Yaris. They’re so cartoony! Look at those headlights! They almost touch the base of the windshield!
Plus it’s a real color!! Yay Yaris!
Yaris for me. It’s a more reasonable bet for just $500 more.
“It’s a car”
The Yaris would have to be absolutely destroyed to vote against it.
Oh, God, what in the world is this? If I wanted to buy a hand grenade, I’d go to the Army Surplus Store.
Toyota, Toyota, Toyota. And this Yaris could be a whole lot more beat up and still walk away with the win.
Yaris for one reason, timing chain.
Pop off the hub cap covers, make a $3k cash offer, drive the Yaris another 50k easily. I had the center display setup in my old xB and grew to like it quickly.
A co worker got an ’07 Yaris for a song back in 2015. Stick shift, he drove it 100 miles/day round trip commuting into Chicago. Later, he transferred to the East Coast and took the car with him. Eventually, he moved back to IL (2020 or so) and the Yaris was still going strong. IIRC, he paid less than $1K for the car and put well over 100K miles on it.
Was the Echo really that bad? I often park next to a hatchback one, and I think it looks rather sharp, and is probably good quality. Or is it just the sedan one that looks awkward? Do I recall correctly that the sedan was the only one available south of the border?
Wife had an Echo sedan before we got married in early 2002. Competent but really just an early version of the Mitsubishi Mirage overall and just as slow.
The Echo coupe was the worst-looking, like Toyota did the old 80s thing of just removing two doors but leaving the proportions largely the same.
The biggest issue with the Echo is that they rot out EXTREMELY fast where road salt is used. It’s exceptionally rare to see one around here these days.
My sister had one and after 10 years, the entire structure was threatening to fold in half.
I had an Echo sedan (see my profile pic) for a few years and I loved that little car, it was such a tank and surprisingly fun to drive with a manual. I eventually had to give it to my sister-in-law who crashed it twice and kept driving it without fixing it. Eventually the clutch on it fully went and given the accident damage and the rust from being a PA car originally, it wasn’t worth fixing. It was a sad day when that poor little car was towed away…
The first gen Yaris/Echo was a solid car. At least the hatch was.
I can’t speak for the sedan one, I’ve never known someone personally to have one – only the hatches.
I think the bigger thing when new was that it got pricey for what it was once you started adding common options. While the starting price was low at $10k, but add things like power steering and A/C and even a rear defogger, it jumped a couple grand. At that point a lot of larger and/or nicer small cars might enter consideration. Plus Hyundai was starting to push the value proposition and warranty coverage a lot more then.
That and the whole “it’s what the youths want!” projection.
I feel like the Hyundai was made just before the company hit its stride. The Yaris was Toyota at a mature point. Also it’s cuter, and that 1.5 and auto is the same as what you get in an xB, which are used and abused as taxis here, so reliability should be good…
Reading the article, I figured the choice would be between a reliable automatic Toyota and a more unknown manual Hyundai. Then I saw the Hyundai was also an auto, with essentially the same mileage, and wondered how there was going to be any contest whatsoever…
We still drive our ’01 Echo with 158k miles that we bought new. It’s fantastically reliable transportation from Point A–>B, which is what it’s meant to do with no bells and whistles. While I currently drive a Hyundai, in this case I’d take the Toyota (even though it’s an automatic…)
The Yaris looks overall cleaner and probably much more reliable. Though I don’t know these engines or cars at all so the Hyundai could be more reliable.
I’ve heard the engine & trans is the same in my old ’06 xB and I drove that thing without issue 175k miles.
“the Hyundai could be more reliable”
Nope, it’s not.