Hubcaps.com is jumping on an exciting new import bandwagon and we’d love to tell you about it!
With outrageous gas prices putting the pinch on American wallets, the competition for the fuel-efficient car market is heating up. But with American buyers, manufacturers have learned that we like our cars to have a sporty feel, even if the engine is a 4-cylinder designed to get 39 miles per gallon.
Not long ago, Toyota bellied up to the fuel-efficient bar with a cute little box called the “Echo.” To put it bluntly, sales were abysmal. American customers stayed away in droves, which set the Toyota design teams to scratching their collective heads.
Somewhere during all that scratching, Toyota realized it was sitting on a fun compact car that had already won European Car of the Year in 2000. It was named the “Yaris” and had never been imported to the States.
Faster than you can say “switcheroo,” the Echo was out and the Yaris was on a fast boat to the good old U.S. of A!
With advertised prices ranging from just over $11,000 to just under $14,000, the Yaris leaped into the compact market fray with a vengeance. But something happened that kept the Yaris from becoming just another economic face in the crowd. People started having fun driving it.
For starters, it “sits high” for a compact car, leading some to compare the eye-level from the driver’s seat to that of various small SUVs. The Yaris also comes in three different packages; the Liftback, the Sedan, and the “S” Sedan, giving drivers a nice range of exterior and interior packages to choose from.
Perhaps the most unique thing about the sibling Yaris models, is that two different design teams worked on the Liftback and Sedan. This gives each model its own distinct “personality.” (The two models are so distinct, each has a different dash panel configuration.)
With graduation dates looming just four months away, this car should appeal to parents looking to buy economic cars for their college-bound kids. Or maybe that 16th birthday present, for those of us who have high-schoolers to deal with. Either way, Yaris is “cool” enough to rate a Thank-You rather than the pained eye-roll most of us parents have come to expect.
You could buy the same car for a son and daughter and have each feel like they got their own personalized ride. A sassy red Liftback for the girls and a silver S-Sedan for the macho boys, perhaps?
The Yaris is offered with several option packages, ranging from basic air conditioning and radio to AM/FM/CD players with MP3 jacks to accept iPods and the like. On the S-Sedan, exterior trim options include lower body skirting and 15 inch wheels in place of the standard 14 inchers.
The sedan also has illuminated Optitron gauges, giving it that “sports car” feel.
Both cars have great cup holders that pop out from the dash and can hold pretty much anything your average college student can throw at it, from the largest Starbucks offering, to the king-size drinks at your local fast food chain.
Great cup holders and a cool stereo? Surely, college life doesn’t get much better than that.
For Mom and Dad, the economy speaks loud and clear– 34 mpg city/39 mpg highway. That should stave off the “Mom, Dad, I need gas money” phone calls for a couple of weeks longer than normal! (Heck, it even makes for a nice commuter car for those of us who have to pay the bills.)
Rating high on the Cuteness, Economy, and Cool scales, the 2007 Yaris should be a major factor in the fuel-efficient import wars. Hubcaps.com is stocked up on Yaris wheel covers and hub caps and we can’t wait to serve this exciting new market!
April
Hubcaps.com