Bongiovi boombox
My tester featured a big name in sound systems: Bongiovi Acoustics. A Digital Power Station behind the dashboard greatly improves the sound of all audio sources, including portable music devices. It doesn't cost much (a little over $300) and it positively enhances the listening pleasure. A must for music lovers.
By the way, the brand's founder, Tony Bongiovi, happens to be a record producer and cousin of rock legend Jon Bon Jovi!
Friendly driving companion
The 2011 Toyota Yaris Sedan fares pretty well on the road. The suspension offers a good balance between ride and handling, while the brakes are easy to modulate.
On the flip side, the steering feels excessively light, making it hard to maintain a straight line, especially on slick surfaces like concrete roads. Furthermore, while the front buckets are reasonably comfortable and supportive, the driving position suffers from a fairly low steering wheel even though the latter offers tilt adjustment.
The rear seat is best suited for children or small adults. The perfectly-flat floor increases legroom for the middle passenger, but he or she had better hope the others have a high tolerance to physical contact!
Sadly, there are not that many storage compartments inside. The bins integrated to the door panels are small and those on each side of the centre stack are even smaller. Plus, the console is so tight that designers had to move the cup holders at the dashboard's extremities.
Of course, that's the kind of sacrifices one usually has to make in order to benefit from such a low-cost, high-economy package. My 500-kilometre winter road test turned in a fuel consumption average of 7.8 L/100 km – and expect a much lower number during the summer.
My tester featured a big name in sound systems: Bongiovi Acoustics. A Digital Power Station behind the dashboard greatly improves the sound of all audio sources, including portable music devices. It doesn't cost much (a little over $300) and it positively enhances the listening pleasure. A must for music lovers.
By the way, the brand's founder, Tony Bongiovi, happens to be a record producer and cousin of rock legend Jon Bon Jovi!
Friendly driving companion
The 2011 Toyota Yaris Sedan fares pretty well on the road. The suspension offers a good balance between ride and handling, while the brakes are easy to modulate.
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| The front buckets are reasonably comfortable and supportive. (Photo: Luc Gagné/Auto123.com) |
On the flip side, the steering feels excessively light, making it hard to maintain a straight line, especially on slick surfaces like concrete roads. Furthermore, while the front buckets are reasonably comfortable and supportive, the driving position suffers from a fairly low steering wheel even though the latter offers tilt adjustment.
The rear seat is best suited for children or small adults. The perfectly-flat floor increases legroom for the middle passenger, but he or she had better hope the others have a high tolerance to physical contact!
Sadly, there are not that many storage compartments inside. The bins integrated to the door panels are small and those on each side of the centre stack are even smaller. Plus, the console is so tight that designers had to move the cup holders at the dashboard's extremities.
Of course, that's the kind of sacrifices one usually has to make in order to benefit from such a low-cost, high-economy package. My 500-kilometre winter road test turned in a fuel consumption average of 7.8 L/100 km – and expect a much lower number during the summer.
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