2006 Toyota Yaris Road Test

On that note I'm not sold on which one is better in the rain, or in any other circumstance; all three are good. The Yaris was superb on

The Yaris was superb on the tiny autocross course, biting down hard on the mismatched tarmac even when I pushed it beyond what would have been wise outside of the closed track. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

the tiny autocross course, biting down hard on the mismatched tarmac even when I pushed it beyond what would have been wise outside of the closed track. It's a little top-heavy, so it'll sway a bit during transitional maneuvers, but its performance is not disconcerting at all and the body lean doesn't seem to upset the car's overall balance.

I have to laugh when I talk so seriously about a subcompact's handling characteristics, knowing all too well that most who buy this car won't take it beyond the posted speed limit very often and definitely won't put it through the same regimen that I did during this test.

Still, a car's handling, any car's handling is hardly a laughing matter, especially when active safety is being considered. Active safety, in case you're

A car's handling is hardly a laughing matter, especially when active safety is being considered. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

not up on automotive technical lingo, is the opposite of passive safety, i.e. airbags, crumple zones, three-point seatbelts at all positions, seatbelt pretensioners up front, active head restraints, and soft-touch dash surfaces to absorb impact, etc. The Yaris comes equipped with standard driver and front passenger airbags, as does every other car sold in Canada, but unlike its U.S. counterpart that will debut next year, which includes up to seven airbags in total, with integrated seat position sensors for the front two plus side-impact, side curtain airbags and a driver's knee airbag to protect from frontal and side impact crashes, the Canadian-spec Yaris offers no side-impact airbag protection. On the positive, Toyota's Minimum Intrusion Body Structure (MICS), a highly rigid body shell that dispenses loads evenly throughout the vehicle in the event of a crash, is impressive, and the little Toyota gets even higher marks for delivering a chassis that can avoid those accidents in the first place.

Toyota's Minimum Intrusion Body Structure (MICS), a highly rigid body shell that dispenses loads evenly throughout the vehicle in the event of a crash, is impressive mind you, and the little Toyota gets even higher marks for delivering a chassis that can avoid those accidents in the first place.