Background

• The Vitz was first introduced in 1999 and sold as the Echo in North America, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. Canadian sales of this model were strong, but its subcompact size didn't appeal to U.S. buyers. The Echo was then re-badged as the Yaris. In some parts of the world it was identified as the Toyota Yaris Liftback (See References 1-2 and Resources 2-4).
  
  

Features

• The Vitz is offered only as a hatchback and should not be confused with the Yaris sedan. The Vitz is not offered as a sedan. The Yaris, however, also comes as a hatchback. Standard equipment includes air conditioning, remote trunk release, four-way adjustable front seats, intermittent windshield wipers and 14-inch wheels. A radio must be ordered as an option. Option packages include a 60/40 rear seat, a rear window wiper, keyless entry, 15-inch wheels, fog lamps, and leather-wrapped shift knob and steering wheel (See Reference 1).
  
  

Under the Hood

• The Vitz/Yaris is equipped with a 106-horsepower 1.5-liter in-line 4-cylinder engine with a modest torque output of 103 foot-pounds. Torque is the twisting force generated in the engine to give the car get-up-and-go power. The low torque in the Vitz models equipped with automatic transmissions has resulted in slow acceleration, according to Edmunds.com (See Reference 1).
  
  

Size

• The car sits on a short, 96.9-inch wheelbase and measures just 150.6 inches in length, but it stands tall at 60 inches. It also measures 66.7 inches in width, with ground clearance of 5.5 inches. Maximum cargo capacity is a scant 26 cubic feet. Curbside weight is rated at 2,295 lbs. The fuel tank has an 11.1-gallon capacity (See Reference 2).
  
  

Performance

• The 2010 Vitz/Yaris can reach 60mph in 10.7 seconds when equipped with an automatic transmission, and in the low-to-mid 10-second range when equipped with a manual transmission. It achieves 29 mpg in city driving and 36 mpg on the highway for a combined 32 mpg (See References 1-2 and Resource 1).
  
  

Safety Ratings

• Crash test ratings give the Vitz/Yaris hatchback five out of five stars for the driver's side front impact protection and four out of five stars for front passenger protection. Side impact testing gives the car five stars, but rear-end crash tests only net the Vitz a three-star rating. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rated the vehicle a top-ranked "Good" in front and side impact crash testing. The hatchback is equipped with side curtain airbags and antilock brakes (See Reference 1).