MPG-o-Matic Review Summary: While not a hybrid, the Toyota Yaris is capable of delivering truly remarkable mileage, both on the highway and in-town. 50 MPG highway is achievable for light-footed drivers.
The Toyota Yaris competes with the Honda Fit, Nissan Versa, and Chevy Aveo, among others in the subcompact market. Available as both a four door sedan and a three-door liftback, the Yaris slots in under the Corolla as the entry-level model in Toyota’s lineup.
Under the hood, the Yaris is fitted with 1.5 liter DOHC 16-valve VVT-i four cylinder engine, producing 106 horsepower (HP) and 103 foot pounds of torque.
The official gas mileage estimates for the 2008 Yaris are 29 city/35 highway miles per gallon (MPG) with the 4-speed automatic transmission and 29/36 with the 5-speed manual transmission.
In hundreds of miles of driving, we absolutely vaporized the official estimates for our Jade Sea Metallic Yaris S sedan, scoring an amazing average of 45.7 MPG on the highway, with 39 MPG combined. While it might not be one to win hearts among the performance crowd, the Yaris’s ultra-thrifty VVT-i engine is well-suited to budget-minded commuters.
We found the Yaris to be so fuel-efficient that we had to wonder … how could the official estimates be so conservative? In a number of our testing cycles, our review unit flirted with and exceeded the magic 50 MPG mark. While we’ll stop far short of floating any conspiracy theories, the Yaris’s remarkable fuel economy just can’t be denied.
But we will bring one key point to light.
Although the 2008 Yaris features an unconventional and futuristic dashboard layout, it lacks both an average fuel economy and a real-time MPG display. Why Toyota chose to skip these displays, we just can’t say. With the inclusion of these two simple gauges, Yaris owners would optimize their investment and slash the amount of money spent on gasoline.
To make up for the shortcoming in information display, we plugged a ScanGauge II into the Yaris’s OBDII port before hitting the road (verifying the overall results with tank fills).
Our highway testing stage included four Interstate driving cycles, with three variables: windows up/down, A/C on/off, and cruise control on/off. Temperatures ranged from the mid-70s through low-80s.
2008 Toyota Yaris S Sedan - Highway MPG Testing:
- 43.2 MPG - windows down, cruise control off, A/C off
- 43.8 MPG - windows down, cruise control on, A/C off
- 46.2 MPG - windows up, cruise control on, A/C on 50%
- 49.7 MPG - windows up, cruise control off, A/C off
(Specifics: 40 mile interstate loops, cruise control set at 66 MPH, 60-70 MPH range with cruise off.)
Throughout our testing, we found the Yaris S to be a breeze to drive both in and out of town.
With its center-mounted instrument pod, the Yaris’s interior has a bit of rocket ship feel, falling somewhere between the Corolla’s conservative treatment and the Prius’s ultra-tech design. The audio system’s iPod line-in jack is tucked away in a cubby beneath the dash, while the single power outlet is placed between the seats. Truth be told, this placement is a bit inconvenient when using both the line-in and power port. A second power port next to the line-in jack would be a welcome addition.
All-in-all, we recommend the Toyota Yaris for its fantastic mileage, admirable handling, and solid value. We’re happy to give the little fuel-sipper an enthusiastic thumbs up.
11 comments ↓
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I own the 2007 hatchback, and I LOVE it. It has spunk up steep hills, and great handling. Good turning ratio. A really fun drive. And the mileage… freakin’ awesome. Thirty bucks in gas lasts all week long. This little car even fits five, or two adults and two x-large dogs with the back seats down. Great versatile car. I sell them, too, since I bought one and fell in love!
I have a 2008 Yaris Sedan and it’s my baby!! Great gas mileage is an understatement, at 40+ mpg every time. My mom has a jeep that gets 20 mpg (if she’s lucky), so I love to taunt her when I fill my car up at the same time. When I tell people how well my car does, they think I’m joking. Plus, it’s a Toyota, so it will last forever. (ex. My last car was an ‘84 Celica GT.) I love driving, and I don’t feel so bad about it with such great mileage!!
I have the 2007 - 4 door hatch, and I love this car… very spunky, has power to go from a dead stop to whatever speed required and a tank of gas goes for 2 weeks … drive to work everyday (200 km/week) and all my running around…
Hard to beat this car for mileage..
I own a 2008 hatchback, also called a lift back. Awesome MPG 35 city, have gotten 49 MPG on Interstate driving with automatic transmission using cruise on 66 MPH. I’m 6-3 have plenty of room. Yaris back seat folds flat to make a huge cargo area-nice. Love the little gas sipper & has high safety rating & has good pep for a 4 banger.
i recently bought an ‘08 three door and i was amazed at the gas mileage. i was even furthrer amazed by just how much that little beast can carry with the back seats down…..best car i’ve ever had
[…] Nissan Versa competes with the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, and Chevy Aveo, among others in the subcompact market. Available as both a four door sedan and a […]
I got the 2007 Sedan S model as a high school graduation gift. And i love it! This car is great on gas. I live almost and hour away from Jacksonville, Florida, and I can drive there and back on a full tank of gas! Both of my sisters hate my car because they have gas drinkers. ( 2008 Nissan Maxima and 2005 Nissan Altima)
Just got my best mpg yet 51 mpg using cruise at 57 mph and a rural US hwy 87 from Fayetteville NC to Southport NC.There were only a few brief stops.I DROVE LIGHT FOOTED with a/c@ 50%.My yaris is an 08 with an automatic transmission.I heard this was possible but was skeptical.TRY THE SAME ROUTE YOURSELF YOU WILL SEE.My previous was 48mpg with driving about 66/67 mph
I just bought a 2007 yaris hatchback with 13,000 on it. I got it towards the end of summer and I used the a/c alot when I delivered pizza. I was at first disappointed with 32 mpg, but as I got used to the clutch and I used the a/c less and less I achieved an all time high of 44 mpg in the city. (Just a few highway miles.)
I love it! And the name, Yaris, is a derivative of the greek word “Charis” which actually means gift. That’s what it’s been for me.
I’m considering getting one of these. I own a manual 2K Hyundai Accent and with Max PSI in the tires, light footed driving and 80% HW driving I get 42-45MPG. The best I’ve ever gotten was 52.5MPGH, my average over the last 4 months is 46MPG. I suspect that if I was to buy a Yaris and employ the same ‘Hyper Mileage’ techniques I would get ~15-20% boost all around. In other words instead of 42-45, I would get 50-55MPG and max out at about 63MPG. It would be awesome to get 600+ miles per tank of gas, as it is I regularly get 480-510 miles in my accent! BTW, everyone should get a Scangauge…it’s freaking sweet!
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