Car review – Toyota Yaris
Monday, August 16th, 2010
Finding one to fit: Rob Mannion looks back at how his love affair with the Toyota Yaris Verso started and how dismayed he was when the model was discontinued.
I’ve often met people who , after they’ve looked inside and tried sitting inside, have wondered at my almost Tardis-like Toyota Yaris Verso car. They’re also usually very surprised when I get out of the car and realise I’m six foot four and large with it too!
My continuing love affair with the Yaris Verso started when my work colleague and great friend Alan Burgess who had worked in the motoring trade, suggested that I visit the local Toyota dealer in Corfe Mullen, close to our office on the outskirts of Poole in Dorset.
Alan knew I’d suffered much stress from the many breakdowns and other problems since I had purchased an almost new Volkswagen Sharan diesel automatic MPV style Estate car. Indeed, after I had been stranded in Northern Ireland when the Sharan’s automatic gearbox failed – necessitating an AA recovery back to my home in Ferndown, Dorset, as a replacement wasn’t available anywhere in Ireland – Alan had started an energetic search for a suitable replacement vehicle.
A comfortable fit
One of the problems that Alan knew of, which has proved a major difficulty over the years, is that I have a very long back. Many tall people have long legs but when the long legs are associated with a longer than usual trunk, as they are with me, there can be real difficulties. In fact, I’ve spent many years with my comfortable line of vision above the top of car windscreens, or having to sit with my seat tipped back in a ridiculous and uncomfortable fashion.
For many years, before my disabilities required powered steering and servo-assisted brakes, the Morris Minor with its dome shaped roof was ideal for me. Indeed, this remarkable little vehicle was so comfortable for me in the old days I had twelve of them over the years. But, nowadays driving a ‘Moggie’ isn’t an option for me, which is a great shame.
Additionally, before vehicles started to be come lower-slung and more aerodynamic, I could often manage to ride in many ordinary production cars either as driver or passenger. However, when the sleeker, low slung modern cars started to appear my choice was dramatically reduced.
When my otherwise reliable friend Alan suggested that we visit Westover Toyota to have a test drive I queried his sanity : “Are you mad ?” But Alan insisted we visit the showroom, despite my reluctance.
As they were, and still are,very popular little cars, I was very familiar with the Yaris. However, I entered the showroom with the pre-conceived opinion that the Japanese seem to forget that most Europeans are taller than them – and that my usually very knowledgeable friend had ‘lost the plot’. But as I sat inside and could be seen to be very comfortable in the driver’s seat, he was smirking from ear to ear! My reaction and obvious delight with the excellent driving position with more than enough headroom, without my forward vision being obstructed by the top of the windscreen, pleased Alan immensely.
After a test drive (with the salesman driving because no hand controls were available) I immediately placed an order for a red version as it seemed fitting for this Postman Pat look-alike small PMV-styled vehicle. At this point, I think it’s worth pointing out that with its almost slab-ended rear-end, the quirky Verso may be considered to be an ‘acquired taste’, although to me it’s utterly charming and full of character. So much so, I named mine “Katie” after the children’s stories in which the little girl who was the central character literally ‘did everything’. My version did a great deal helping me in my travels.
Hospital photoshoot
However, in between the new vehicle arriving and being fitted with the necessary hand-controls, I had to enter Christchurch Hospital for on-going treatment to ease the effects of cervical spinal arthritis. This meant being confined to a bed in the wonderful Forest Dene Ward at the hospital with my neck in weighted traction for an hour on, with twenty minutes or so rest, before going back into traction.
Unfortunately for the planned treatment, the Daily Telegraph Motoring Editor Peter Hall telephoned me in hospital to say that he’d arranged for a temporarily adapted Yaris Verso to be available for me to be photographed in. The next surprise came when he said my spell in hospital wouldn’t be a problem – they’d get the car to me, complete with a photographer! All I had to do was to get the permission from the Ward Sister and wait for the action! Incidentally, the ward staff had got to know me over the years and were never surprised what adventures my work as a writer and journalist brought me!
Very soon the metallic silver paint finished Verso provided by Toyota UK arrived followed shortly afterwards by the photographer. The photographer eventually decided that a few shots taken on the main lawn, in front of the administrative buildings would do. Afterwards I was relieved not to be asked to leave the hospital and get my treatment elsewhere!
I was very attracted with the metallic silver finish on the vehicle loaned for photography and promptly changed the order for my own from Postman Pat red to Metallic Silver. To show that I wasn’t getting any extra favours for the publicity via my Daily Telegraph article, Westover’s equally promptly charged me the extra fee for the metallic paint!
Despite the extra charge for the paint job, Westover’s provided an excellent service to their new customer and continue to do so. Indeed, as soon as it arrived they even drove my new car up to Chippenham in Wiltshire to be fitted with the electrically-powered servo driven inner-steering wheel throttle, and hand operated brake lever. At the same time an excellent job was done by the specialist engineers – the ball type steering wheel device was fitted, to match up with the ‘egg cup’ that I use on my prosthetic right arm.
Faithful Service
I never regretted ‘downsizing’ from the incredibly unreliable Volkswagen Sharan. Although I’d originally had a few doubts, these very quickly disappeared and I had four years’ of totally reliable service from “Katie”. In fact, the only thing that failed in the almost 100,000 miles we journeyed together was the cassette player, soon replaced as part of the warranty.
With over 30 round trips to Ireland, a number of quick trips over to France and one marathon journey to Denmark, Sweden and Finland, “Katie” faced all weather conditions from warm County Mayo rain to Finnish blizzards and she never faltered. Packed with my journalist’s gear, Amateur Radio equipment and sometimes with my heavyweight battery buggy, she still averages 45 m.p.g., despite the 1.3 litre engine, three speed gearbox with overdrive, rather than a four speed with overdrive. The automatic gearbox has also proved to be resilient and exceptionally smooth.
Unfortunately, apart from introducing a diesel version (manual gearbox only) Toyota decided not to develop the Yaris Verso further, a decision I regard as being their lost opportunity as the model is still a much sought after vehicle. Eventually, they decided to phase the vehicle out altogether, to expand the Verso range without the ‘hi-top’ vehicle I required.
I had decided to keep my orginal “Katie” after I had finished paying for it, using my DLA mobility component to fund the hire purchase. However, when Westover Toyota offered me one of the last batch of Yaris Versos to be sold I readily agreed and, of course, I wrote an article in The Daily Telegraph drawing attention to Toyota’s ‘lost opportunity’. The original “Katie” is still on the road, although “Katie II” , at almost four years old, has travelled less than half the mileage of the original, as I drive much less for my work nowadays.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing suitable for me in the latest Toyota range, and unless I go for a converted van – the Yaris Verso was built as an MPV, not converted from a van chassis – nobody else produces anything suitable. So, I’m planning to keep her (and myself) mobile for as long as I’m able to drive.
Photography by Phillip Hollis
This article first appeared in the November 2009 issue of Mobilise magazine, which goes out to all our members and includes reviews of adapted cars and mobility equipment, features on accessible travel and leisure, campaign updates, news, competitions and real-life stories.
Membership of our charity costs just £16 per year and includes your monthly subscription to Mobilise.
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Tags: car review