2007 Toyota Yaris Review: A Tiny Budget Car That Doesn’t Offer Quite Enough Even for its Meager Price

The 2007 Toyota Yaris is in a tricky position in that its main selling point is the price. It’s cheap, it’s fuel-efficient, and it’s low-maintenance. But, the 2007 Hyundai Elantra is cheaper, just as low-maintenance, and almost as fuel-efficient. The Yaris’ price just hasn’t come down enough to justify the absence of basic features like anti-lock brakes a stereo.

Is the 2007 Toyota Yaris a Good Used Car?

• Overall Rating 7/10 – Like most budget compacts, the Yaris is mediocre by design. Unlike most budget compacts, it doesn’t really do anything to outshine the competitors.
• Interior, Comfort & Cargo 7/10 – The Yaris makes up for its awkward layout and limited cargo space with smooth-riding suspension and more interior space than you’d guess from outside the car.
• Reliability 8/10 – It’s a Toyota. You’re not likely to find any major problems here.
• Safety 6/10 – The Yaris’ crash test scores are decent, but anti-lock brakes aren’t even available as an option, let alone as a standard feature.
• Gas Mileage 9/10 – If there’s one area where the Yaris excels, it’s more fuel-efficient than almost any other compact in its model year, and some motorcycles.
• Value 7/10 – The 2007 Yaris is worth the sticker price, especially considering the rock-bottom cost of ownership. But the Elantra is a superior car at a lower price point.

What Do Critics Say About the 2007 Toyota Yaris?

Consumer Reports had high praise for the smooth ride and excellent fuel economy of the 2007 Toyota Yaris. That was pretty much all they liked. They found the interior layout awkward, the engine noisy, the handling sloppy, the braking weak, and the acceleration adequate at best.

Kelley Blue Book note that the Yaris’ oddball “Euro” inspired design is an acquired taste, and the car is pretty basic when it comes to performance. But, they note, it’s still a Toyota, and Toyota means dependable, low-maintenance, and fuel-efficient.

Edmunds commend the comfortable ride and fuel-efficient powertrain. They had a better time with the “crisp handling” than Consumer Reports did, and they liked the sliding rear seats. Their biggest complaint had to do with the Yaris’ sluggish acceleration.

What Common Problems Does the 2007 Toyota Yaris Have?

The 2007 Yaris has generated 294 complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. More than one third of these are for airbag problems, with drivers reporting failure to deploy, and airbag warning lights staying on after recall repairs have already been administered.

There are 23 structural complaints on file, and 22 for suspension, with a common issue being excessive rust. In the shocks and struts this can leave you sitting right on the axle. In the frame, it can render your car a pile of scrap. This is easy to prevent with anti-rust spray, but effectively impossible to fix.

Engine and powertrain complaints are relatively scarce, but there are a few reports of extensive corrosion chewing through the transmission.

In total, the 2007 Toyota Yaris has 10 recalls on file with the NHTSA. That number is on the higher end of the median for vehicles this old, and especially high for a Toyota.

How Long Will the 2007 Toyota Yaris Last?

The 2007 Toyota Yaris hasn’t been on the market for as long as some cars, but there are reports of the car passing 250,000 miles. Whether a well-kept Yaris can hit a half million miles or more, we’ll have to wait and see. In the meantime, expect the typical Toyota range of 200,000 to 250,000 on the original engine.

Repairpal estimate the 2007 Yaris should cost you a meager $242 a year in maintenance costs, which is really low, even for a Toyota. The most expensive common fixes include new wheels starting at around $491 each, airbag clockspring replacements, at around $461, and antitheft system control modules, at $413.

How Is the Technology?

Entertainment technology in the 2007 Yaris is pretty basic. The entry-level model has four speakers and no stereo, you have to buy that separately. The high-end S model features a CD and MP3 player.

Safety technology is pretty meager, even by 2007 standards. Anti-lock brakes aren’t even available in teh car, let alone as a standard feature.

Is the 2007 Toyota Yaris a Good Value?

The 2007 Toyota Yaris is priced fairly, but it’s not nearly the best compact for the money. A Base model hatchback typically lists for around $5,500, while an S sedan lists for $6,331.

When you add that to the low cost of ownership, with the Yaris being low-maintenance, reliable, and fuel-efficient, it’s not a terrible deal. But, the market-leading Elantra sells for about a thousand dollars less from trim to trim.

What are the Different Models of the 2007 Toyota Yaris?

The 2007 Toyota Yaris is offered in just two trim levels, the Base, and the high-end S. Both are available in hatchback and sedan bodystyles.

With the entry-level Base you’re getting:

• Cloth seating
• Manual air conditioning
• 4-way manual-adjust front seats
• Folding back seats

The top-of-the-line S adds:

• CD/MP3 player
• Driver seat height adjuster

What Engines Come In the 2007 Toyota Yaris?

• Whatever your trim, whatever your body style, you’re getting a 1.5L inline-four engine delivering 106 horsepower and 103 lb.-ft. of torque. This paired to a 4-speed automatic in front wheel drive (with an optional 5-speed manual transmission available) and it averages 34/40 miles to the gallon, city/highway.

What Colors Does the 2007 Toyota Yaris Come In?

How Comfortable Is the 2007 Toyota Yaris?

The 2007 Yaris is more comfortable than it looks, but not by much. The back seat is 50 inches across, and the sedan model offers a decent amount of head and leg room for such a small car. The layout is a bit awkward and the interior space isn’t that well optimized, but the suspension rides nice and smooth.

How Much Storage Space Does the 2007 Toyota Yaris Have?

A 2007 Yaris hatchback offers 13 cubic feet of cargo space with the seats up, 26 cubic feet with the seats down. The sedan stretches from 9 to 14.

Even in the hatchback, and even by budget compact standards, storage space here is pretty limited. You’ve got enough space for grocery trips or maybe airport luggage for two or three people, and that’s about it.

What Are the Differences Between Years?

The 2007 Toyota Yaris is effectively the first entry in the car’s 2nd Generation, which ran until the 2011 model year. The long history of the nameplate is pretty complex, but that’s all you need to know for now if you’re shopping for a late-00’s model.

2007: The new Yaris made its North American debut as a replacement for the Echo in the 2007 model year, featuring a revised gearbox and a distinctive Euro-inspired design.

2008: 5-speed manual transmissions were made standard in 2008.

2009: 5-door liftbacks were added to the lineup in 2009.

2010: Traction control and anti-lock brakes were added for 2010.

How Does the 2007 Toyota Yaris Compare to the Competition?

The 2007 Toyota Yaris doesn’t hold up very well to the competition. The 2007 Elantra costs a thousand dollars less, it’s roomier, it’s more powerful, and it’s almost as fuel-efficient. Even the mediocre Chevrolet HHR is a thousand bucks cheaper, and it offers the that spacious woody-wagon-inspired body design.

There’s nothing glaringly wrong with a Yaris, it’s worth the sticker price, it’s reliable, it’s easy to park. But it just doesn’t offer you very much for your money, and there were a lot of budget compacts to pick from in 2007.

Do Owners Recommend the 2007 Toyota Yaris?