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Cheap, honest transportation | 2017 Toyota Yaris iA

In The Love Bug, the main character (aside from Herbie) is a down-on-his-luck racing driver named Jim Douglas. Early on, he steps into an exotic car show room, and when the dealer asks him kind of car he's looking for, Douglas replies, "What do you have in the way of cheap, honest transportation?" The dealer quickly snatches his fancy liquor back from Douglas and soon after Herbie shows up from the back of the showroom. But if this happened today, you could easily replace the classic Beetle with a 2017 Toyota Yaris iA. The poor thing isn't nearly as endearing to look at as a classic Bug, as a result of the rather unattractive nose, and it's now using a second pseudonym (first Scion iA, then Toyota Yaris iA) to hide its Mazda heritage. However, everything else about it nails the description of cheap, honest transportation. And for that reason, it's a lovely little car. Let's start with honesty, and it begins from the minute you start equipping the car – the iA is a "what you see is what you get" proposition. You see, the iA moniker isn't the only holdover from the Scion era. The Toyota Yaris iA retains its "monospec" configuration, which means it comes with only one option: the transmission. Customers can choose from either a 6-speed manual like our test car, or a 6-speed automatic which costs $1,100. Everything else is standard, and "everything" includes some choice features. You get alloy wheels, air conditioning, cruise control, USB and Bluetooth integration, a rear-view camera, tilt and telescoping steering wheel with audio controls, and keyless entry with push-button start. Technically there are a number of dealer-installed accessories too, including your typical fare of mudguards, rear spoiler, cargo organizers, and such. However, none of them are really necessary, with one exception. For some odd reason, the Yaris iA does not come with a center armrest. It's a $195 accessory, and frankly it should be a standard feature because it's so useful. If you hadn't guessed, ours wasn't equipped with it. Everywhere else the iA is a thoroughly pleasant car, if not as sporty as the old Mazda2. The little 1.5-liter four-cylinder under the hood isn't particularly potent with 106 horsepower and 103 lb-ft of torque. But with a Miata-like 2,385-pound curb weight and our car's manual transmission, it manages to feel fairly sprightly, and never has any trouble dicing it up with traffic. That transmission is pretty decent, too.

Toyota Recalling Millions Of Cars Over Multiple Concerns

Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling nearly 1.8 million vehicles in the U.S. for various safety problems, including air bags that may fail to deploy. The Japanese automaker announced the U.S. recall Wednesday as part of a broader recall of 6.39 million vehicles - and 27 Toyota models - globally. In the U.S., the recall includes: - 1.3 million vehicles with faulty electrical connections that could cause the air bags to deactivate. Included are the 2009-2010 Corolla, 2009-2010 Matrix, 2008-2010 Highlander, 2009-2010 Tacoma, 2006-2008 RAV4, 2006-2010 Yaris and 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe. If the air bags deactivate, they could fail to deploy after a crash. - 472,500 small cars with defective springs in the front seat rails, which could prevent the seats from locking in place. Included are the 2006-2010 Yaris hatchback, 2007-2010 Yaris sedan and the 2008-2010 Scion XD. Toyota said it is currently working on remedies for the problems. Dealers will replace the defective parts for free when replacement parts are available. The Pontiac Vibe, which is made by General Motors Co., is included in the recall because Toyota designed and engineered it for GM when the two companies shared a factory in California. GM says 40,500 Vibes will be recalled, and says GM dealers will make repairs when Toyota sends them the parts. The air bag issue is unrelated to a separate GM recall of 2.6 million vehicles for an ignition switch defect that can also deactivate the air bags. The Vibe isn't included in that recall. Toyota said no injuries or crashes have been reported related to the recalls. By region, the recall affects 2.3 million vehicles in North America, 1.09 million vehicles in Japan and 810,000 vehicles in Europe. Other regions affected by the recall include Africa, South America and the Middle East. The recall is one of Toyota's largest since 2009 and 2010, when the company issued a series of recalls totaling more than 10 million vehicles for various problems including faulty brakes, sticky gas pedals and ill-fitting floor mats. Toyota is under pressure to announce recalls quickly after a U.S. government investigation found it hid information about past defects. Last month, the company agreed to pay $1.2 billion to settle that investigation. It also paid fines totaling $66 million to the U.S. government for delays in reporting unintended acceleration problems.

What's big at the Chicago show | Autoblog Podcast #503

On this week's podcast, Mike Austin and David Gluckman discuss the big debuts at the 2017 Chicago Auto Show. They also recap what they've all been driving lately, and the episode wraps up with Spend My Money buying advice to help you, our dear listeners. And there's an awful Dad Joke thrown in there for you to find. The rundown is below. Remember, if you have a car-related question you'd like us to answer or you want buying advice of your very own, send a message or a voice memo to podcast at autoblog dot com. (If you record audio of a question with your phone and get it to us, you could hear your very own voice on the podcast. Neat, right?) And if you have other questions or comments, please send those too. Autoblog Podcast #503 The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics and stories we mention Jaguar XE Volkswagen Golf R Toyota Highlander Hybrid Chicago Auto Show coverage Used cars! Rundown Intro - 00:00 What we're driving - 01:46 Chicago show preview - 22:58 Spend My Money - 35:36 Total Duration: 52:48 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Feedback Email – Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show on iTunes Podcasts Chicago Auto Show Chevrolet Dodge Jaguar Toyota Volkswagen Truck Hatchback SUV Performance Sedan ford expedition jaguar xe volkswagen golf r 2017 Chicago Auto Show