I love my Yaris and being 5′8″ I find it very comfortable and well built. I had a aveo rental and THAT is what you were describing. Kinda getting tired of you guys crapping on the Yaris.

Go rent a damn hummer.

James,
Agree,
Also AVIS have free complimentary XM Satelite radio on all Hyundais.

CUBE – I have to say, a Hyundai Accent sedan with the automatic is MUCH nicer than the Yaris. Needs a bigger fuel tank tho.

I’ll stick with the Passat Wagon that we drove in Italy this summer, amazing!

I don’t want to hear it unless you are driving a right hand drive Daihatsu Charade. Had to do that in Grand Cayman a couple times, and driving that is taking your life into your own hands. Who needs air bags, after all?
It didn’t have enough interior panels TO rattle.
Here’s what it looked like:
http://www.valuemd.com/attachments/saba-medical-school-classifieds/6954d1203886050-2007-daihatsu-charade-automatic-sale-img_1476.jpg

RENTA’ SOLARIS BEFORE A YARIS!

By the way, I think you got lucky, most of the time, if some event going on in town there only Aveos and Accents left on the lot.

I kinda like Center mounted Gauge Pods (Yaris/scions), especially at night, because they are not glare and blinding you. After driving with it for a while, “normal” car will start to irritate you at night. As for the “coolant” light, it is just temperature sensor showing you that engine is not warmed up to the operating temperature yet (it should be gone in 3-5 minutes after you start the car).
I travel alot and upgrading the rental sometimes is not very good idea. Once I was “upgraded” for free to Nissan “Armada” at one of the New York Airports. I hated that trip…..

I have a feeling John is having a different experience with his Aveo, but the one I rented 3 years ago in Hawaii had a clock that actually GAINED time when you drove it. I do like the lack of attachment I have with rental cars – there isn’t anything that I won’t subject them to. Even so, the thing that keeps it from being really fun is that although you’ve got low-end everything, you still have to suffer through an automatic transmission. Having the option of manual would make them much more fun to drive, but I suppose that’s too much to expect in the US.