Toyota "Aygo Crazy" (get it?)

So what do you get when you combine a subcompact Toyota Aygo microcar (it's smaller than a Yaris) with a Toyota MR2 engine? You get a crazy vehicle -- in fact, it's the Aygo Crazy (as in "I go crazy"). Mid engine, flared bodywork, fast acceleration, and great handling. I'll take two.

LINK
First Drive: Aygo Crazy (Autocar)

New rolling stock for my Yaris

I've switched things up a bit on my '07 Yaris. I sold my Speedmaster wheels and Kumho AST tires, and just purchased a set of 15" Konig Daylite wheels (15x6.5, et +40) and a set of Yokohama S.Drive tires (195/55/15). Can't wait to get them on! A bit more offset, and a narrower tire should reduce the small amount of rubbing I was getting with my last setup. Plus, the S.Drives are a much stickier tire than the Kumho ASTs.

The Great Toyota Cut-And-Paste: The Great Wall Florid

Chinese autocopier ... er ... automaker Great Wall showed yet another vehicle that not only knocks off one vehicle, but two (actually more than two). The Florid (I think they forgot the "a" at the end), has a front end similar to a Toyota Yaris, and a rear end that looks like a Scion xA. On top of that, the vehicle has headlights that mimic the JDM Toyota Ractis. Talk about killing 2-3 birds with one stone. It's supposed to be released this year according to Automotive News.



You can check out Great Wall Motors' Web site at www.gwm.com.cn/eng. Be sure to click on the "models" page, and check out the "Hover." Who wouldn't want that?

My Toyota Yaris

So what small car do I drive? I own a 2007 Toyota Yaris, and I love it. In case you didn't know, it's the little white car parked between my friend Craig's Nissan Sentra SE-R (thanks for the photo, by the way) and that Lamborghini Superleggera. Yeah, that one. Although my car is no Lambo, I love it. And you know what they say: If you can't dazzle them with dollars, baffle them with bullshit. Well, OK; maybe not bullshit, but I didn't figure anyone would take a second look at my little Toyota next to an Italian beauty like the Lambo at the track.

To my surprise, I had several people come up to me and ask me about the Yaris. I had one guy even say that he hadn't even looked at the Lambo because he liked small cars and noticed my Yaris. (That's my kind of guy, but c'mon – it's a Superleggara!) Anyway, with it's bright orange Speedmaster SM046 wheels, and lowered stance, it hardly looks like a typical Yaris and does get its fair share of stares.

So a bit about my Yaris. It has the following upgrades:

15x6.5 (et 38)Speedmaster SM046 wheels (they weigh only about 11 lbs. each)

Kumho Ecsta AST (205/50/15)

Megan Racing Coilover Dampners

TRD rear swabyar

K&N Drop-In air filter (hey, I got it cheap!)

No, it's not very fast in a straight line, but it handles like a go-kart! In fact, I was able to do three laps on the racetrack as part of the re-opening, and it handled even better than I thought. The Kumho tires aren't my first choice (they came with the wheels), but they weren't too bad.

I'll be autocrossing the car this season, and it should prove to be a great little vehicle through the cones.

Yaris Links

Here a few of my favorite Web sites with Yaris-specific content:
Yaris World
B-segment.com
The Micro Team