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Daily Driver: 2015 Toyota Yaris SE

Daily Driver videos are micro-reviews of vehicles in the Autoblog press fleet, featuring impressions from the staffers that drive them every day. Today's Daily Driver features the 2015 Toyota Yaris SE Hatchback, reviewed by Sebastian Blanco. You can watch the video above or read a transcript below. Watch more Autoblog videos at /videos. VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: [00:00:00] Hello, everyone. Sebastian Blanco here from Autoblog and AutoblogGreen, with the Daily Driver, this time in the 2015 Toyota Yaris SE Hatchback. It's in a fine blue color called Blue Streak Metallic. This car comes in at just under $17,000, but with all the options and we'll talk about that in a minute, it comes to $18,700. It's rated at 30 miles per gallon in the city, [00:00:30] 37 on the highway, and 33 combined. I've driven it a little over 350 miles this week and the dashboard is reading at 36.8 miles per gallon average, so it definitely gets props for hitting the EPA fuel economy numbers. It has warmed up a little, so we're not operating in the cool Michigan winter that some of my previous cars were, so I gave them a little slack for being under the average. This one right on the money her in the spring time. I do like the [00:01:00] roominess of it. I think it feels great for such a small car. Visibility, you can see everywhere you look. All cars should have this but so few of them do. I like that it's a manual transmission. It's been way too long since I've driven a manual. I do like even this little pocket thing up front here. I haven't put anything in it. I just like that it's there. I don't know, maybe you can put your phone in there or something, but it's cool. The worst part about this though is the infotainment screen here. It is unresponsive. It looks like it's something from Windows 95. [00:01:30] It just acts so weird when it connects to my phone. It connects either via Bluetooth or USB. It's for me, maybe I just haven't had enough time with it, but it's very hit and miss as far as getting my music or my podcast to stream over the vehicle's audio system. The nav system is a $900 upgrade, and given how bad it looks and how bright it is at nighttime, I think an after-market system or even just a mount for your phone is a much, much better deal. Like [00:02:00] I said, this is the base model. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I'm a big fan of utility, practical, don't get anything extra.

Toyota mulling Cummins diesel for Tundra?

When Bloomberg spoke to Toyota USA Sales CEO Kazua Ohara recently, we highlighted his comments on the possible return of the Toyota Supra. However, the interview started with Ohara discussing the Tundra, and how it would take time to pinpoint and hone the pickup truck's brand image in the minds of consumers. That effort could get a boost, with a report in Edmunds saying that Toyota is "evaluating" the addition of a Cummins turbodiesel to the Tundra's engine options.
The Cummins powerplant is one of two options for the moment, the other being a hybrid powertrain. If the oil-burner got the thumbs-up, Toyota would follow the recent example of Nissan, which announced it would put a Cummins turbodiesel into its 2015 Titan. While the two Japanese companies make a closer comparison since they're both talking about Cummins applications in light-duty trucks, if it happens, it could be seen as further diluting the once-exclusive tie-up that Ram trucks has had with Cummins even though Ram has used Cummins in its heavy-duty truck.
Toyota hasn't said when it will decide on which direction to take, but either will be a move for the better in the view of segment watchers; PickupTrucks.com said the first of its top-five fixes for the Tundra would be a better engine, perhaps a diesel-electric hybrid from Toyota's Hino unit. Cummins told Edmunds it can supply a second manufacturer with the 5.0-liter diesel that Nissan will be using, so we wouldn't be surprised to see it end up in a Toyota or somewhere else.

Former NHTSA chief may lead automaker-backed Takata investigation

An automaker-led effort may see the former head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration take on the probe into the Takata airbag inflator disaster. A coalition of at least ten automakers is in talks with former NHTSA administrator David Kelly, with unnamed sources familiar with the discussions telling The Wall Street Journal he is "among those we are considering to coordinate" the investigation.The Detroit News, meanwhile, is reporting he could be hired "in the coming days." Takata, the Japanese seatbelt and airbag manufacturer, has been the center of a defect scandal since last year. Takata is under fire for air bag inflators that can explode, shooting out metal and plastic pieces. At least five deaths and dozens of injuries have been linked to the problem worldwide. Earlier this year, Honda Motor Co., the automaker with the biggest exposure to the defective Takata air bags, was fined $70 million in the U.S. for not reporting to regulators some 1,729 complaints that its vehicles caused deaths and injuries, and for not reporting warranty claims. It was the largest civil penalty levied against an automaker. Should he take the role, Kelly would be at the fore of an investigation being assembled by an alliance of ten automakers, which includes the Detroit Three and Honda. Toyota first suggested a joint investigation back in December, The Journal reports. Kelly's goals, meanwhile, will be many. The Detroit News reports that questions abound regarding not only the recalled airbag inflators and the conditions that cause them to fail, but the whether the replacement units will have similar problems in the future. The automaker committee is far from the only one analyzing the airbag issue. Takata has assembled its own panel, led by former Secretary of Transportation Samuel Skinner, while NHTSA's deputy administrator, David Friedman, has brought in an outside engineering firm to investigate the inflators, The Detroit News reports. Separately, on Friday Takata Corp., the Japanese seatbelt and air-bag maker at the center of a defect scandal, is expecting more red ink for the fiscal year through March. It is projecting a 31 billion yen ($264 million) loss, worse than the previous forecast for a 25 billion yen ($214 million) loss, despite higher sales expected for the fiscal year. Ten automakers have recalled about 12 million vehicles in the U.S. and about 19 million globally for problems with the air bags.