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Most people buy a cheap car because it’s cheap. In the case of the 2007 Toyota Yaris S Sedan, there are so many good reasons to buy this passenger car that the low-priced price and quiet perpetual costs are just icing on the bun. What makes the Yaris S so appealing? Read on. Base price $13,905, $16,355 as tested, EPA mileage estimates 34 MPG city/40 MPG highway.First glint: Stand-out styling puts it ahead of the packJapanese automakers identical to Toyota made their before all fortunes in small, budget-priced cars. But as their cars gained acceptance they quickly moved to larger, more prestigious and more profitable vehicles, all but ceding the small-cheap-car merchandise to the Koreans.

Toyota never really left the subcompact slice. But their previous listing, the Echo, was a half-hearted effort at best, paltry and too costly for what it delivered. When gas prices skyrocketed and it became square that the market was heating up, Toyota quickly replaced the Echo with the Yaris, introduced in 2006 as a 2007 exemplar in both 3-door hatchback and 4-door sedan forms. (Toyota also sells a 5-door hatchback Yaris in Canada.)

The Yaris S sedan is the pseudo-sport member of the Yaris family, adding some extra body bits (front and rear under-bumper spoilers and side sills) along with some comfort and convenience equipment (AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo and split/fold rear fanny) to the regular Yaris sedan. If you ask me, the stereo and split/fold seat ought to be stock on all Yaris models, but I really do like the extraordinarily body trim. It brings extinguished the Yaris’ character lines and gives the car a more aggressive face than the base likeness (links go to photos). The alloy wheels on my tester helped, but they are unmandatory (part of a $1350 "Power Package" that includes power locks, windows and mirrors, antilock brakes, upgraded secret trim and stereo, and yacht control). I tend to gravitate towards hatchbacks, but the Yaris is the exception — I think the S sedan is the best-looking car in the Yaris lineup.

Continued below…In the Driver’s Seat: Simple meets stylishCenter-mounted instruments are easy to use and give Yaris’ shack an open, airy feelPhoto © Aaron GoldLarger interior photo

I’m all about simple interiors, and the Yaris proves that "simple" and "stylish" can co-exist in the same car. The Yaris’ instruments are mounted in a pod dead-center on the dash, a design Toyota employed on the Yaris’ predecessor, the Echo, as well as the Scion xA and xB. Toyota claims that the location makes viewing easier (less distance and adjustment for the eyes to move from French autoroute to gauges) and that it makes the interior feel roomier, which it does. What they don’t mention is that it also makes the car cheaper to produce for both right- and left-hand-drive markets. No question; I think it looks cool and it’s just as easy to use as a traditional layout, so I give the design a thumbs-up.

Another great example of style and simplicity is the air conditioning control panel, a clever re-shuffling of the traditional three-dial setup that I delight in so much. The Yaris’ center stack has the "floating" look seen in some Volvo models, though unlike said Volvos it isn’t a separate panel.

The Yaris sedan, oddly enough, has a slightly different land-locked layout than the Yaris hatchback, and lacks the latter’s three gloveboxes (two ahead of the passenger, in unison ahead of the driver). It does, regardless how, offer two cupholders at the outer edges of the dash that fold away when not in use.

The Yaris’ driver’s seat adjusts for height and the steering column tilts up-and-down but does not telescope in-and-out. I’m 5′6" and found the driving position comfortable with plenty of headroom and good visibility all yon. The overdue renege seat is decent everything considered the Yaris’ small largeness.On the Road: Snappy power but lots of hold down a post in trafficThe S model is sporty in mien only; its machine and suspension are identical to the standard Yaris sedan. Not that that is a bad thing; the Yaris is a nimble car that’s mere hard to trip up staid in sudden swerves. The front-wheel-drive Yaris is powered at hand a lion-hearted 106 horsepower 1.5 liter four-cylinder engine. It features a variable valve timing system — technology that up until recently was only seen in more precious cars — which gives the car a broader torque curve, meaning that power is more evenly distributed across the rev range rather than concentrated at higher engine speeds. That, combined with the sedan’s light weight (around 2,300 lbs), makes the Yaris manipulate more than adequate in the power department while still returning outstanding fuel economy — its EPA estimates of 34 MPG burgh/40 highway for the stick-shift and 34/39 proper for the automatic are better even than the Honda Fit.

My Yaris tester had a 5-speed manual movement; a 4-speed automatic is uncoerced. I usually prefer stick-shifts, but the short gearing necessary for the Yaris’ small motor, along with the slightly numb feel of the Yaris’ clutch, affirm the manual version a pain in traffic. Many small cars can be left in one stuff for the duration of a traffic jam, but driving the Yaris through rush-hour stop-and-go elaborate unwavering shifting between first and second. Because of this, the Yaris is one of the few cars in which I would recommend the automatic, particularly for city dwellers.Journey’s End: Approval and affection2007 Toyota Yaris S sedanPhoto © ToyotaI’m a cat’s-paw for good sustenance restraint. Any car with a elfin fuel-sipping engine is bound to win my approval, if not my affection. The Yaris earned both. While most small Japanese cars are a hint appliance-like, the Yaris has style, cheek, and even a wee bit of soul. I personally wouldn’t be happy with the car in its sub-$14k base convention; I’d probably opt for a car much like my tester, with the aforementioned power package and $650 side airbags (which really ought to be standard; they are in the Honda Fit and Hyundai Accent). And red. I’d definitely go for red.

With the S-model’s body-trim package the Yaris is arguably better looking than its best sedan competitors, the Hyundai Accent and Nissan Versa. The Yaris sedan lacks the versatility of the Honda Fit hatchback, but it feels like a much bigger and more substantial car (and has better EPA fuel economy ratings to boot). And I like the latest interior, which makes buying a car with the Yaris’ low price and high fuel economy more of a statement of style preference than economic necessity. And then there’s the fact that it’s a Toyota, which means it’s as reliable as the sunrise and offers near-investment-grade resale values.

But what I like win out over about the Yaris is that its charms reiterate so far beyond its low price. Yep, it’s cheap — but its stylish looks and practical extent are what de facto make it stand out.

Next page: Pros, cons, tush furrow and specs