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The story
On a 5ch thread, Toyota’s Yaris Cross became the poster child for the phrase “this is exactly what we need” (a common expression of approval for something sensible and unpretentious). It started with a post wishing for a cheap, non-SUV compact car built on the Yaris Cross’s body. From there, commenters cited the Honda Fit’s hybrid (e:HEV) and the commercial-use Probox as ideal examples. The discussion eventually expanded into a broader debate over SUV popularity itself, pitting jabs at consumers who spend more on looks and specs than practicality against those who argued car choice is a matter of personal freedom.
What people said
compact car and sell it cheap
The plain Yaris has way too little interior room, can't use it as a family car
Or the Yaris Cross, needlessly expensive with pricey tire changes too?
The Yaris and Aqua lean too stylish and end up cramped
Why can't they just make a compact car that's just right
Put a Toyota hybrid in the Fit's cabin space
First time I've heard anyone call the Yaris "stylish-leaning"
Not exactly compact, but the Roomy covers that segment
There's also talk of a hybrid version coming with the new model
Then just get a Fit
The Fit's e:HEV is about as close to the correct answer as it gets
It's the embodiment of the "minimal mechanicals, maximum cabin" philosophy
It'd be flawless if it ran Toyota's THS instead of e:HEV, though
But Toyota just doesn't make anything like that
The Probox
From the side its silhouette is low and tapers
upward, more of a sports-car look
Same with the Demio/Mazda2 — in the European market
a sleek, personal-car-style silhouette is preferred
over roomy practicality
The opposite end of that spectrum, cars like the Roomy and Solio,
are pure practicality, so they only sell in Japan
That's just the fate of being a global car, I guess
I get the logic, same as what was written in Re: #14
My personal take: Europeans need a change of mindset
So, did you actually buy a Fit?
My cousin just bought the current Crosstar,
so I don't want to copy them right after — I'll wait for the full model change
or a big enough minor change that it looks totally different
What are you driving now?
That's just your company car
Damn, now I want a Probox too
If they're not making one, that probably just means you're the only one who thinks that's the right answer — the manufacturer sees it differently
Says the guy who's never actually driven either the Yaris Cross or the Corolla Cross 🥹
A Peugeot for long drives and a kei tall wagon for short trips —
I want those combined into one B-segment or C-segment car
If you can own two cars, you can split it into a fun-to-drive one and a practical one —
no need for a single car to cover everything
Yeah, exactly — not looking like a car nerd's ride is the appeal
That's exactly the kind of thing a hardcore car enthusiast would say
Same with slapping a giant wing on a car that never even hits 150 km/h on the highway, let alone 200
I'd love to grill you for an hour about how you're actually "using" that gear you paid for
I've started thinking of it as just uneconomical
but honestly, it's a free country, let people do what they want
If you're really into cars you'd usually want to add more, not fewer —
it's rare to see someone downsizing
Did daddy get laid off or something
Almost no car ever gets its full spec used on public roads
What's fun about everyone driving nothing but stingy, no-frills cars?
Spending money on that kind of romance is anyone's own business,
but it doesn't strike me as a clever choice,
so personally it's not a purchase I'd make
Would a "clever" person even go for a Peugeot?
Because even low-mileage used ones go for dirt cheap
For the same 2 million yen, an unpopular import
rides more comfortably on the highway than a domestic car at the same price
I've owned a hydropneumatic Citroën and a Rover 75 too
and when they broke down after a few years, I just bought another one
Partly because it went more global, I think
It fixed the mushy suspension the Japan-only Vitz had
though it ended up feeling almost too German as a result
No matter how cheap it is, trading up every 2-3 years is uneconomical
It only resells for peanuts
Realistically, a domestic car is more economical
Come on, I kept it way longer than that
It's basically worthless by the time you sell it, right?
It's pretty cheap to buy in the first place too
My 508 SW was under 1 million yen out the door
I'm pretty out of touch with reality myself so I don't think you're lying, but it's hard to believe
that someone who pours that much time and passion into cars
would look down on people who want specialness from a car,
or get all stingy about wanting one single car to do absolutely everything
They won't
Just go buy a Rocky
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
The Yaris Cross is a subcompact SUV based on the new-generation Yaris, and since its domestic launch it has been a driving force behind Japan’s compact SUV boom. What split the thread was how to interpret the substance of SUV demand. While some voices supported SUVs despite their usual practicality and cost drawbacks, there was also plenty of pointed sarcasm aimed at consumers who spend money on gear and specs they never actually use. On the question of what an ideal compact car should look like, several commenters pointed to the Honda Fit’s hybrid, sparking discussion of how it stacks up against Toyota’s own hybrid lineup. Others noted that European markets favor design-forward styling over pure practicality, highlighting how expectations for cars differ between Japan and overseas markets — a divide underlying much of this debate.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from a 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G board) thread titled “The Yaris Cross, Basically the Poster Child of “This Is Exactly What We Need” lol.”
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