Toyota Yaris

Because it’s an entry-level vehicle, the Toyota Yaris is one of those cars that doesn’t get a ton of love from the automotive media. But it’s a wildly popular car, and in general, quite reliable. I had a friend who managed to put about 180,000 miles on her 2008 Yaris before she eventually traded it in earlier this year.

Toyota has unveiled a new car that will be a hot hatch version of its Yaris WRC rally car. The catch is that this cool Yaris, and yes it is cool, won’t be coming to the US.

I’ll be the first to admit that the Toyota Yaris and the Ford Fiesta aren’t exactly the cars that I would want to add to my stable given any choice out there. However, if my requirements were a fun to drive car with a little performance and low price, the Fiesta ST would certainly be in the running.

Toyota’s CEO Akio Toyoda wasn’t kidding when he said he wanted his company’s cars to “raise the pulse” instead of hitting us in the neck with tranquilizer darts. The giant Japanese automaker (insert Godzilla joke here) recenlty announced plans to re-enter the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) after a 17-year absence.