The Finnish post office had tons of these in RHD automatic. After they were done with them, they got a second and sometimes third lease of life in the hands of private distribution companies and food delivery companies. There is nothing better than a proper automatic and 1.3 liter petrol four for creeping from mailbox to mailbox all day long. They’re gone now and i’m sure they’re missed. Also I saw a post by someone that managed a fleet of cars for home care nurses. He said that any car you give them will last three years in their use while a Yaris Verso lasted ten.
I bought one of these a month ago. I never considered buying one because I thought they were strange. It was on my doorstep and the price was right though, so I took the plunge. I'm now a convert! It's the most practical thing ever. The Verso outdoes a estate for practicality and you benefit from the bombproof Toyota mechanicals. I had a 1.0 Yaris as my first car, so going to the 1.3 manual Verso more than a decade later I didn't actually feel it is that slow. Also I easily get 50 MPG in urban driving. One thing you might not have noticed: When you remove those two floorborads, the two outer rear seats actually fold into the floor and you have a proper van with a totally flat floor!
Thanks for confirming, I thought I remembered that! A friend's mom used to have a red Yaris Verso back in the 2000s and since she was constantly renovating one thing or another we lugged around quite a bit of construction materials in the "little red fire engine" as my friend's brother called it. She eventually replaced it with a brown Kangoo when the Yaris needed several expensive repairs in a row. Storage capacity is amazing but the Yaris still isn't particularly suitable for long items. I think the time we loaded half-sheets of plasterboard we had to tie the rear door shut with bungee cords because the sheets were too large. Or maybe it was the timber battens that didn't fit but something kept us from closing that door.
Ive owned one for 9 years - and i concur its the best car ever. You didnt show the cars real trump card - the rear seats fully folding flat and hiding under the front seats - creating a Cathedral like space. I own plenty of far more powerful vehicles in my fleet and with a manual gearbox mine zips along quite merrily. Ive camped in it, gigged with it, used it as a mobile workshop to build an engine for one of my Imps over lockdown and with the central section of the rear seats removed i can slot my mountain bike straight in the back and still maintain rear seating. The only weak point these have in the Uk climate is the same issue that afflicts all Mk1 Yaris models - and thats rust in the rear inner sill and suspension mounts. After 9 years and nearly 100ks worth of running around mines only need general servicing consumables. Its not a sports car but then it was never built or styled to be one either. Id aptly describe my Yaris verso as a Swiss Army knife of a car, nothing comes close to it for its size - its a lot smaller than an original Berlingo and is far more practical than the original Honda Jazz, Audi A2 and Mercedes A Class examples of all ive owned. As Toyota never built a proper replacement decent used examples values are still in high demand and are worth good money considering the last were made a good decade and a half now. Ill be keeping mine going indefinitely - if Toyota built a new one id buy it - challenging looks or not.
actually, in real life the best car in the world, said every lucky owner..owned 1.3 MT/AT and 1.5..4m length cave inside..mountain bike with 29" without dismantling wheels..low insurance, low consumption, absolut reliable..
I am currently driving this model and i 'm verry Happy about thow it looks like a portable toilet😂. With this 1,5 machine it s possible to drive with a small caravan. It is a universal multi purpose car. Needs cars against rust, service DIY possible. I built a bed 1,9X1,2 m for holiday. Like it so much
I can’t believe you did a review and totally missed the point of the most unique and awesome feature. Those removable floor panels allow the back seats to go under the front seats and then go back giving you true flat floored huge van which take mountain bikes and all sorts of big things that fit in more easily into the Yaris verso than the biggest Landcruiser !
My Wife bought one of these Yaris Versos around 12 years ago to ferry around her ailing Mother. Totally practical, and used to move so many large furniture items with the rear seats folded down under the floor- we took it into London last week as ULEZ compliant and it cruised happily on the M40. Ours is a 2005 1.3 T Spirit Auto- hugely economical and cheap to service. Great video as usual Matt- Many Thanks! 🚐💨
Our local bakery bought a van version of this car in 2000. Still in use! The only one I've ever seen in real life. It's quirky, but also has so much personality. Great review as always Matt. Keep them coming.
Weird cars so often are the best, Matt. I've always thought if you buy a car for its styling only, you have probably forgotten the practical reasons for buying a car. If the styling is weird because it's practical, no problem.
That's why I bought a Honda Fit. The MPV shape made it much more practical than most cars it's size like a Yaris or Fiesta. I find those cars absolutely unusable. Unfortunately the Fit has been the most unreliable car I ever bought. Don't plan on ever buying a small cheaply put together car again and the lack of ground clearance and horsepower has been a issue way too many times. Most likely, I'm getting a more bland but better made crossover of some sort for my next car. It's the only body style that really ticks all the boxes currently.
@@baronvonjo1929 Interestingly, I owned a 2012 Honda Jazz (what the Fit was called in Australia) from new until 2016. It never gave me any trouble. Unfortunately, my wife died from a heart condition while driving it in June 2015, and, well, it was always going to be sold after that. I traded it in on a Suzuki Grand Vitara 3 door 4x4. You are right about the lack of ground clearance being an issue with small cars.
Love this car !! But it's so frustrating you missed the awesome modularity allowing the rear seats to slide, under the front seats, hidden under the floor panels. I was waiting during all the video to see the operation.
I have 2 of these, most reliable, most practicle and you missed the biggest plus: the rear seats fold under the front seats and you can sit in the loading area for a picknick.
I own 1.3 Yaris Verso for 6 years now. Newer had a major issue with it despite its age and it's the most practical and low maintenance car I've ever owned. Bonus points to the fact that it's quite rare in my area so I have 0 struggles spotting it on a full shopping mall parking lot 😅👌 I love that it's quite small on the outside for a car like that but so spacious on the inside. I also love all the practical solutions like eg. the back door light being a flashlight etc. ...it is kinda ugly though but it's not as bad as Multipla imo
I had a friend with a lower spec Spanish market one of these. 1.0 litre engine. Still going strong after 20 years. And super economical. And I actually rather like the utilitarian practical look. A truly amazing design.
Practical cars with... err.. questionable looks often make fantastic used purchases. The downside is that as time moves on spare parts 'might' become problematic for things like interior or body panels as fewer remain on the road and support dries up. A great practical car that's fine if you're not in a hurry to be anywhere. Many thanks for sharing.
My wife has had a D4-D (Diesel) T Spirit Yaris Verso for the last 21 years and cannot be persuaded to change it. It gets 55-60mpg (manual box). Such space and versatility is very dificult to find in cars these days. It is very comfortable. I had forgotten about the drawer under the passenger seat. Her car has the optional cassette player as well as CD player and was upgraded with tweeters in the A-pillars for better sound quality. Hardly see any Diesels for sale these days. It has been very reliable, only needing replacement of the droplinks about 3 years ago.
My mom is driving hers since I think 18 years. It's now at over 200.000 km and never had a major issue. The 84hp are also more than enough, since the gears are pretty short and it has small wheels.
I'm on my second mk1 yaris d4d. One of the best cars ever. Does 65mpg everywhere and is bullet proof. Stuck 4 goodyear vector 4 seasons on and it's a little rocket
my mom gave it to me, it's an 05 diesel one, and me and my fiancee can't be happier about it: we use it for road trips, camping, historical reenactment and carrying the occasional bulk (such as wood, etc)
Best car ever and a shame they stopped producing this extremely practical and economical modell. Flat floor when you fold the rare seats down in to the floor. In with a furniture or a bicycle for transport and if you are a shorter person it is just a perfect mini camper on long road trips. I did build a little bed unit that I can put in to the car when I will go on a trip. A car that is cheap to own and to run. A car that will take you from A to B. And is a car that is a transporter of people and lots of stuff and still does not cost much in petrol costs. What more could you ask for if you want the most versatile car! Bring this modell on to the market again.
We called that model in Australia the Toyota Echo in hatchback & saloon only in 1.3 vvti or 1.5L as in the later 05 06 Toyota Yaris... Never got the wagon estate in Australia. They are bullet proof reliability on Australian vast suburbs and cities up 400,000km I'm hearing like the Toyota corollas. I've driven the 1.3L & 1.5L Echo/ Yaris many years ago a few times and the 1.5L has far more smoother pickup power. Still on the roads Echo yaris here you see alot still driving around in Melbourne giving very reliable service as engine parts are cheap for them.
Thousands of these where imported here, (New Zealand), ex Japan, called, as you mentioned 'Funcargoes.' Most are still on the road. I owned one for 6 years, reliable and very practical indeed. A little complicated and time consuming to drop the rear seats under the floor, yes, under, (l think this gentleman missed that great feature) but they convert it into a mini van. Great review, thank you.
I've got folding the seats down to a fine art - probably about 60 seconds for the entire process! Front seats forward, lift one floor, flip seat down and tuck in, repeat other side.
This was my first car as a 26 year old lawyer and father-to-be, desperate for a cheap family car. I got myself a 1,5 Yaris verso from the year 2000 with no AC for 2.000 euro. It was 21 years old at the time. Of course it started every single time. The heat in summer was horrendous though. Its a greenhouse on wheels. I miss it. Luckily my grandparents still have one - with 470.000 km on the odometer.
Im glad you mentioned that the Yaris was a saloon in some markets. . I bought a new one in 2007 in Thailand, it was called a Toyota Vios and was very very popular in Thailand and Malaysia. I have never seen one in the UK. I loved mine, it was the first brand new car I ever bought and even though it was the basic spec it was a great car.
I must say I am surprised the Skoda Roomster wasn't mentioned as a visually challenging rival. Both cars were touched by the ugly stick, but both were ultra practical. Separated at birth?
Ooh, I've owned 3 of these used for work (deliveries) and everything else. The latest I currently possess is a 1.4 D4D T-Spirit top spec. Insanely practical, crazy mpg figures, can be used for just about anything. There's nothing else like it. The D4D diesel Yaris Verso is a very rare find. Unfortunately they rust like no tomorrow, way more than the regular mk1 Yaris and absolutely all of them will need welding after so much as an hour of British drizzle. My D4D is no exception and won't be going through another MOT without work, I suspect. So, I'm finally forced to look elsewhere for a similar practical but newer car. If you'd like my Verso D4D, I'm in Kent and I'm sure we could arrange something. Just reply to this message! Now I'm going to actually watch the video! I was so stoked to see this come up in my feed I've replied before I've even watched.
@@furiousdriving love your email address ... Shame with the space and internal catch you didn't get in the boot (or even start the video getting out of it!) Great review as always!
I have a 2001 Toyota FunCargo with automatic transmission (imported from Japan), which I bought back in 2004. It’s very practical, both in terms of space and ease of parking. The back seats can be folded and stowed away underneath the front seats, then covered by the removable flooring. It’s also very economical. It’s now approaching 200,000 km and has never had a major issue. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
I remember in the early 2000s there was also a Corolla Verso called the Spacio on the JDM and there was an Avensis Verso, which I think carried a different name in the JDM. These days Toyota is doing the same thing with mini crossover/SUV type things like the Yaris Cross, Raize, C-HR and Corolla Cross. I do remember this variant of the original Yaris/Vitz and always thought it looked a bit odd, but for some buyers I can see why it made sense. One of the things that always stood out to me with this first gen Yaris - I've driven two of the sedan variant called the Platz in the JDM or Echo in the US - was the amount of storage space in the car and its overall roominess for such a small car.
I used to have one!! The rear seats used to fold into the floor boards. Also there was tray storage underneath the front seats. Shame you didnt demonstrate the folding mechanism with the rear seats disappearing into the floor boards... This what made the car unique!
Lo Matt, I quite liked the Yaris Verso. Back in the day My late Mother in law had one of these. I got the job of ferrying her about in it. I should mention she was about 93 years young and had mobility issues but she loved this wee "Bus". As you quite rightly pointed out Legroom was the big thing. Reliability was good as well. Yes it was used as a shopping trolly a lot of the time but as i said i grew to like it. She is gone now and so is the Verso but it left a good impression. Laters.
What a great review, always like seeing you review oddballs and forgotten gems - necessity and fate has left me the owner of a Yaris mk1 hatch, and despite only having owned it since Wednesday evening, it's really grown on me, I'll be doing a video on it in the coming days. They may not be the most brilliantly styled things but from a logical standpoint they are fantastic things.
This is basically the same concept as the first generation Scion XB that North America got. A small but tall, practical "hatchback", if you can call it that, with a small fuel efficient engine. The XB got the Yaris's bigger 1.5 3 cylinder engine though, and was a literal box on wheels.
Mine was even uglier than a new one, it had been in a minor accident or two, badly repaired and touched up in paint that didn't quite match. It was used for everything, home improvements (you can get a full sized bath tub in) hauling firewood... There's something special about the rear suspension, it didn't seem to squat no matter how much was piled in the back, just got slower.
@0:54 There is a 1.5l 1NZ-FE, that is the proper engine for this car. That makes it fast enough and quick enough to keep the fun in the Toyota FunCargo or Yaris Verso as it is called in the UK and Europe in general.
Some 20 years ago I spent a few months working in Finland. The Finnish post used these in rhd with the passenger seat removed, for delivering mail in rural areas. The mailman (m/f) could remain seated whilst dropping the mail in th road side mailboxes.
Great video, of a very practical car. I'm of an age where I am very nostalgic for the car designs between 1980-2000. I dream of a day when manufacturers offer, again, such a range of options for buyers. Terrific video Matt, love these reviews of cars that used to be everywhere but have now disappeared.
I had a non-verso Yaris as my first 2 cars. My Dad’s side of the family live in Northumberland, and on the way, coming out of Derby on the A38, there’s a big hill going towards the M1, and they both struggled to get up that hill at more than 40mph, which is scary when you’re a new driver and you’re being passed by beemers and audis going 25mph+ faster than you! That was 10 years ago though, I am now one of those BMW drivers in the outside lane 😂
My late mother's final car was a Yaris Verso automatic. She loved it, predictably but I was just embarrassed driving it. My wife had a3 door Yaris hatch with the 1.3 motor and I loved it. It was a very much fun, happy car.
When one of these managed to pull out in front of you. You knew your journey was gonna take longer. The most despised car in Britain, worse than a Jazz 🤣. 38 mph everywhere , including the carpark 🤣! They always managed to cut the corner when turning right into a junction 🤔.
My late grandfather and my wife both had mark 1 Yaris' so this is a very familiar car to me, i was always in awe of that instrument binnicle and it was easy enough to get used to when i drove my wifes one. A excellent review as always Matt.
And the weird instrument panel is actually a safety feature: the speedometer is on infinite distance for your eyes, they do not need to refocus when you take your eyes away from the road. You loose vision more briefly compared to other cars.
Great video as always 👍 It's funny you should mention the Berlingo, as the windscreen and interior cubby holes and removable flooring in the rear remind me a lot of the Berlingo.
Great little car easy to drive, nippy round the bends, I've had one for 6 years plus , a 2002 model with manual transmission and I don't think it looks strange, just different to all the clones now being manufactured by all the car companies
The design really isn’t that bad! The Multipla, that SsangYong what’s it inspired by a yacht, practically every new BMW with the Bucky O’Hare front teeth….!!
The most practical car , but the exterior! Whitout the complementary paper bags you wouldn’t get in this car! 😂😂😂! You wouldn’t buy one for the looks! But like i said very practical , reliable and well build! Definitly the number one followed by Multipla in quirkiness! Like i mentioned before ; Matt your a brave man 😂😂😂! 👍🏻👍🏻🆙 like allways!
My wife got this car used ten years or so ago, and i thought it was the most ridiculus thing i had ever seen. The ugliest car to ever be made. She sold it again 5 years or so ago, and now i miss it so much. I have yet to see a car as practical as this. I kept getting amazed and impressed of its features of spaces to store things. Back then we weren't married and we took it on vacations and slept in it, even made a small portable kitchen to go with it. Such great times.
I had a Skoda Roomster because I needed a Van type thing and Family car at the same time so I dig a practical weird looking car. I had the 1.9tdi remapped as it was up and down from London to Munich all the time. 235kp/h bouncing off the limiter fully loaded up. Still middle lane traffic though!
A few of these live near me, so I see them often. I don't think they're the worst looking car ever and, when you consider how practical they are, I think the styling is more easily overlooked.
Back in 2004 l was working as a Salesman at a Toyota Dealership in Preston Lancashire, l never sold a single Verso unlike it's "Normal" sibling, pity such a well thought out practical vehicle
Another Toyota l never seen its looks OK but very practical and spacious maybe somebody has imported one of these into Australia l haven't seen one yet and Matt you never cease to surprise with your reviews keep them coming
I still see one of these locally. Then again I also see a T Plate Pug 206 and one or two there classic dailys - I live in Yarrrrkshire and Yorkshire folk like to get their VFM.
My dad has a bright red, Yaris verso D4-D T-Spirit. Not moved for 4 yrs, low miles. I have been tasked with putting it back on the road. Everything under the vehicle made of metal or rubber needs renewing. ….. will probably need a bucket full of new bolts as being a Toyota they will round or snap. My inductive heater will be wore out by the time I’ve finished ! Alloy refurbished was £260, 4 x Pirelli’s were £280, got a box of bits from AUTODOC- £650….. presently balls deep, as they say. Why ? I hear you say ? ….. best car he’s ever owned. Oh, with the tear seats folded forward and the “carpet boards” removed, fold the seats rearwards into the hole in the floor and pop the boards back in place….. totally flat load space. Give consideration to the Yaris Verso you have been offered in the comments……
I like the idea of so much interior capacity on a small footprint. Not the best looking car but extremely practical. Skoda Roomster used the same concept.
I was at Toyota when the Yaris first came out and went to launch event type course at Leeds United football ground to compare it against other competitors models, the Yaris is a very well designed car, but a distinct difference in material quality compared to the outgoing Starlet, believe it or not the dash display was designed to be seen from the passenger seat just incase the car was used for a driving school (on normal hatchback models anyway) ! Not much i haven't done on a Yaris, Japanese and French built models 😊
And with a further distinct distance in quality between Yaris 1 and Yaris 2 (I have both). Seems to be a Toyota problem, their old models are so good they struggle to improve. I believe they keep all their tooling, so the Yaris 1 Verso could be back if a big fleet customer wanted it.
One of my cars is as sexy as a missing one tusk 600Ib Walrus. However, carries 5 passengers comfortably. But when only 1 passenger and driver. This can turn into a mini van. All by a tag and button and rear seats fold down and into the floor leaving a flush base from backdoor to the front seats. We've carried all number of things. Double bed, 2 single beds, 6 seater outdoor table. . With all 6 chairs, Etrike with stand. . . Incredibly reliable, fantastic on gas. Power I've owned a few " powerful" autos. 61 Continental 430cid, 69 Chareger 440 6pack, 70 Eldo. 500cid. . . .Now this one point three, I am really ok with it's power. Never had problems with any hill, NZ. The car is ugly. But a fantastic amazing automobile! It's a 2000 Toyota Funcargo 1.3.
I used to have a 2001 Yaris Verso 1.3 GLS auto for 10 + years which I bought from my sister in law. Ultra reliable and the only reason I had to sell it was it didn't comply yo the London ULEZ emmisions imposed the dreaded mayor 'Khan'. ... Curious, really, as the 2003 onwards Verso had the same engine and my service mechanic, he told me it was all about an imposed 'cut off' date, somewhat like the State pensions 'cut off date for women born during certain years in the 50's..... Was a great car to drive, high driving position for a small MPV. and soooo practicle. ... Also, although it was considered an 'ugly duckling' when first announced in the UK, its looks 'aged' gracefully because other manufacturers designs followed similarly. ... I'd certainly buy another Verso now I've left London, but my 2018 Hyundai I10 auto, it similarly has a chain-driven 1.3 engine with the older style torque converter 4 speed auto box and of course is more 'new'. Happy memories of my Yaris Verso though.
Wish that I'd bought one 20 odd years ago, very practical as all the pensioners around here kept telling me, now one myself but getting too old to drive so may save the cost of the medical next year and not renew. Yearly from next year as will take me over 75 although the licence is free but not the medical, the possibility of failing it is high, physically as eyesight ok with glasses. Good news in the mail this morning, my UK Pension gone up from next week, letter had a Newcastle address but HMG used Netherlands Post to send it?
In rather odd way, it reminds me of the very old Saab 95, the estate derivative of the glorious Saab 96, the 92 ancestor of which had been designed by people who probably didn't know what an estate car was. It looked a bit strange too, even quirkier than the 96 but was pretty practical for what it was...
You didn't mention the rear seats fold into the floor once you lifted the rear footwell cover up and also the passenger seat has a pull out drawer under it.
I guess that they did not have to compete with anything, given their reputation for solid engineering. However other small van based cars fulfilled a similar brief …. Berlingos etc. They may not have been as well made but their understated design might have been easier to live with.
I'm very into cars that are functional, practical and economical even when the end result is a bit odd like this Yaris . Even so, I think things like the Citroen Berlingo or the Skoda Roomster might be easier to live with.
My previous car was a 2001 Toyota Yaris Verso, bought new, the really really ugly one. It was left in 2023 at a Toyota dealer in perfectly good running state with 540k km. Driven all over Europe, always reliable. Three break downs: at 4 years a battery went dead, at 11 years a botched cilinder head repair after I backed the exhaust into a ground obstacle (Toyota dealer repaired it at no charge) and after approx 16 years the crankshaft sensor failed. Several radiators, never a condenser. One exhaust total in different parts at differen times. Partly because of me backing it into a ground obstacle. To be fair it got that far with a replacement used transmission at 410k km and a replacement used engine replacement at 440k. Why did I go through that trouble with a car past its prime? Because it was immensely comfortable for my long distance use in Europe, and equally practical. It was discarded mainly because the original double open roofs leaked which was expensive to repair with uncertain longtime succes. And the interior was unpresentable, as in too tatty. Like others say: best and most practical car ever. And don't forget: comfortable on long distance.
Yes, it needs either a manual gearbox or a bigger engine. My Doblo had the smallest engine option (1.2?) but went well enough. That Doblo was not a reliable car so one of these would have been better.
Cup holders in European cars were always traditionally moulded into the passenger-side glove box, we weren't without just stopped from drinking while driving. They would have been onto a winner if they had turned the Verso into a small city delivery van, they completely missed its potential.
Are you being to harsh? YES! I think it looks unique and adorable! People harping about the aesthetics of MPVs like this are why manufacturers have pretty much stopped building everything except boring, generic crossover SUVs.
I love cars where gorm follows function. What a neat little thing it is. I cant help wondering how much better it would be with the 1.8 VVTi like my 04 Corolla CE. Or better yet, the 2 litre from the Corolla S. My Corolla is doing just on 40 mpg highway with the 4 speed auto gearbox. In other words my economy car just manages to match the fuel economy of my 1989 Mercuy Grand Marquis with the 5.8 litre engine. Hmmmm
My new Corolla doesn't have a sunglasses holder, but this does. I can't help but feel somewhat hard done by. I'd argue it's one of the best cars built in the last couple of decades. If they made it less ugly, it would have sold massively
Just watched a Berlingo at the High Peaks Auto channel - I would pick the Toyota over that for sure. It may not look like a Jaguar E-Type, but still its ok..... sort of....
I had a Berlingo Mk2 1.4 for 14 years until the engine died (my fault for less than adequate servicing) loads of storage underpowered but very reliable
Love your reviews! Just wish you would put the camera facing you! Looking back at the camera is making me nervous watching you! An accident waiting to happen my friend.
it looks like it can't make up it's mind if it wants to be a hatchback or a minivan. i live in the US and have owned my 2001 Toyota echo for 22 years. I would have loved one of these as a 2nd car!
It might look a bit odd, the doors definitely have an odd sweep to them, but the big rear door and all that space is brilliant. Yes it was a favourite of the older buyer, but they knew what they wanted, reliability and something that would take whatever they bought down the garden centre. Compare it with the horrid pokey current Yaris, now that's an ugly car, where you have to stump up a huge amount of cash for the much bigger and much more practical Yaris Cross.
Slam it put a GT86 Engine in, put big rims on it spray it Jet Black. Big bore exhaust, koni shocks tighten the steering rack. And this thing would be Hectic! Bruh.
The car is not exactly sexy, but any owner would grow to love it none the less because of practicality and reliability. It is simply one of the highest value cars ever made.
The Finnish post office had tons of these in RHD automatic. After they were done with them, they got a second and sometimes third lease of life in the hands of private distribution companies and food delivery companies. There is nothing better than a proper automatic and 1.3 liter petrol four for creeping from mailbox to mailbox all day long. They’re gone now and i’m sure they’re missed.
Also I saw a post by someone that managed a fleet of cars for home care nurses. He said that any car you give them will last three years in their use while a Yaris Verso lasted ten.
I bought one of these a month ago. I never considered buying one because I thought they were strange. It was on my doorstep and the price was right though, so I took the plunge. I'm now a convert! It's the most practical thing ever. The Verso outdoes a estate for practicality and you benefit from the bombproof Toyota mechanicals. I had a 1.0 Yaris as my first car, so going to the 1.3 manual Verso more than a decade later I didn't actually feel it is that slow. Also I easily get 50 MPG in urban driving. One thing you might not have noticed: When you remove those two floorborads, the two outer rear seats actually fold into the floor and you have a proper van with a totally flat floor!
Thanks for confirming, I thought I remembered that! A friend's mom used to have a red Yaris Verso back in the 2000s and since she was constantly renovating one thing or another we lugged around quite a bit of construction materials in the "little red fire engine" as my friend's brother called it. She eventually replaced it with a brown Kangoo when the Yaris needed several expensive repairs in a row. Storage capacity is amazing but the Yaris still isn't particularly suitable for long items. I think the time we loaded half-sheets of plasterboard we had to tie the rear door shut with bungee cords because the sheets were too large. Or maybe it was the timber battens that didn't fit but something kept us from closing that door.
It's that slow
that feature is AMAZING, you have a giant space to put stuff
Ive owned one for 9 years - and i concur its the best car ever. You didnt show the cars real trump card - the rear seats fully folding flat and hiding under the front seats - creating a Cathedral like space. I own plenty of far more powerful vehicles in my fleet and with a manual gearbox mine zips along quite merrily. Ive camped in it, gigged with it, used it as a mobile workshop to build an engine for one of my Imps over lockdown and with the central section of the rear seats removed i can slot my mountain bike straight in the back and still maintain rear seating. The only weak point these have in the Uk climate is the same issue that afflicts all Mk1 Yaris models - and thats rust in the rear inner sill and suspension mounts. After 9 years and nearly 100ks worth of running around mines only need general servicing consumables. Its not a sports car but then it was never built or styled to be one either. Id aptly describe my Yaris verso as a Swiss Army knife of a car, nothing comes close to it for its size - its a lot smaller than an original Berlingo and is far more practical than the original Honda Jazz, Audi A2 and Mercedes A Class examples of all ive owned. As Toyota never built a proper replacement decent used examples values are still in high demand and are worth good money considering the last were made a good decade and a half now. Ill be keeping mine going indefinitely - if Toyota built a new one id buy it - challenging looks or not.
actually, in real life the best car in the world, said every lucky owner..owned 1.3 MT/AT and 1.5..4m length cave inside..mountain bike with 29" without dismantling wheels..low insurance, low consumption, absolut reliable..
It does look at bit ugly to be honest but brilliant ergonomics and functionality plus reliable and economical so brilliant in the real world.
@@rogerbyrne9040 Still less ugly than an A2 or new BMWs.
I am currently driving this model and i 'm verry Happy about thow it looks like a portable toilet😂. With this 1,5 machine it s possible to drive with a small caravan. It is a universal multi purpose car. Needs cars against rust, service DIY possible. I built a bed 1,9X1,2 m for holiday. Like it so much
I can’t believe you did a review and totally missed the point of the most unique and awesome feature. Those removable floor panels allow the back seats to go under the front seats and then go back giving you true flat floored huge van which take mountain bikes and all sorts of big things that fit in more easily into the Yaris verso than the biggest Landcruiser !
Best car ever, i confirm❤
My Wife bought one of these Yaris Versos around 12 years ago to ferry around her ailing Mother. Totally practical, and used to move so many large furniture items with the rear seats folded down under the floor- we took it into London last week as ULEZ compliant and it cruised happily on the M40. Ours is a 2005 1.3 T Spirit Auto- hugely economical and cheap to service. Great video as usual Matt- Many Thanks! 🚐💨
Our local bakery bought a van version of this car in 2000. Still in use! The only one I've ever seen in real life. It's quirky, but also has so much personality. Great review as always Matt. Keep them coming.
Loved my Yaris Verso, and I didn’t care that my colleagues described it as ‘ the hatchback of notre dame’…
Weird cars so often are the best, Matt. I've always thought if you buy a car for its styling only, you have probably forgotten the practical reasons for buying a car. If the styling is weird because it's practical, no problem.
That's why I bought a Honda Fit. The MPV shape made it much more practical than most cars it's size like a Yaris or Fiesta. I find those cars absolutely unusable.
Unfortunately the Fit has been the most unreliable car I ever bought. Don't plan on ever buying a small cheaply put together car again and the lack of ground clearance and horsepower has been a issue way too many times. Most likely, I'm getting a more bland but better made crossover of some sort for my next car. It's the only body style that really ticks all the boxes currently.
@@baronvonjo1929 Interestingly, I owned a 2012 Honda Jazz (what the Fit was called in Australia) from new until 2016. It never gave me any trouble. Unfortunately, my wife died from a heart condition while driving it in June 2015, and, well, it was always going to be sold after that. I traded it in on a Suzuki Grand Vitara 3 door 4x4. You are right about the lack of ground clearance being an issue with small cars.
Love this car !! But it's so frustrating you missed the awesome modularity allowing the rear seats to slide, under the front seats, hidden under the floor panels. I was waiting during all the video to see the operation.
The rear seats fold into the floor and I wish more cars did this. My country got the Fun Cargo, Vitz and Platz, Echo hatch and sedan.
I have 2 of these, most reliable, most practicle and you missed the biggest plus: the rear seats fold under the front seats and you can sit in the loading area for a picknick.
I own 1.3 Yaris Verso for 6 years now. Newer had a major issue with it despite its age and it's the most practical and low maintenance car I've ever owned. Bonus points to the fact that it's quite rare in my area so I have 0 struggles spotting it on a full shopping mall parking lot 😅👌
I love that it's quite small on the outside for a car like that but so spacious on the inside. I also love all the practical solutions like eg. the back door light being a flashlight etc.
...it is kinda ugly though but it's not as bad as Multipla imo
I had a friend with a lower spec Spanish market one of these. 1.0 litre engine. Still going strong after 20 years. And super economical. And I actually rather like the utilitarian practical look. A truly amazing design.
Pretty sure they never made a Yaris Verso/Funcargo with the 1.0l. Only 1.3/1.5 petrol and 1.4 D4D.
Practical cars with... err.. questionable looks often make fantastic used purchases. The downside is that as time moves on spare parts 'might' become problematic for things like interior or body panels as fewer remain on the road and support dries up. A great practical car that's fine if you're not in a hurry to be anywhere. Many thanks for sharing.
My wife has had a D4-D (Diesel) T Spirit Yaris Verso for the last 21 years and cannot be persuaded to change it. It gets 55-60mpg (manual box). Such space and versatility is very dificult to find in cars these days. It is very comfortable. I had forgotten about the drawer under the passenger seat. Her car has the optional cassette player as well as CD player and was upgraded with tweeters in the A-pillars for better sound quality. Hardly see any Diesels for sale these days. It has been very reliable, only needing replacement of the droplinks about 3 years ago.
My mom is driving hers since I think 18 years.
It's now at over 200.000 km and never had a major issue.
The 84hp are also more than enough, since the gears are pretty short and it has small wheels.
I'm on my second mk1 yaris d4d. One of the best cars ever. Does 65mpg everywhere and is bullet proof. Stuck 4 goodyear vector 4 seasons on and it's a little rocket
my mom gave it to me, it's an 05 diesel one, and me and my fiancee can't be happier about it: we use it for road trips, camping, historical reenactment and carrying the occasional bulk (such as wood, etc)
Best car ever and a shame they stopped producing this extremely practical and economical modell. Flat floor when you fold the rare seats down in to the floor. In with a furniture or a bicycle for transport and if you are a shorter person it is just a perfect mini camper on long road trips. I did build a little bed unit that I can put in to the car when I will go on a trip. A car that is cheap to own and to run. A car that will take you from A to B. And is a car that is a transporter of people and lots of stuff and still does not cost much in petrol costs. What more could you ask for if you want the most versatile car! Bring this modell on to the market again.
We called that model in Australia the Toyota Echo in hatchback & saloon only in 1.3 vvti or 1.5L as in the later 05 06 Toyota Yaris...
Never got the wagon estate in Australia.
They are bullet proof reliability on Australian vast suburbs and cities up 400,000km I'm hearing like the Toyota corollas.
I've driven the 1.3L & 1.5L Echo/ Yaris many years ago a few times and the 1.5L has far more smoother pickup power.
Still on the roads Echo yaris here you see alot still driving around in Melbourne giving very reliable service as engine parts are cheap for them.
Thousands of these where imported here, (New Zealand), ex Japan, called, as you mentioned 'Funcargoes.'
Most are still on the road.
I owned one for 6 years, reliable and very practical indeed.
A little complicated and time consuming to drop the rear seats under the floor, yes, under, (l think this gentleman missed that great feature) but they convert it into a mini van.
Great review, thank you.
Yes I live in Auckland New Zealand too . They are everywhere here . They are very practical but ordinary to drive
I've got folding the seats down to a fine art - probably about 60 seconds for the entire process! Front seats forward, lift one floor, flip seat down and tuck in, repeat other side.
This was my first car as a 26 year old lawyer and father-to-be, desperate for a cheap family car. I got myself a 1,5 Yaris verso from the year 2000 with no AC for 2.000 euro. It was 21 years old at the time. Of course it started every single time. The heat in summer was horrendous though. Its a greenhouse on wheels. I miss it. Luckily my grandparents still have one - with 470.000 km on the odometer.
Im glad you mentioned that the Yaris was a saloon in some markets. . I bought a new one in 2007 in Thailand, it was called a Toyota Vios and was very very popular in Thailand and Malaysia. I have never seen one in the UK. I loved mine, it was the first brand new car I ever bought and even though it was the basic spec it was a great car.
I must say I am surprised the Skoda Roomster wasn't mentioned as a visually challenging rival. Both cars were touched by the ugly stick, but both were ultra practical. Separated at birth?
I looked it up, doesn’t look like the Roomster’s seats fold into the floor?
Ooh, I've owned 3 of these used for work (deliveries) and everything else. The latest I currently possess is a 1.4 D4D T-Spirit top spec. Insanely practical, crazy mpg figures, can be used for just about anything. There's nothing else like it. The D4D diesel Yaris Verso is a very rare find.
Unfortunately they rust like no tomorrow, way more than the regular mk1 Yaris and absolutely all of them will need welding after so much as an hour of British drizzle. My D4D is no exception and won't be going through another MOT without work, I suspect.
So, I'm finally forced to look elsewhere for a similar practical but newer car. If you'd like my Verso D4D, I'm in Kent and I'm sure we could arrange something. Just reply to this message!
Now I'm going to actually watch the video! I was so stoked to see this come up in my feed I've replied before I've even watched.
that does sound interesting, drop me a message on bodyintheboot@gmail.com
@@furiousdriving love your email address ... Shame with the space and internal catch you didn't get in the boot (or even start the video getting out of it!)
Great review as always!
They don't rust as bad as mentioned here, nowhere near as bad as the same era Fords for example.
My mum had a 2002 one of these from brand new, 1.3 manual T-Spirit I think it was. Such a practical thing, sweet engine too.
Compared to the cyber truck, this is absolutely gorgeous as well as practical.
I have a 2001 Toyota FunCargo with automatic transmission (imported from Japan), which I bought back in 2004. It’s very practical, both in terms of space and ease of parking. The back seats can be folded and stowed away underneath the front seats, then covered by the removable flooring. It’s also very economical. It’s now approaching 200,000 km and has never had a major issue. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
I remember in the early 2000s there was also a Corolla Verso called the Spacio on the JDM and there was an Avensis Verso, which I think carried a different name in the JDM. These days Toyota is doing the same thing with mini crossover/SUV type things like the Yaris Cross, Raize, C-HR and Corolla Cross. I do remember this variant of the original Yaris/Vitz and always thought it looked a bit odd, but for some buyers I can see why it made sense. One of the things that always stood out to me with this first gen Yaris - I've driven two of the sedan variant called the Platz in the JDM or Echo in the US - was the amount of storage space in the car and its overall roominess for such a small car.
I used to have one!!
The rear seats used to fold into the floor boards.
Also there was tray storage underneath the front seats.
Shame you didnt demonstrate the folding mechanism with the rear seats disappearing into the floor boards... This what made the car unique!
I was going to write the same...
That's one of it's key features!
Lo Matt, I quite liked the Yaris Verso. Back in the day My late Mother in law had one of these. I got the job of ferrying her about in it. I should mention she was about 93 years young and had mobility issues but she loved this wee "Bus". As you quite rightly pointed out Legroom was the big thing. Reliability was good as well. Yes it was used as a shopping trolly a lot of the time but as i said i grew to like it. She is gone now and so is the Verso but it left a good impression. Laters.
What a great review, always like seeing you review oddballs and forgotten gems - necessity and fate has left me the owner of a Yaris mk1 hatch, and despite only having owned it since Wednesday evening, it's really grown on me, I'll be doing a video on it in the coming days. They may not be the most brilliantly styled things but from a logical standpoint they are fantastic things.
This is basically the same concept as the first generation Scion XB that North America got. A small but tall, practical "hatchback", if you can call it that, with a small fuel efficient engine. The XB got the Yaris's bigger 1.5 3 cylinder engine though, and was a literal box on wheels.
Mine was even uglier than a new one, it had been in a minor accident or two, badly repaired and touched up in paint that didn't quite match. It was used for everything, home improvements (you can get a full sized bath tub in) hauling firewood... There's something special about the rear suspension, it didn't seem to squat no matter how much was piled in the back, just got slower.
@0:54 There is a 1.5l 1NZ-FE, that is the proper engine for this car. That makes it fast enough and quick enough to keep the fun in the Toyota FunCargo or Yaris Verso as it is called in the UK and Europe in general.
Some 20 years ago I spent a few months working in Finland. The Finnish post used these in rhd with the passenger seat removed, for delivering mail in rural areas. The mailman (m/f) could remain seated whilst dropping the mail in th road side mailboxes.
Great video, of a very practical car. I'm of an age where I am very nostalgic for the car designs between 1980-2000. I dream of a day when manufacturers offer, again, such a range of options for buyers. Terrific video Matt, love these reviews of cars that used to be everywhere but have now disappeared.
I had a non-verso Yaris as my first 2 cars. My Dad’s side of the family live in Northumberland, and on the way, coming out of Derby on the A38, there’s a big hill going towards the M1, and they both struggled to get up that hill at more than 40mph, which is scary when you’re a new driver and you’re being passed by beemers and audis going 25mph+ faster than you!
That was 10 years ago though, I am now one of those BMW drivers in the outside lane 😂
My late mother's final car was a Yaris Verso automatic. She loved it, predictably but I was just embarrassed driving it.
My wife had a3 door Yaris hatch with the 1.3 motor and I loved it. It was a very much fun, happy car.
When one of these managed to pull out in front of you. You knew your journey was gonna take longer. The most despised car in Britain, worse than a Jazz 🤣. 38 mph everywhere , including the carpark 🤣! They always managed to cut the corner when turning right into a junction 🤔.
It is a little lethargic...
My late grandfather and my wife both had mark 1 Yaris' so this is a very familiar car to me, i was always in awe of that instrument binnicle and it was easy enough to get used to when i drove my wifes one.
A excellent review as always Matt.
And the weird instrument panel is actually a safety feature: the speedometer is on infinite distance for your eyes, they do not need to refocus when you take your eyes away from the road. You loose vision more briefly compared to other cars.
It's weird. It's ugly. It's slow. It's basic.
It's perfect. I love it. I want one.
Great video as always 👍
It's funny you should mention the Berlingo, as the windscreen and interior cubby holes and removable flooring in the rear remind me a lot of the Berlingo.
There is a tow bar available for the Yaris Verso, but it’s removable. It has to be, because the rear door hits it when you open it.
Great little car easy to drive, nippy round the bends, I've had one for 6 years plus , a 2002 model with manual transmission and I don't think it looks strange, just different to all the clones now being manufactured by all the car companies
The design really isn’t that bad! The Multipla, that SsangYong what’s it inspired by a yacht, practically every new BMW with the Bucky O’Hare front teeth….!!
It's a very odd looking thing but immensely practical. More space in it than more modern SUVs. It's the styling that lets it down, though.
The most practical car , but the exterior! Whitout the complementary paper bags you wouldn’t get in this car! 😂😂😂! You wouldn’t buy one for the looks! But like i said very practical , reliable and well build! Definitly the number one followed by Multipla in quirkiness! Like i mentioned before ; Matt your a brave man 😂😂😂! 👍🏻👍🏻🆙 like allways!
My wife got this car used ten years or so ago, and i thought it was the most ridiculus thing i had ever seen. The ugliest car to ever be made. She sold it again 5 years or so ago, and now i miss it so much. I have yet to see a car as practical as this. I kept getting amazed and impressed of its features of spaces to store things. Back then we weren't married and we took it on vacations and slept in it, even made a small portable kitchen to go with it. Such great times.
I had a Skoda Roomster because I needed a Van type thing and Family car at the same time so I dig a practical weird looking car.
I had the 1.9tdi remapped as it was up and down from London to Munich all the time. 235kp/h bouncing off the limiter fully loaded up. Still middle lane traffic though!
A few of these live near me, so I see them often. I don't think they're the worst looking car ever and, when you consider how practical they are, I think the styling is more easily overlooked.
Back in 2004 l was working as a Salesman at a Toyota Dealership in Preston Lancashire, l never sold a single Verso unlike it's "Normal" sibling, pity such a well thought out practical vehicle
Another Toyota l never seen its looks OK but very practical and spacious maybe somebody has imported one of these into Australia l haven't seen one yet and Matt you never cease to surprise with your reviews keep them coming
One of my favourite cars of all times... Different and genious at the same time.
I still see one of these locally. Then again I also see a T Plate Pug 206 and one or two there classic dailys - I live in Yarrrrkshire and Yorkshire folk like to get their VFM.
It's way better than the Vauxhall Agila which my mum had a few years back. I wish I'd known about the Verso back then, and I bet she does! 😄
My dad has a bright red, Yaris verso D4-D T-Spirit. Not moved for 4 yrs, low miles. I have been tasked with putting it back on the road. Everything under the vehicle made of metal or rubber needs renewing. ….. will probably need a bucket full of new bolts as being a Toyota they will round or snap. My inductive heater will be wore out by the time I’ve finished ! Alloy refurbished was £260, 4 x Pirelli’s were £280, got a box of bits from AUTODOC- £650….. presently balls deep, as they say. Why ? I hear you say ? ….. best car he’s ever owned. Oh, with the tear seats folded forward and the “carpet boards” removed, fold the seats rearwards into the hole in the floor and pop the boards back in place….. totally flat load space. Give consideration to the Yaris Verso you have been offered in the comments……
I like the idea of so much interior capacity on a small footprint. Not the best looking car but extremely practical. Skoda Roomster used the same concept.
I’d forgotten about these. Extraordinary, but quite likeable.
I see quite a few of these around inner London, very popular with the older generation, who hang on to them, is very useful for carrying wheelchairs.
I was at Toyota when the Yaris first came out and went to launch event type course at Leeds United football ground to compare it against other competitors models, the Yaris is a very well designed car, but a distinct difference in material quality compared to the outgoing Starlet, believe it or not the dash display was designed to be seen from the passenger seat just incase the car was used for a driving school (on normal hatchback models anyway) !
Not much i haven't done on a Yaris, Japanese and French built models 😊
And with a further distinct distance in quality between Yaris 1 and Yaris 2 (I have both). Seems to be a Toyota problem, their old models are so good they struggle to improve. I believe they keep all their tooling, so the Yaris 1 Verso could be back if a big fleet customer wanted it.
One of my cars is as sexy as a missing one tusk 600Ib Walrus. However, carries 5 passengers comfortably. But when only 1 passenger and driver. This can turn into a mini van. All by a tag and button and rear seats fold down and into the floor leaving a flush base from backdoor to the front seats. We've carried all number of things. Double bed, 2 single beds, 6 seater outdoor table. . With all 6 chairs, Etrike with stand. . . Incredibly reliable, fantastic on gas. Power I've owned a few " powerful" autos. 61 Continental 430cid, 69 Chareger 440 6pack, 70 Eldo. 500cid. . . .Now this one point three, I am really ok with it's power. Never had problems with any hill, NZ. The car is ugly. But a fantastic amazing automobile! It's a 2000 Toyota Funcargo 1.3.
I love it says the guy that had a suzuki wagon r. 😅😅
I suppose a Peugeot Bippa/Bipper/Teepee for comparison sometime? Next? Maybe not pretty, but substance over style is sometimes welcome.
So , part shed , part van , part shopping trolley . What more could you want on the way to the recycling centre , supermarket or garden centre ?
I used to have a 2001 Yaris Verso 1.3 GLS auto for 10 + years which I bought from my sister in law. Ultra reliable and the only reason I had to sell it was it didn't comply yo the London ULEZ emmisions imposed the dreaded mayor 'Khan'. ... Curious, really, as the 2003 onwards Verso had the same engine and my service mechanic, he told me it was all about an imposed 'cut off' date, somewhat like the State pensions 'cut off date for women born during certain years in the 50's..... Was a great car to drive, high driving position for a small MPV. and soooo practicle. ... Also, although it was considered an 'ugly duckling' when first announced in the UK, its looks 'aged' gracefully because other manufacturers designs followed similarly. ... I'd certainly buy another Verso now I've left London, but my 2018 Hyundai I10 auto, it similarly has a chain-driven 1.3 engine with the older style torque converter 4 speed auto box and of course is more 'new'. Happy memories of my Yaris Verso though.
Wish that I'd bought one 20 odd years ago, very practical as all the pensioners around here kept telling me, now one myself but getting too old to drive so may save the cost of the medical next year and not renew. Yearly from next year as will take me over 75 although the licence is free but not the medical, the possibility of failing it is high, physically as eyesight ok with glasses.
Good news in the mail this morning, my UK Pension gone up from next week, letter had a Newcastle address but HMG used Netherlands Post to send it?
Might be a fraud, better be careful
In rather odd way, it reminds me of the very old Saab 95, the estate derivative of the glorious Saab 96, the 92 ancestor of which had been designed by people who probably didn't know what an estate car was.
It looked a bit strange too, even quirkier than the 96 but was pretty practical for what it was...
You didn't mention the rear seats fold into the floor once you lifted the rear footwell cover up and also the passenger seat has a pull out drawer under it.
As modern cars get larger, they get less practical too.
I guess that they did not have to compete with anything, given their reputation for solid engineering. However other small van based cars fulfilled a similar brief …. Berlingos etc. They may not have been as well made but their understated design might have been easier to live with.
ooh for a few minutes I wanted one then, I have a S-max and the lack of interior height is basically tiring clever seat folding? NOT.
I'm very into cars that are functional, practical and economical even when the end result is a bit odd like this Yaris . Even so, I think things like the Citroen Berlingo or the Skoda Roomster might be easier to live with.
would make a cute tiny camper and the torch could come in handy in case of some unwanted intruder
My previous car was a 2001 Toyota Yaris Verso, bought new, the really really ugly one. It was left in 2023 at a Toyota dealer in perfectly good running state with 540k km. Driven all over Europe, always reliable. Three break downs: at 4 years a battery went dead, at 11 years a botched cilinder head repair after I backed the exhaust into a ground obstacle (Toyota dealer repaired it at no charge) and after approx 16 years the crankshaft sensor failed. Several radiators, never a condenser. One exhaust total in different parts at differen times. Partly because of me backing it into a ground obstacle. To be fair it got that far with a replacement used transmission at 410k km and a replacement used engine replacement at 440k. Why did I go through that trouble with a car past its prime? Because it was immensely comfortable for my long distance use in Europe, and equally practical. It was discarded mainly because the original double open roofs leaked which was expensive to repair with uncertain longtime succes. And the interior was unpresentable, as in too tatty. Like others say: best and most practical car ever. And don't forget: comfortable on long distance.
Yes, it needs either a manual gearbox or a bigger engine. My Doblo had the smallest engine option (1.2?) but went well enough. That Doblo was not a reliable car so one of these would have been better.
or both!
Cup holders in European cars were always traditionally moulded into the passenger-side glove box, we weren't without just stopped from drinking while driving.
They would have been onto a winner if they had turned the Verso into a small city delivery van, they completely missed its potential.
Are you being to harsh? YES! I think it looks unique and adorable! People harping about the aesthetics of MPVs like this are why manufacturers have pretty much stopped building everything except boring, generic crossover SUVs.
I love cars where gorm follows function. What a neat little thing it is. I cant help wondering how much better it would be with the 1.8 VVTi like my 04 Corolla CE. Or better yet, the 2 litre from the Corolla S. My Corolla is doing just on 40 mpg highway with the 4 speed auto gearbox. In other words my economy car just manages to match the fuel economy of my 1989 Mercuy Grand Marquis with the 5.8 litre engine. Hmmmm
Toyota cars (engines ) are amazing.
Still see 02, 05 Yaris plate cars.. doing ....deliveroos/ pizza 🍕 deliveries .
the engines are truly brilliant.
Funcargo is a far more apt moniker. The rear seat folding mechanism is genius. Some grey imports have even been converted into mad campers in NZ.
those rear seats go in the low floor btw
Engineering masterpiece
My new Corolla doesn't have a sunglasses holder, but this does. I can't help but feel somewhat hard done by.
I'd argue it's one of the best cars built in the last couple of decades. If they made it less ugly, it would have sold massively
Best car i've owned, absolute brilliant.
To think this little thing has 165l more Boot space than a new Superb Estate with the seats folded down,,,
Seems to me like this would be the ideal car for a small business owner (painter/flower shop..etc.)
Quirky, but practical reliability. An ideal HubNut vehicle👍!
Like the Skoda Roomster, this was a car you bought with no concern for traditional looks etc. A brilliant car!
Just watched a Berlingo at the High Peaks Auto channel - I would pick the Toyota over that for sure. It may not look like a Jaguar E-Type, but still its ok..... sort of....
Me too!
The Berlingo is size wise quite a bit larger than a Verso.
berlingo is big, taller than X5, Verso is wonder! btw where are Minivans, make anyone any?
I had a Berlingo Mk2 1.4 for 14 years until the engine died (my fault for less than adequate servicing) loads of storage underpowered but very reliable
Love your reviews! Just wish you would put the camera facing you! Looking back at the camera is making me nervous watching you! An accident waiting to happen my friend.
it looks like it can't make up it's mind if it wants to be a hatchback or a minivan. i live in the US and have owned my 2001 Toyota echo for 22 years. I would have loved one of these as a 2nd car!
I always found it charming and Japanese in a good way.
The back seats fold under the front seats, getting them fully out of the way
Small, weird, but ever so practical.
It might look a bit odd, the doors definitely have an odd sweep to them, but the big rear door and all that space is brilliant. Yes it was a favourite of the older buyer, but they knew what they wanted, reliability and something that would take whatever they bought down the garden centre. Compare it with the horrid pokey current Yaris, now that's an ugly car, where you have to stump up a huge amount of cash for the much bigger and much more practical Yaris Cross.
Slam it put a GT86 Engine in, put big rims on it spray it Jet Black.
Big bore exhaust, koni shocks tighten the steering rack.
And this thing would be Hectic! Bruh.
The car is not exactly sexy, but any owner would grow to love it none the less because of practicality and reliability. It is simply one of the highest value cars ever made.
Not bad looking if you didnt get it in that color. I still want one. 😊
Can anyone help me out? Does the p1 sport seats fit the verso?