Initial thoughts, Toyota Yaris Cross HEV

Not mine, but my wife just traded in her Isuzu D-Max for a new Toyota Yaris Cross HEV with all the extras.  I'm always a fan of Toyota in Thailand, because there are dealers and service centers everywhere.  My experience with them is that their staff are very professional, sales and service.  We both pay in full, so I can't speak to their finance department, but I imagine they're just as professional.  I'm on my second Toyota Fortuner since moving here.

The regular Yaris is pretty small, but the Yaris Cross is much larger, which is good, because so am I.  I'm comfortable in it.  The first thing I noticed is when the car is started, there is no audible clue that you have started it, unlike the Fortuner's diesel engine coming to life.  There is only a low hum when it's moving.  The usual beeping sound when reversing is replaced by a musical riff.  

Our little guy thinks it's great fun when it rains and she hits the button to expose the moonroof.  It uses gasoline (benzene, petrol, pick your name) instead of the less expensive diesel that I  use, but since it's a Hybrid Electric Vehicle and she mostly does city driving, she hasn't had to buy fuel for over two weeks. Upcountry runs wouldn't be able to use the hybrid recharging much so she'd have to be prepared for fuel stops.

I bought my last Fortuner at the end of covid when the news was suggesting a possible Toyota supply chain problem.  I traded my old one in, and the dealer gave me a list of available license plate numbers if I wanted to pay a couple grand to pick a particular number.  I did and they called me back three days later to put my white plates on.  Now there are no restrictions on large gatherings of people so she'll have to go to the DLT to get her white plates.

All in, I think it's an excellent choice.  I always drove Ford F-150s or F-250s in the states, so the Fortuner works for me because it's about as tall a vehicle as you can get here on the commercial market, though I've been looking at some of Ford's newer SUVs.  But for her driving patterns, she picked the right ride.