Yaris | friendly local meter maid | Smart Fortwo | Toyota

Of course, euphoria crashed when I got cocky and parked in a nobody-else-can-fit space that my friendly local meter maid deemed too close to the end of the block. Small car, big ticket. Feh.

THE VERDICT: Smart Fortwo is a blast, but unless you have a second car, pack light for road trips, or really want it just for popping around town, it's not the most useful vehicle on the planet. I'd still consider buying it, though - it's so cute, and I'm a sucker for good packaging.


THE VEHICLE: TOYOTA YARIS
THE LENGTH: LESS THAN 13 FEET
THE PERSONALITY: NOT FLASHY BUT
DEFINITELY A HARD WORKER
MSRP: $11,300

Alas, poor Yaris, I didn't get to know youquite as well.

Winter weather was not kind to the Yaristest. A day or so after I got the keys, a stormdropped ice aplenty - even SUV ownershad trouble getting around. But after thesounds of spinning tires died down a bit andsome shovel-wielding guys in my neighborhoodhelped me unearth the car's tires andpushed me out of the spot, Yaris gave me afine day outing and a couple of good erranddays. First, I headed out to Brooklyn for awinter tour of the Coney Island boardwalk.Yaris handled the bumps and serious potholesof the winter-worn highway very well.And, the head-roomiest car of the lot, it felta lot airier (in a good way) than any of its testcompetitors. But Yaris really shined when Iwent on the big-box shopping circuit in myborough. This car holds a ton of stuff.