Nuts & Bolts: 2009 Toyota Yaris

Complaint: The Yaris and all other subcompact fuel misers lacking them need an upgrade to four-wheel disc brakes. I disagree with critics who call these little cars "underpowered." They are what they're supposed to be -- reasonably safe, fuel-efficient, primarily urban transportation.

Drive, acceleration and handling: It performs decently in all three categories, meeting the expectations of urban-suburban commuters who spend much of their lives in traffic jams.

Head-turning quotient: It's bulldog ugly. But lots of people love bulldogs.

Body style/layout: The Yaris is a front-engine, front-wheel-drive subcompact offered in three basic body styles -- three-door hatchback, five-door hatchback and four-door sedan. There are 10 trim (styling and content) arrangements for those bodies.

Engine/transmissions: All Yaris models come with a 1.5-liter, 16-valve inline four-cylinder engine that develops 106 horsepower at 6,000 revolutions per minute and 103 foot-pounds of torque at 4,200 revolutions per minute. The engine is linked to a standard five-speed manual transmission. A four-speed automatic is optional.

Capacities: There are seats for five people. Maximum cargo capacity with rear seats lowered is 26 cubic feet. With rear seats raised, cargo room shrinks to 9.3 cubic feet. The fuel tank holds 11.1 gallons of regular unleaded gasoline.

Real-world mileage: We got 34 miles per gallon in mostly highway driving.

Safety: Standard equipment includes four-wheel antilock brake protection, side and head airbags. Electronic stability and traction control and four-wheel disc brakes were not available at this writing.

Price: The tested 2009 Yaris S with manual transmission starts at $14,025. Dealer's invoice price on that model is $13,323. Price as tested is $14,775, including a transportation charge of $750. Dealer's price as tested is $14,073. There is a $500 rebate at the time of this writing. Prices are sourced from Toyota, Edmunds.com, and Cars.com, an affiliate of The Washington Post.

Purse-strings note: In alphabetical order, compare with Chevrolet Aveo, Honda Fit, Honda Insight (gas-electric), Hyundai Accent, Nissan Versa.