Toyota’s smallest car is a straight-forward sub-compact offering. Available as either a sedan or five-door hatchback, it blends a fun-to-drive attitude with a healthy dose of standard entertainment and safety kit.
New for 2020: For 2020 the hatchback and sedan are now both built on the same platform. Previously, they were two very different cars. The sedan was formerly the Toyota Prius iA, a carryover from its brief time as the Scion iA. But even that wasn’t its first form: the sedan was a trunked-up version of the Mazda 2. The hatchback, meanwhile, was a wholly Toyota-developed model. It migrates to the same platform as the sedan for 2020.
Thanks to its Mazda-based bones, the littlest Toyota is entertaining behind the wheel. It’s also commendably light, making it easy to place on the road (and easy on the wallet at the pumps).
The Yaris name has been around for over a decade, though the car available in North America is vastly different from the one elsewhere in the world, which is still developed and produced by Toyota.
No matter which trim you get, the Yaris comes with the same engine: a 1.5-liter four-cylinder producing a modest 106 hp. A six-speed manual is standard in the L and LE sedans; all other models and trims come with a six-speed automatic. Power heads to the front wheels, just like the rest of the class. With the six-speed automatic, Yaris drivers can squeeze a full 40 miles out of a gallon of dino juice: city and combined ratings sit at 32 and 35, respectively.
Yaris models in North America are built at Mazda’s Salamanca, Guanajuato plant in Mexico. Prices start at $16,605 for a base L sedan, including $955 in destination.