By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica.com

(July 10, 2020) If you’ve always liked the Mazda2 or Scion iA and wanted one you’re out of luck — sort of. Both of these vehicles have been discontinued and are no longer available unless you move to Mexico where the Mazda2 is still sold. However, after Toyota said Scionara to Scion and through the magic of badge engineering and a partnership with Mazda you can still have your choice of either as a sedan or a just introduced hatchback branded as a Yaris. You see, the Scion iA which is really a Mazda2 became the Toyota Yaris. Confusing enough?

Partnerships between automakers isn’t new and many of them do it mostly to cut down on development costs. Toyota for example partnered with Subaru to rebadge the BRZ calling it the 86, and with BMW’s Z4 to make the new Supra.  In fact, Toyota has been at this for quite some time including with General Motors when they rebadge the Chevrolet Prism as a Corolla and Pontiac Vibe as Matrix.

The Yaris is Toyota’s smallest and least expensive vehicle and is available in two varieties, a sedan and hatchback, which is new for model year 2020 that went on sale last fall. The Yaris is an “entry” level four-door subcompact with seating for five and offered in three trim levels; L, LE and XLE sequentially adding more amenities and price as trim levels increase. Note the Hatchback is only offered in LE or XLE trim.

For this review we drove the new Hatchback XLE with a MSRP of $19,750. Buyers of the XLE need only make three choices when considering the purchase: selecting one of the seven no cost exterior colors, either black or gray leatherette (vinyl) interior upholstery and a host of dealer installed accessories including locking wheel lugnuts, an ashtray, first aid kit, and a few other mostly trim choices. That’s it, everything else is included in the base price.

Outside, our hatchback strongly reflects the Yaris’  Mazda2 design style with the same curves and creases that adorn that vehicle. The differentiator for Toyota’s exterior contribution is the large Trapezoidal grille carried over from the Scion iA that seemingly got its maw genesis from the Bass Pro Shops logo. While some folks like to put antlers and red Rudolph nose on their vehicles around the holidays, I’d be tempted to rig a large faux fishhook to the grille of the Yaris.



Both versions of the hatchback are powered by a 106-horsepower, 1.5-liter four-cylinder paired with a six-speed automatic transmission that sends power the 16-inch front wheels.

The cabin has a simple appearance with acres of hard plastics that screams “low rent.” To be fair, there is one soft touch of vinyl that stretches across mid-section of the instrument panel. Seats are faux leather however the steering wheel, shift knob and parking brake handle are genuine leather trimmed.

There’s a 7-inch screen mounted atop the center dash where drivers can operate functions by touch or a rotary knob controller located too far back on the center console between the seats making it difficult to operate. We found operating the functions responded slowly and the interface isn’t the easiest to use but became more familiar as we spent more time with it during our weeklong testing. Oddly you can only operate the touch part of the screen while the vehicle is stationary, once moving your only choice for adjustments is via the rotary knob.

The instrument cluster includes a large analog speedometer and a digital tachometer to the left. To the right is a digital information readout for fuel, exterior temperature and other vehicle information.

The infotainment system includes both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay along with SiriusXM radio. The system supports a navigation feature but buyers must purchase an SD card through the dealer for $399 to activate it. USB ports allow for Smartphone connectivity to an individual’s stored music. The XLE trim includes LED auto on/off headlights, LED daytime running lights, rain-sensing windshield wipers, automatic climate control, and steering wheel controls for the audio and smartphone. 

The Yaris is a very small car but surprisingly roomier than expected. Even taller drivers will find front seat legroom adequate because of the generous amount of seat travel fore and aft. The back seat is small and best left for the kiddos. While it will accommodate seating for five, adults of almost any size will balk at being relegated to sitting in the rear. Most occupants’ heads will hit the ceiling and your knees will be firmly pressed against the backs of the front seats. Doors are small and getting in and out of the vehicle isn’t easy.

Cargo area accessed through the rear hatch is decent with over 16-cubic feet of capacity and the 60/40 folding rear seat backs drop down for even more storage space.

A few other things we didn’t like about the interior was the lack of a center console, so there is really no place to rest your right arm if you’re the driver. The inside rearview mirror is the old school manually operated type and the parking brake is a pull lever located next to the center console.

On the road, driving the Yaris is a mixed bag. First, know that with 106-horsepower the Yaris isn’t going anywhere fast. Combined with 103 lb.-ft of torque that’s not a lot of power even for a vehicle that weighs a mere 2,400 lbs. Floor it, something you’ll soon discover you’ll be doing a lot of and it’ll take you just over 10 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph. That’s not unlike other vehicles in its class although the Honda Fit reaches the same speed in just 8.0 seconds.

We did like that the Yaris comes with a 6-speed automatic transmission rather than the usual CVT transmission most others in this class use. Yaris does have a “Sport” switch mounted on the center console however we could discern no difference in the vehicles performance when engaged.

But perhaps the biggest drawback to the Yaris is its ride quality. To be sure, it’s agile, simple to maneuver in traffic and easy to park, however the ride quality is punishing especially on uneven pavement but even on smooth blacktop you’ll feel every expansion crack and road imperfection. There’s a considerable amount of road noise and vibration that enters the cabin and at highway speeds it’s actually an effort to carry on a conversation.

While Yaris does not come equipped with Toyota’s suite of Safety Sense® features it does come with standard forward collision warning and low-speed pre-collision system with automatic emergency braking, and other active safety features.

That said, there are numerous reasons you might want to put the Yaris in your consideration set. Its appeal is the affordability of a new car, it’s ideal for city dwellers, lives up to the traditional Toyota reliability and returns a combined city-highway fuel economy of 35 mpg. 

Still, if you’re considering purchasing a subcompact vehicle in this class and price range, you would do well to test drive vehicles like the Honda Fit, Kia Rio, Kia Forte, Kia Soul, Hyundai Accent, or Nissan Sentra and then decide.

Vital Stats
Base Price: $19,750
Price as Tested: $19,750
Engine/Transmission: 1.5-liter, 106-horsepower four-cylinder paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission
Fuel Economy: 32/40/35 mpg, City/Highway/Combined
Seating: 5

Crash Test Safety Ratings: Overall “Good” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and highest possible 5-Star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Where Built: France

Competes With:
Honda Fit
Hyundai Accent
Kia Forte
Kia Rio
Kia Soul
Mitsubishi Mirage
Nissan Sentra

Fab Features
Agile handling
Excellent fuel economy
Good predicted reliability rating