2019 Toyota Yaris Sedan is still a Mazda, but definitely not a Scion
Toyota's smallest sedan loses its "iA" nomenclature for 2019.
The Toyota Yaris Sedan drops the "iA" from its name for 2019. Yes, the de-Scioning of Toyota's lineup is complete, much like how the refreshed 2019 Corolla Hatchback no longer uses the name "iM." But while the Corolla gets a pretty substantial update, the Yaris Sedan -- which is still based on the not-for-US Mazda2 -- carries on with only a few minor tweaks.
While the previous Yaris iA was a mono-spec affair, the 2019 Yaris Sedan will be available in L, LE and XLE trims. Standard equipment across the board includes a 7-inch infotainment display, backup camera, USB port and cruise control. A low-speed pre-collision system is also standard, which is cool for a car at this price. But if you want adaptive cruise control or blind-spot monitoring, you'll have to look elsewhere.
The little sedan keeps most of its old look, with the exception of a new honeycomb insert in the grille and some piano black and chrome trim. LE and XLE trims get 16-inch alloy wheels, fog lights and power outside heated mirrors with LED turn signals. The fancy-pants XLE ups it just a bit with leatherette seats and genuine leather-wrapped wheel, LED headlights and automatic wipers.
The Yaris Sedan gets the not-for-US Mazda2's interior, and we're totally fine with that.
There's no word on whether Apple CarPlay will be included, as it was in the 2019 Toyota Corolla hatchback. But hey, we can hope.
Under the hood is the same engine as last year: A 1.5-liter I4 engine good for 106 horsepower and 103 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed manual transmission is standard while a six-speed automatic is available. There's even a sport mode for what the company calls "improved torque feel," whatever that means.
The 2019 Yaris hasn't been certified by the EPA just yet, but I expect we'll see the same fuel economy as last year. That means 35 miles per gallon combined for the automatic and 34 combined with the manual.
Pricing has not yet been announced, but the current Yaris starts at $15,950, and I expect it to stay in the same ballpark. The 2019 Yaris sedan will hit dealers in the fall of 2018 following its debut at the New York Auto Show this week.
