2018 Toyota Yaris iA: The Sport Sedan Surprise

•Engaging Sporty Look, Backed by Agile Performance

•High-Tech 1.5-Liter Engine; 40 EPA MPG Highway

•Standard Low-Speed Pre-Collision Safety System

•Roomy Cabin with Premium Amenities

•7-inch Multimedia System with Six Speakers and Voice Recognition

October 05, 2017 The Toyota Yaris iA, added to the lineup last year, has been making a name for itself as the subcompact with class-above (or two classes-above) driving dynamics, safety technology, and premium features. It's also an amazing value.

Can a car that has an MSRP below $16,000 rightly be called a sport sedan? The 2018 Toyota Yaris iA answers in the affirmative. Beneath the daringly curved sheet metal lies a tight, agile machine that re-defines 'entry level.' A high-strength body structure, quick-revving, high-compression 1.5-liter engine with 106 horsepower; choice of 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmissions; and standard 16-inch alloy wheels make the Yaris iA quite appealing to driving enthusiasts. It's also a combination that can make a driving enthusiast out of someone who was just looking for affordable, reliable A-to-B transportation. Getting a 7-inch multimedia system with voice recognition is another surprise in the class.

For all customers, the standard Low-speed Pre-collision safety system is a standout feature, unexpected in this price class but part of Toyota's strategy to have automatic emergency braking standard on nearly all its models by the end of 2017. Anyone buying a small sedan expects big fuel economy numbers, and the Yaris iA delivers with 32 city/40 highway /35 combined EPA-estimated mpg when equipped with an automatic transmission, and 30 city/39 highway/34 combined mpg when a manual gearbox is selected.

The Yaris iA's striking profile certainly stands out in a crowd, and that is complimented by an eye-catching hexagon lower front grille and sharp-eyed headlights. In the rear, the spacious trunk gives Yaris iA a distinctive look in the segment. A standard 60/40-split rear seat easily expands carrying capacity and versatility.

Upscale piano black bumper treatment, chrome grille surround, and chrome tailpipe are other unexpected details for this segment. The color choices deliver a range of vibrant intensity: Stealth, Abyss, Graphite, Pulse, Sapphire, Chromium, and Frost.

One Surprise After Another

As TV infomercials like to say, 'But wait, there's more!' The Yaris iA even comes standard with Keyless Entry with Push-Button Start. Push the 'Start' button and the Yaris iA springs to life. Once underway, the Yaris iA zips through the workaday traffic while sipping fuel. Much credit goes to outstanding transmissions. The standard 6-speed manual is compact, lightweight and super low on friction with a short throw, making it one of the sweetest-shifting manuals around.

The available 6-speed automatic transmission is equally sporty and has some tricks to show off. It's a torque-converter automatic, providing the standing-start smoothness for which this type of transmission is renowned. Once underway, though, the converter locks for quicker, more direct shifts and greater fuel efficiency. For drivers seeking greater torque feel, Sport Mode is available with the flip of a switch.

Agility is engineered into the Yaris iA, not just added on with stiffer springs and shocks. The body structure uses effective positioning of high-tensile steel. Straight beams are used wherever possible, a continuous framework that makes the individual sections function in harmony. The structural strength allows exquisite tuning to extract a just-right balance of sporty handling and comfortable ride quality from the MacPherson strut front suspension and torsion beam rear suspension.

Steering and brake system tuning received attention, as well. A rigid steering mount provides a direct yet light feel. Its brakes are tuned for a progressive feel when cornering. Entering the curve, the pedal provides smooth operation, then leads into a more rigid feel as G-force rises.

A Big Safety Story to Tell

That high-strength structure also forms the foundation for safety in the Yaris iA. A solid H-shaped joint marries the roof and B-pillars to the underbody, and combines with high-tensile steel on key frame members, plus, a part of the floor to form a robust structure.

Yaris iA comes standard with an advanced Active Safety System that includes Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Traction Control System (TCS), Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), and Brake Over-ride System (BOS). Front side airbags and curtain airbags help protect front and rear seat occupants, and a rearview backup camera is included in the standard equipment roster.

The hallmark of the Active Safety System, Low-Speed Pre-Collision System, scans the road ahead for potential vehicle collisions. If the system detects a potential frontal collision, an audio/visual alert and braking assistance are designed to automatically activate. Should the driver not respond, this system may automatically apply the brakes.

The End of 'Entry Level'

Premium chrome accents and soft-touch trim and surfaces belie the Yaris iA's price point. For starters, consider how the iA accommodates a wide range of drivers' physiques, highlighted by the 10-inch fore-aft slide adjustment and the standard seat height adjuster. The steering wheel offers tilt and telescoping adjustments. Cruise control, power windows and locks, and power exterior mirrors are standard.

Its sporty steering wheel has control switches for the audio and standard Bluetooth. The standard 7-inch Display Audio system has a touch screen, six speakers, and remote interface. Pandora, Aha and Stitcher come standard too, providing a huge music, talk, and podcast universe when paired with a compatible mobile device. For those who bring their own music to the iA, two USB ports and an auxiliary input are standard. Drivers can keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel thanks to voice recognition that controls many of the multimedia system's features. An available navigation system is offered through Toyota dealers.

Limited Warranty

Toyota's 36-month/36,000 mile basic new-vehicle warranty applies to all components other than normal wear and maintenance items. Additional 60-month warranties cover the powertrain for 60,000 miles and corrosion with no mileage limitation. Standard Toyota Care is a complimentary plan covering normal factory-scheduled maintenance and 24-hour roadside assistance for two years or 25,000 miles, whichever comes first.

by Toyota

Seeking car enthusiasts that wanted more style and innovation, the Yaris was popular with buyers who also wanted an economical and practical small car. Introduced in 1999 the Toyota Yaris was a huge sensation. Well built, economical and fun to drive, the Yaris was considered to be a great value for the price. A new compact car from Toyota, the Yaris is available in two-door hatchback form and 4-door sedans. According to the manufacturer, the Yaris offers very good fuel mileage, up to forty miles per gallon.

The baby of the Toyota range, the Toyota Yaris has been tagged as the ‘Clever Car'. Economical with its 1.3 liter engine, the Yaris utilizes the same engine as the Scion xA and xB. Toyota was aiming for the older customer base rather than the youth-oriented xA model. While the youth was focused on the Scion with their disposable income on dealer customization options, thrifty consumers concerned about gas price's of today will buy the economical Yaris.

The Yaris has a lighter curbside weight in comparison to the Scion xA

Designed by Sotiris Kovos, the Toyota Vitz, Toyota Yaris liftback and the Toyota Echo hatchbacks are all models of a small subcompact vehicle originally launched by Toyota in 1999. The Vitz is a 3 and 5 door hatchback automobile that is sold in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa as the Yaris. In Canada, the US, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia and Canada the vehicle is known as the Echo hatchback up until 2005.

Assembled in Toyota City, Japan, the Toyota Yaris debuted in Europe in early 1999. Following the launch of the European Yaris hatchback a slightly updated version was introduced in Canada for the 2005 model year as the Echo hatchback. The Toyota Echo that was released in the U.S. was the sedan model only. In 2000 the Toyota Yaris was voted as European Car of the Year, beating the impressive Fiat Multipla.

Rather than utilizing conventional instruments, both the Echo and Yaris hatchbacks used digital instruments mounted in a ‘pod' located in the center of the dashboard. Both the Yaris T Sport and the Canadian Echo hatchback had a conventional speedometer that was mounted in the center of the dashboard.

Originally available with gasoline-powered 4-cylinder 1.0 L or 1.3 L engines with Toyota's VVT-I technology, the European Yaris came with the ‘warm hatch' 1.5 L T Sport that followed in 2001. In 2003 the Yaris underwent a facelift that featured the 1.4 L D4-D diesel engine that offered 75 hp. This same diesel engine was licensed to BMW for use in their MINI One D model. Still maintaining low fuel consumption and emissions, the engine management systems gave the equivalent of 1.4 liter performance from a 1.0 liter engine.

The European Yaris T-Sport; the Japanese Vitz RS 3-door hatchback debuted in 2001 powered b y a 1.5 L engine. With a sportier suspension along with extra power compared to the 1.3 L model, the 1.5 L T Sport was considered to be ‘more fun to drive' than the base models. Fitted with a turbo-charger, the Vitz RS was eventually modified by TRD, Toyota Racing Developments. With a power output of almost 120 kW, a limited run was produced and 1-60 was achieved in only seven seconds.

Looking almost identical to the European Yaris, the Echo was very popular in Canada, a place where smaller vehicles are much more popular that in the U.S. The 3 and 5-door hatchback models were introduced in 2004 to the Canadian Toyota lineup due to the extremely high sales. Larger bumpers were added to meet Canadian safety requirements.

Introduced late in the year 1999, the Echo was introduced in Australia and was also very popular. The Echo was produced to replace the Starlet, and was sold as either a 3 or 5 door hatchback and was available with only the 1.31 VVT-I engine. Available for a limited time in Australia was an Echo Sportivo variant that was fitted with the 1.51 VVT-I engine. The European Yaris T-Sport and the Sportivo were very similar.

In 2000 the Yaris Verso debuted. An exciting and interesting addition to the range, the Verso utilized the same running gear as the hatchback, but featured a more practical interior. The model was sold as the ‘Fun Cargo' in Japan. In 2004 the Verso was replaced by the Ractis.

Early on in 2005, the Vitz was redesigned by Toyota and went on sale immediately in Japan. By the end of 2005 the second generation Vitz was released to the European, Canadian, Mexican, Australian and Puerto Rican markets. The vehicle was sold as the ‘Yaris' for the first time in both the North American and Australian markets. On January of 2006 at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the USA 2007 Toyota Yaris was introduced for the first time. To this day the Yaris continues to be a popular sell in Europe, especially Britain. The Yaris is produced in Japan, Thailand and France.

The 3-cylinder engine was replaced with the 4-cylinder 1.0 VVT-i engine that is also found in the Toyota Aygo and Daihatsu Sirion. Offering a bit more power, the 1.4 D-4D received a 15 PS boost to 90 PS. Nine airbags were offered for the first time in a car of its class.

Utilizing the Toyota NZ engine, the Canadian Yaris hatchback is featured in both 3 and 5-door models and features a 1.5 L 4-cylinder VVT-i engine that is rated at 106 hp an 103 ft·lbf of torque. Rated at 40 miles per gallon; highway and 34 mpg; city, the '06 Yaris with the 1.5 liter engine is quite impressive. 14 inch wheels came on the 3-door CE and 5-door LE versions and the RS models are equipped with 15-inch alloys with standard anti-lock braking system and Electronic Brake force Distribution.

Sharing much with the Canadian model, the US Yaris comes standard with the 1.5 liter VVT-i engine and five speed manual transmission while the four speed automatic ECT is optional. The 3-door Vitz shares the Yaris name with the Toyota Belta sedan. The ‘Yaris Liftback' name is used on the 3-door model while the 5-door model is not sold in the U.S. The Scion xD is too similar to the 5-door and thus makes it ridiculous to compete. Optional ABS and optional side and head airbags are available on the US model. All-weather guard packages are offered in the US models rather that the CE, LE and RS packages for the Canadian hatchback

Debuting at the Geneva Motor Show, the Toyota Yaris T-Sport was unveiled in 2007 and was powered by the new 130 bhp 1.8 2ZR-FE DOHC L dual VVT-i I4 petrol engine, which reached 100 km/h in less than 10 seconds. 17 inch alloy wheels, a newly redesigned bumper at the rear, a tail spoiler, deep side skirts and a mesh grille at the front were featured on the T-Sport.

by Jessican Donaldson