2019 Toyota Yaris Sedan – new face for Mazda 2 clone

2019 Toyota Yaris Sedan – new face for Mazda 2 clone

The 2019 Toyota Yaris Sedan has officially been unveiled, three years after the original debutant landed in the West. If you find the design somewhat familiar, that’s because the US-only Yaris sedan, formerly known as the Scion iA, is essentially a re-skinned version of the Mazda 2 sedan.

This facelift exercise sees minor updates made to its exterior. Starting from the front, the Yaris gets a new honeycomb grille, redesigned headlamps and some piano black and chrome exterior highlights. But the bigger news is that the subcompact car can now be had with three trims – Yaris L, Yaris LE and range-topping Yaris XLE.

All variants are equipped with a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system (same MZD interface, different colour scheme), low-speed automated front emergency braking, cruise control, power mirrors and windows, and a 60:40 split-folding rear seat. The update also includes a sleeker LED headlights, illuminated entry and new 16-inch alloys with dark gunmetal finish.

No changes to the mechanical side of things – as before, Mazda’s 1.5 litre direct injection Skyactiv petrol engine with 106 hp and 139 Nm lies under the bonnet, and it’s paired to either a six-speed manual (one of the sweetest-shifting manuals around, it is claimed) or six-speed automatic gearbox. Fuel efficiency is rated at 6.7 l/100 km (combined cycle) for the manual gearbox and 6.4 l/100 km for the automatic. Sport Mode is available with the flip of a switch.

Safety-wise, every Yaris is equipped with an Active Safety System that includes Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Traction Control System (TCS), Brake Assist (BA), Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD), Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) and a Brake Over-Ride System (BOS). Six airbags and tyre pressure monitoring system are standard.

Also on are Low-Speed Pre-Collision System, which 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.

No prices have been revealed as yet, but expect the entry-level Yaris L to be priced similar to the outgoing model’s US $16,995 (RM65,847) base price. What do you think of the updated Yaris? Do you prefer this over its donor model? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Matthew H Tong

An ardent believer that fun cars need not be fast and fast cars may not always be fun. Matt advocates the purity and simplicity of manually swapping cogs while coping in silence of its impending doom. Matt's not hot. Never hot.

 

Comments

  • squall on Mar 27, 2018 at 2:11 pm

    Haha.. proof that rebadge is not done by Proton only. Even Toyota do the same.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 31 Thumb down 0
    • $16,995, this is really how an entry-level car should be priced. Lucky Muricans.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 3
      • Lucky is when they dun bill Mazda USA for chiropractic bills due to going in and out of cramped interior. Asians alredi have problems, what more bigger fatter Muricans.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 19 Thumb down 34
        • 12yrsold on Mar 27, 2018 at 5:20 pm

          This one is for smaller Muricans la. They also have below 1.7 m & 60 kg humans too la.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 2
          • Muricans abhor discrimination of any forms inc against plus sized pipu (which r a lot there). This is a lawsuit waiting to happen.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 2
        • Henry Ford on Mar 27, 2018 at 11:37 pm

          The original Mini was so tiny, yet it was designed with the UK market in mind. So this should be no problem

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
  • malu betul on Mar 27, 2018 at 2:13 pm

    After many many years, toyotq still rebadges Mazda. Making betul

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 22 Thumb down 0
  • Nowdays Toyota hv no idea to design new structure for Yaris? Dont learn from China that clone a new vehicle and chg their logo like Land Rover, it’s shame!

    Proud to be Mazda owner, Mazda vehicle interior become a good looking instead of others. Moving forward Mazda, we can know you guys are keep improvement the exterior and interior. Well done, Mazda.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 5
  • Derulo on Mar 27, 2018 at 2:33 pm

    Toyota Yaris designer certainly a huge AngryBird fan.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 19 Thumb down 0
  • No wonder the HU interface looks exactly like Mazdas. According to basher logic, Toyota cannot pakai and must kolos shop since being 80 years old still need to rebadge.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 24 Thumb down 27
  • When P1 rebadges, basher hentam kawkaw.
    When Toyota clones, basher says its okays.

    Topkek.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 34 Thumb down 32
  • Brian on Mar 27, 2018 at 4:43 pm

    Its a Toyota, no wait- its a Mazda, no- its… Angry Bird the Car! *Cue 1940s Superman intro song*

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 1
  • Why la on Mar 27, 2018 at 5:17 pm

    So basically if you buy a Mazda 2 sedan here in Malaysia you’ll get a car that Toyota thinks is good enough for North America instead of its own cars the vios and Yaris

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 1
    • Come to think of it, if Toyota feels vios & yaris not gud enuff, then why not buy Mazda2 instead of those 2 junks? If its gud enuff for US (which vios & yaris is not), then its fabulous here.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 0
  • Ibnu bakrin on Mar 27, 2018 at 8:17 pm

    Matthew, I think you need to explain the agreement between Toyota and Mazda around 4 yrs ago. Some people here forgot la .. or really don’t know.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
    • Relationship as defined by basher:
      When P1 rebadges, basher hentam kawkaw.
      When Toyota rebadges, basher says its okays.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 0
  • Yaris for m’sian market? If people can remember, the earlier Yaris model was not popular here in m’sia, now this one…wonder how they going to make sales pick-up.?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Henry yap on Mar 30, 2018 at 8:14 pm

    Speechless, so mazda 2 Will stop produced at future for Toyota yaris or vios rebadged, or plan new body chassis for mazda 2, so future old mazda 2 owners can go Toyota SC do services?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
 

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