2020 Toyota Yaris XLE Sedan Review - Fare Thee Well

Just when Toyota’s Yaris finally adorned the name of a fun car, the brand kills it.

It was once the Scion iA, but a couple years ago, Toyota bestowed it with the Yaris moniker after retiring the Scion brand. Once attached to underwhelming subcompacts, the name was now slapped on the side of a more-fun small car.

It’s not shocking that the brand killed the Mazda 2-based Yaris sedan. The culprits? Slow sales and new regulations.

Slow sales is a big story in the subcompact class, and in 2019 the Yaris was down 5,000 units from the year before. Coronavirus may have ushered the Yaris out the door, too, since Toyota planned to limit North American production to adjust to the difficulties posed by the pandemic.

I didn’t know any of this at the time I had a Yaris in for evaluation, as the car arrived before Covid struck in earnest — and before the June announcement of discontinuation. Yes, I am reviewing a car that’s technically dead, but a quick Google shows there are still plenty of 2020s out there on lots as of this writing. So don’t @ me about that, mmmkay?

All I knew is that by sampling heavily from Mazda, Toyota had a value buy with elements of fun-to-drive verve.

Rough around the edges, sure – the Yaris was a bit noisy, especially in terms of engine noise, and most materials were a little too appropriate for the price point. But the Yaris offered up handling not often seen in this class, with engaging steering. Once again, the Mazda touch.

There is a sport mode that helps liven things up a bit. You can also get a six-speed stick to really increase your enthusiast cred – well, you could, anyway. My tester came with the six-speed auto instead.

Despite the buzziness, the 1.5-liter four-cylinder doesn’t provoke fantasies of the Mulsanne Straight, not with just 106 horsepower and 103 lb-ft of torque on hand. At least the peak torque is available at a reasonable 4,000 rpm. Plan your passes, people.

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Sportiness comes with a price sometimes, and here it’s a firm, though not punishing, ride.

Awkward styling spoils some of the fun – the car looks like a pissed-off catfish. For that, you can thank a large, gaping front grille/fascia, slanted headlights, slanted sheetmetal lines slicing in the opposite direction, and a thin opening above the grille/fascia area.

The rear is subtler and much more pleasing to the eye, at least.

Inside, the Toyota badging does nothing to hide the Mazda roots, but that’s not a problem unless you’re such a Toyota fanboy that you’d be up in arms. Material quality aside, the design is clean and simple, and the big HVAC controls are nice and easy to use, though the tacked-on infotainment screen that comes from Mazda still rankles. A two-tone black and tan/cream trim gave the cockpit a slightly upscale look, if not feel.

The features list on my loaner was short, but it included low-speed pre-collision system, leatherette interior, rain-sensing wipers, rear spoiler, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite radio, auxiliary port, two USB ports, Bluetooth, keyless entry, push-button start, automatic climate control, and tilt/telescope steering wheel.

There were no options. Total price, including D and D: $19,680.

It’s easy to say the crossover killed this subcompact – especially since Toyota’s lone subcompact offering now will be the C-HR – but as noted above, it was about sales and unspecified regulations, and possibly pandemic production challenges.

Too bad, since this version of the Yaris was more fun than what came before. And it’s a fuel sipper, to boot (up to 40 mpg highway). Not to mention that stepping a size up won’t help you find cheap fun – the Corolla is improved, but doesn’t offer much joy, at least not in hybrid form. The Corolla hatch is better, but not for the sedan intender.

Of course, more sedan intenders shopping in this class might’ve to keep the Yaris alive.

Instead, we wave goodbye to this Mazda 2-inspired value buy. If you want fun on a budget, you have one fewer choice.

[Images © 2020 Tim Healey/TTAC]