A New Toyota Yaris Sedan will Take on the Kia Rio and Nissan Versa Without an iA Badge

TopSpeed

By Kirby Garlitos

Published Mar 27, 2018

Better looks, move variety, and a simpler name are probably what the doctor ordered for the 2019 Yaris

The Toyota Yaris will be ditching the “iA” badge for the forthcoming 2019 model year. That’s one of the many changes we can look forward to when the 2019 Yaris Sedan arrives sometime in the fall. In addition to the simpler and more direct name, the new Yaris will also be offered in three different trim levels, a big improvement from its predecessor, which was only offered in one specification. The sedan will also get a good diet of stylistic improvements that should get potential customers excited about what it has to offer.

Sometimes, even the smallest of changes can have the biggest of impacts on a car. That may only tell part of the story with regards to the 2019 Yaris, but overall, the sedan offers improvements across the board that should help make it more appealing in the eyes of potential customers. First, there are now three trim levels — L, LE, XLE — to choose from. All three trims get a sportier-looking front fascia that features a front grille with honeycomb inserts. Piano black accents and a good amount of chrome trim are also scattered throughout the sedan’s body. As I said, it’s the small details.

Opt for the LE or the range-topping XLE trim, and you also get a new Dark Gunmetal body color, fog lights, heated mirrors with built-in LED turn signals, and a lip spoiler at the back. All these features are standard gets on the new sedan. All versions of the new Yaris will also receive active safety systems that send out visual and audio warnings to the driver during potentially dangerous road situations. This kind of safety feature is a huge boost to a sedan that sits low on Toyota’s totem pole. If that’s not enough, the range-topping Yaris XLE also comes standard with automatic LED headlights, Illuminated entry, leather-wrapped steering wheel and parking brake, automatic climate control, automatic windscreen wipers, and leatherette-trimmed front seats.

If these standard features and equipment aren’t enough to get you excited about what the 2019 Yaris Sedan has to offer, it must be because you must have pretty high standards. Regardless, Toyota worked hard to turn the Yaris into a more appealing sedan when it lines up against the likes of the Kia Rio and the Nissan Versa. It’s not promising to flip the sub-compact sedan segment on its head, but it certainly has the chops now to make a lot of noise.

Toyota hasn’t said how much the new model is going to cost, but expect it to have a slightly higher base price than its predecessor, the 2018 Yaris iA. The latter started at just under $16,000, so it’s possible that the new model will carry a starting price of around $16,500 to $17,000.

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