The first next-generation Toyota small car has been unveiled: the all-new 2020 Yaris. Toyota’s sub-compact hatchback sees a top-to-bottom redesign and sports a brand-new line-up of engines and a new platform which promises better driving performance and comfort.
The 2020 Yaris now migrates to the TNGA platform. It’s the first vehicle to be underpinned by the GA-B—a platform for Toyota’s small cars. With that, it promises to “deliver driving performance beyond its class.” It has a 15 mm lower center of gravity and is up to 50 kilograms lighter than the previous model.
Together with the TNGA platform, the all-new Yaris debuts a family of small displacement engines. The first is a 1.5-liter Dynamic Force 3-cylinder gasoline engine (M15A) that uses a high-speed combustion technology, a longer stroke, and expanded valve angle. There’s also a 1.0-liter 3-cylinder (1KR) as well as Toyota’s new-generation 1.5-liter Hybrid System. The adoption of the new hybrid system is special because it allows the use of Toyota’s E-Four all-wheel drive system on a small car for the first time. Mated to the engines are CVTs, with the 1.5-liter units getting the Direct Shift-CVT system.
Toyota says the all-new Yaris’s design inspiration is that of a bullet—the appearance of abundance of power while also remaining fearless. The rear is interesting in that designers integrated the rear window and rear combination lights into one single form.
Inside, the Yaris goes for a clutter-free cabin that’s spacious and comfortable. It gets a hoodless dual digital TFT instrument cluster, soft paneling on the center console, and even more storage space. Two unique features also make their way to the Yaris for the first time. The first is Easy Return Seat that “memorizes” the driver’s seat position even with manual operation. The second is Turn Tilt Seats. This mechanism makes it easy for the driver and front passenger enter and exit the car by rotating the seat and tilting it. This facilitates entering and exiting the vehicle by passengers wearing a skirt or kimono and supports those with back pain or low muscle strength.
The all-new 2020 Toyota Yaris will be on display at the VenusFort in Odaiba, Tokyo during the duration of the Tokyo Motor Show 2019. It will go on sale in Japan first by the middle of February 2020.
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