Used 2020 Toyota Yaris Hatchback

The Toyota Yaris hatchback has been revamped for 2020. This all-new version of Toyota’s smallest and least expensive hatchback boasts alluring design, attains up to 40 mpg, and is a snap to drive and park. Perhaps most appealing is a starting price below $18,000. While that is higher than subcompact-hatchback rivals like the Honda Fit and Kia Rio 5-door, the Yaris Hatchback has more standard features, including automatic emergency braking, plus tech like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Like its sibling the Yaris sedan, this 5-door hatchback is built by Mazda in a partnership with Toyota. As such, it has the fun driving manners for which Mazdas are known. As basically a Mazda2 hatchback in Toyota clothes, however, the Yaris doesn’t get the full suite of Toyota Safety Sense features found in the brand’s larger cars. But for buyers seeking an inexpensive, practical, good-looking car with spunky manners, the 2020 Toyota Yaris Hatchback makes a lot of sense.

As with its Yaris sedan sibling, this Toyota hatchback is powered by a little 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine that makes 106 horsepower. That isn’t much, but this Toyota — by way of Mazda — has a knack for making the most of what it’s got. The 2020 Yaris hatch feels peppier than its pony count suggests, just as the Mazda2 of yore.

While the Yaris sedan offers a choice of 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission, the hatch offers only the auto. That’s understandable, as the vast majority of buyers prefer it that way. And this automatic is impressive, giving the crisp shifts and quick responsiveness we admire in Mazda powertrains (remember, the Yaris is made by Mazda).

Overall and hardly surprisingly, the Toyota Yaris feels like a smaller version of the Mazda3. It is less substantial in size and heft, enabling it to squirt through city traffic and nab small parking spaces. It wouldn’t be our first choice on a long road trip because of its road noise at higher speeds, but it will certainly oblige if pressed into such duty. The Toyota Yaris will also tolerate being thrown into a corner at more-than-appropriate speeds. It might even make you smile while doing so.

If the Yaris’ cabin looks far more like a Mazda than a Toyota, it’s not your eyes deceiving you. Essentially a Mazda with a Toyota badge, the Yaris interior looks like a smaller-scale Mazda3. While this may seem off-brand, it’s not off-putting. Mazda has among the best-designed interiors among mainstream brands, and that pays off here, giving an upscale air to an economy car.

Both the LE and XLE trims include a prominent 7-inch touch-screen display in the center of the dash that boasts Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration. Front-seat legroom is commendable for such a small car, though the rear seat is expectedly tight. Filling the Yaris to its 5-passenger capacity would feel like a crowded house.

The Yaris hatchback lacks the innovative cargo versatility and flip-up seats of the Honda Fit, but it still can accommodate bulkier gear and a day’s worth of shopping. Folding the rear seats creates even more room for your stuff. One thing we wish the Yaris had is extendable sun visors.

If you remember and liked the Mazda2 (which ceased selling in the U.S. after 2014), the Yaris hatchback looks like a stylish evolution of that little charmer. With its crisp contours, aggressive headlights and tidy rear end, we think the new Yaris hatchback is the most stylish car in its segment. It also has a more upscale appearance than the previous-gen Yaris.

The 2020 Yaris hatchback is diminutive. At 161.6 inches in length it’s nearly 10 inches shorter than its sedan sibling, but still a few inches longer than a 4-door Mini Cooper Hardtop. Yaris hatchback LE models make do with halogen headlights, but stepping up to the XLE trim brings brighter LEDs. Both roll on 16-inch dark gray alloy wheels.

DESIGN
Inside and out, we think the 2020 Toyota Yaris is a cut above the competition. Its exterior has crisp contours and excellent proportions, while its interior is minimalistic yet stylish and functional.

VALUE
Yes, the Toyota Yaris hatchback has a higher starting price than its primary rival the Honda Fit, but in an apples-to-apples comparison, it costs less. Features like an automatic transmission, Apple CarPlay and automatic emergency braking are all extra on the Honda.

The new Toyota Yaris hatch is offered in two trims, unlike its sedan sibling that is available in three. That means the Yaris Hatchback has more features in its base form, which starts at the LE trim. It includes an automatic transmission, 7-inch touch-screen display with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto integration, plus AM/FM/HD and satellite radio along with an aux input and two USB ports.

Also included are keyless entry, push-button start, heated outside mirrors, cruise control, 6-way manual-adjust driver’s seat, cloth interior and Normal/Sport drive modes.

The Yaris comes with a low-speed forward-collision warning system that can automatically apply the brakes to prevent or minimize a crash. Also included is Toyota Care, which covers two years/25,000 miles of complimentary maintenance.

Major options for the Yaris are gained by stepping up to the XLE trim, and for just $1,000 more we can easily recommend doing so. It adds Leatherette upholstery, rain-sensing windshield wipers, automatic climate control, leather-trimmed steering wheel, LED headlights with automatic on/off, plus LED daytime running lights. Both models can have onboard navigation added to their infotainment system for $399.

The Toyota Yaris Hatchback is motivated by a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine that makes 106 horsepower. Not surprisingly, this is the same engine that powers the Yaris sedan, but unlike the sedan the Yaris hatch comes standard with a 6-speed automatic transmission. If you really want a manual, you’ll have to go with the Yaris sedan or another car like the Honda Fit.

As noted, the Yaris isn’t exactly powerful, but it makes the most of what it has. Furthermore, switching from Normal to Sport mode livens responsiveness and shift points. The Yaris is also very efficient, earning up to 40 mpg in highway driving. As with most cars in this class, the Yaris is front-wheel drive.

1.5-liter inline-4
106 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
103 lb-ft of torque @ 4,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 32/40 mpg