Canada continues to be a relative haven for the subcompact cars that are falling out of favour with U.S. shoppers, who are a little further along than Canadians in their adoption of crossovers and SUVs for everyday driving.
Still, demand for the smallest cars on the market is falling, so it's no surprise that Toyota's entry-level model, the Yaris, carries over into 2019 with few changes.
Once again, the Yaris is offered as a Toyota-built hatchback and a sedan manufactured by Mazda.
It's the sedan that gets the updates. This year, both trims boast a black honeycomb grille and a 7.0-inch infotainment display that last year was limited to uplevel versions. Toyota has also renamed the posher variant as the XLE, a badge that replaces 2018's Premium model. The entry-level model is simply called Yaris sedan.
On the hatchback side, trim levels are CE (three-door), LE and SE (both five-doors).
Both Yaris models use a 1.5L, four-cylinder engine. It makes 106 hp and 103 lb-ft of torque, which is a nice coincidence considering that while Toyota builds the one in the hatchback, the sedan's engine is a Mazda creation and uses that brand's SkyActiv fuel-saving technology.
Hatch models come standard with a five-speed manual transmission that can be optioned to a four-speed automatic. Yaris sedans use six-speed transmissions: the base model gets a stickshift that options to an automatic, while the XLE is automatic-only.
Yaris hatchback's fuel consumption estimates are 7.8/6.5 with the five-speed stick, and 7.9/6.8 with the automatic. In the sedan, consumption ratings are 7.8/6.0 with the manual and 7.3/5.8 in automatic form.
Standard features for the Yaris hatchback include a four-speaker sound system with 6.1-inch touchscreen, heated front seats, 15-steel wheels with covers and power windows and door locks.
LE trim adds air conditioning, side mirrors that are heated and power-adjustable, cruise control and keyless entry.
SE models gain sport front seats, leather-dressed steering wheel and shifter, 16-inch alloy wheels, projector headlights with daytime running LEDs, fog lights and rear disc brakes to replace drums in the other trims.
The Yaris hatchback comes with a more comprehensive set of advanced safety items: it gets the Safety Sense C suite, which bundles a pre-collision system with lane departure alert and automatic high beams. The Yaris sedan benefits only from the pre-collision feature.
Yaris sedan standard kit starts with a six-speaker stereo, air conditioning, 7.0-inch infotainment display, power windows, locks and mirrors, keyless entry with push-button start and16-inch steel wheels with covers.
XLE trim brings 16-inch alloy wheels, rear lip spoiler, rain-sensing wipers, fog lights and LED headlights.
