2009 Toyota Yaris

Small cars helped establish Toyota's reputation in the U.S. market, starting with the Corollas that first appeared in the early 1970s. Over the years, each model grew in size, and bigger cars joined the lineup. Today, Toyota's trio of family-type sedans runs from Corolla to Camry to Avalon.

New-for-’09 5-Door Yaris Liftback

Make that a quartet, with the addition of the subcompact Yaris. Launched as a 2007 model, the Yaris essentially took the place of the Echo, which never captured a sizable number of sales and disappeared after the 2005 model year. Measuring 150.6 inches long on a 99.6-inch wheelbase, the Yaris Liftback (hatchback) is Toyota's smallest automobile, and one of the tiniest on the U.S. market.


Yaris sedans are considerably larger, stretching to 169.3 inches in length on a 100.4-inch wheelbase. Exhibiting their own distinctive styling features, sedans also are 3.5 inches lower than Liftbacks. Prime competitors in this subcompact segment include the Chevrolet Aveo, Suzuki SX4, and Honda Fit.


For the 2009 model year, Toyota added a third model: a five-door hatchback body style, to join the prior three-door Liftback and four-door sedan. Toyota says Yaris is the only model in its segment to offer such a full array of body styles.

2009 Yaris 3-Door Liftback

Also for 2009, antilock braking has been made standard on all models, along with front seat-mounted airbags and curtain side airbags. Cruise control now is available on Limited models. Yaris audio systems are now satellite-capable.