Shortly after the reveal of the facelifted Toyota Vios in the Philippines, the refreshed B-segment sedan has now made its way to Thailand, where it is known as the Yaris Ativ. The new Vios is making its debut in the kingdom alongside its hatchback sibling, the Yaris, which also gets updated for 2020. Both the Yaris and Yaris Ativ share an identical variant line-up, starting with the base Entry, followed by the Sport and the range-topping Sport Premium. In terms of styling, the biggest change on both cars can be seen at the front, where there is now a new lower grille design that is downturned and flows into the upper grille.

Meanwhile, the colour scheme of the bottom front spoiler has been inverted, so it is now primarily finished in black, with a body-coloured centre section. It should be noted that a body kit comes as standard for the last two variants, but is absent on the Entry. Other notable cues include restyled LED reflector headlamps, which now incorporate L-shaped daytime running lights that replace the discrete LED stripes that were previously found on the grille. Beyond those revisions, the rest of the exterior is pretty much unchanged from before.


Equipment-wise, the LED lighting units are fitted to Sport and Sport Premium (this also gets LED fog lamps) variants, and they now come with automatic on/off and follow-me-home functions, while the Entry’s halogen lights make do without them. Similarly, the Entry only comes with 15-inch steel wheels and caps, while the other two receive new-design alloy wheels, also measuring 15 inches in diameter. Moving inside, both cars retain the same dashboard layout as before, although there is new silver metallic trim on the centre stack – the Entry gets black trim instead. Once again, it is the top two variants that come with the better features, including an Optitron instrument cluster, automatic air-conditioning and a 6.7-inch touchscreen head unit with Apple CarPlay support.

The Sport Premium takes things further with a 4.2-inch multi-info display in the instrument cluster, six speakers, keyless entry and engine start, rear USB ports, an electrochromic rear-view mirror and leather upholstery – the Sport uses a mix of leather and fabric, while the Entry is fabric only. The range-topper is also the only one that gets the Toyota Safety Sense suite, with two systems – Pre-Collision System (PCS) and Lane Departure Alert (LDA) – included. This is a big deal for the Yaris and Vios, sorry, Yaris Ativ, as it’s the first time the cars get active safety systems.


Nonetheless, the addition of PCS and LDA leaves the Yaris pair better off when compared to the Honda City sold in Thailand. Other safety-related items found on the sedan and hatchback include seven airbags (front, side, curtain and driver’s knee), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), traction control, Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), ABS, EBD, brake assist, a reverse camera (not available with the Entry) and a seatbelt warning system for all seats.

Under the bonnet, both cars are powered by the same 3NR-FKE 1.2 litre NA four-cylinder that was introduced as part of last year’s update. The mill continues to serve up 92 PS and 109 Nm of torque, with a Super CVT-i transmission directing drive to the front wheels, and offering a rated fuel consumption of 23.3 km/l.


Pricing for the Yaris starts at 549,000 baht for the Entry, while the Sport goes for 609,000 baht and the Sport Premium is at 679,000 baht. Meanwhile, the Entry variant in the Yaris Ativ range retails at 539,000 baht, followed by the Sport at 599,000 baht and lastly, the Sport Premium at 674,000 baht.

According to Headlightmag, these prices are between 10,000 to 25,000 baht more than before, depending on variant. Toyota Thailand also offers a Shadow Package for the Yaris Ativ and a Flash Package for the Yaris, should customers want to add more pizzazz to their purchases.The colour palette also gets revised for 2020, with Platinum White Pearl (a 7,000 baht) and Greyish Blue Metallic being new choices for Sport Premium variants.