TAKE FIVE: These vehicles are driven by their details

Automotive News Canada’s Take Five is a look at five new, refreshed or retooled vehicles that are destined for or have recently entered the Canadian market.

1) 2020 TOYOTA YARIS 

Toyota ended production of the 2019 Yaris this year because of tepid sales. Surely that means the end of the line for the quirky subcompact, right? Actually, Toyota dug in with a redesigned Yaris (shown above) — based on a Mazda platform and assembled in Mexico — for the 2020 model year. Toyota is pitching the Yaris to urban drivers, saying the car’s small stature is ideal for tight parking spaces. Sixteen-inch steel alloy wheels are standard as is a 17.5-centimetre display and low-speed pre-collision warning system. The engine is a 106-horsepower 1.5-litre inline four-cylinder. A six-speed manual transmission is standard, while a six-speed automatic is optional. 

2) 2020 MERCEDES-AMG A35 

The AMG-ified A-class sedan features a 302-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder and a seven-speed automatic transmission. Zero to 100 km/h takes a company-claimed 4.9 seconds. The car comes with AMG Performance 4Matic variable all-wheel drive that can split the power evenly between the front and rear wheels for “maximum traction and dynamic handling.” Eighteen-inch alloy wheels are standard and 19-inchers are optional. 

3) 2019 GMC SIERRA CARBONPRO EDITION 

Beginning in June, some Sierra pickup beds will be made from carbon fibre, giving the truck the “most scratch-, dentand corrosion-resistant” bed in the industry, according to GMC. The CarbonPro bed, which weighs 27 kilograms less than a steel bed, has indentations that GM says were designed for motorcycle tires. Compared with the steel box, capacity is increased by one cubic foot. The carbon-fibre-bed will be available on the 2019 Sierra Denali 1500 and Sierra AT4 1500 to start, although it could be moved to more trims in the 2020 model year. 

4) 2019 FIAT 500L URBANA EDITION

This 500L Urbana Edition really is all about fussing over the details. To get a “blackout appearance,” just about all the trim is black, except for the badges. The inside is just as dark, with black leather seats and copper-coloured stitching. The main exterior colour can be something other than black, however — namely, bronze, white, grey and green — although black remains an option (naturally). The Urbana Edition is available for a $595 upgrade to the 500L Trekking trim level. 

5) 2020 ACURA TLX PMC EDITION 

Just in case a regular TLX sedan isn’t personal enough, there’s a new hand-built TLX PMC Edition that’s assembled at the Performance Manufacturing Center (hence the PMC name) in Ohio, the same plant that builds the NSX supercar. This limited-edition TLX will cost about $50,000 and comes in one colour: Valencia Red Pearl, which Acura says is “the most vibrant paint” the brand has offered and was previously available only on the NSX. Each TLX PMC will be handmade after a standard TLX is shipped from a nearby assembly plant. The car will come with gloss-black 19-inch wheels and an interior with red stitching and black piping. There are no performance upgrades over the standard TLX.