RACE READY(some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 40

Ever wondered what a Toyota Yaris might be like with over 275 braked horses beneath the bonnet? No, we hadn't either. But Toyota has made one anyway, this improved version of the wild GR Yaris. It's a rather unique confection....

Background word count: 222

This car has been actually rather significant. Launched back in 2021, it was the first true performance model that had been developed entirely in-house by Toyota in more than 20 years. We'd had quick models from the brand previous to this car, but only with outside assistance; the GT86 (developed with Subaru) and the GR Supra (co-created with BMW). The GR Yaris in contrast, was entirely the work of Toyota's Gazoo Racing performance division, hence the 'GR' moniker. There had been a wild version of the previous generation Yaris too, the Yaris GRMN, but this replacement Gazoo Racing-engineered GR model turned out to be quite a bit more powerful, gained 4WD and was to be made in much greater numbers. Its purpose was to aid homologation of what back in 2021 was the next generation version of the Yaris World Rally Car, at the same time as boosting the image of then freshly launched fourth-generation Yaris supermini. Chief engineer Naohiko Saito couldn't believe his luck when Toyota asked him and his team to create a Yaris like no other. He did exactly that. Once production was well underway, Saito and his team got a chance to update this GR Yaris model and make it just a bit more focused. The result, launched in early 2024, is the car we look at here.

Driving Experience word count: 260

Quite a lot's been done to the engineering of this improved GR Yaris. Including an evolution of the turbocharged three-cylinder engine to deliver even more power and torque. And the introduction of an optional brand-new eight-speed Gazoo Racing Direct Automatic Transmission, engineered for competition-fast gear changes. The 6-speed 'IMT' 'Intelligent Manual Transmission' stick shift though, will still be the choice of enthusiasts. Maximum power and torque figures have risen to from 257 to 276bhp and 390Nm. And the bespoke GR Yaris chassis has been further strengthened. Plus the suspension has also been adjusted for greater handling control and robust performance under high loads, with revised spring rates and a strengthened front shock absorber assembly. As previously, the regular Yaris model's basic torsion beam rear suspension is replaced by a more sophisticated double wishbone set-up. As before, the GR Yaris is a model engineered through participation in rallying. A car very much in the mould performance classics of the past like Subaru's Impreza WRX and the Mitsubishi Evo. The car continues to use Toyota's GR-FOUR electronically controlled, permanent all-wheel drive system. This features a multi-plate clutch delivering power to all four wheels via three pre-set torque distribution levels; 'Normal' has a 60:40-split front-to-rear; 'Sport' pushes nearly all the power to the back 30:70; and 'Track' has an equal 50:50-split. There are big brakes too - 356mm grooved front brake discs featuring 4-pot calipers. And a set of sticky tyres too. The 62mph sprint is about half a second faster than before (think around 5.1s) and the top speed is around 145mph.