TOYOTA IS RAPIDLY EXPANDING its performance GR range with the launch of the hotly anticipated 200kW Toyota GR Yaris, a pure performance car forged in the heat of motorsport competition.
The new super-hot hatch is already a sales success with local dealers taking 1200 advance orders for the second model in the GR performance car range, following the GR Supra launched in 2019.
GR Yaris has all the credentials for competition success. At its heart is a new 200kW/370Nm 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine, the world’s most powerful mass-produced three-cylinder powerplant.
Along with an all-new platform, unique three-door body, aerodynamic styling and a new GR-FOUR permanent all-wheel drive system, GR Yaris has an impressive power-to-weight ratio of 156kW/tonne and sprints from 0-100 km/h in 5.2 seconds.
GR Yaris is the first all-Toyota sports car and the company’s first homologation model for WRC competition since the Celica GT-FOUR ended production in 1999.
It brings motorsport technology directly to the world of the road car through the combined design and engineering skills of Toyota’s title-winning Toyota GAZOO Racing and World Rally Championship teams.
Toyota Australia Vice President Sales and Marketing Sean Hanley said every aspect of GR Yaris was focused on bringing exhilarating performance to a wide audience of sports-car enthusiasts.
“The brainchild of our president Akio Toyoda, our new GR brand harnesses the experience gained by pushing the limits in motorsport and applies it to a whole new generation of performance road cars,” Mr Hanley said.
“The result is performance thoroughbreds like GR Yaris that are true to our ethos of making ever-better cars that are rewarding and fun to drive.”
Aerodynamic design and sports performance
As a bespoke three-door, the low tapered side profile and wide squat stance of GR Yaris mark it as a serious performance car.
Sharing just three exterior components with the Yaris hatch – headlights, taillights and mirrors – the sculpted, aerodynamically designed car achieves a kerb weight of just 1280kg.
It features a Toyota-first carbon-fibre roof and aluminium panels for the bonnet, doors and tailgate.
The lightweight, compact 200kW turbo engine adopts motorsport technologies to deliver an exhilarating drive experience, including multi oil-jet piston cooling, machined intake ports and large-diameter exhaust valves.
It is also equipped with direct and port fuel-injection, high-speed combustion, a single scroll ball-bearing turbocharger, an aluminium oil cooler and a large-capacity water pump and air cleaner.
Mated to a six-speed intelligent manual gearbox (iMT) with rev-matching on up and down shifts, its top speed is 230km/h. An automatic transmission is unavailable.
At the same time, GR Yaris achieves high-performance efficiency, including a stop-and-start system. It meets Euro 6 standards, returning combined cycle fuel consumption of 7.6 litres/100km with CO2 emissions of 172 grams/km.
Fuel capacity at 50 litres strikes a balance between weight and driving range.
Agile handling and stability in safety
The GR Yaris has a new, dedicated platform that combines the front end of Toyota’s GA-B platform (Yaris) with the rear of the GA-C platform (Corolla).
This accommodates a new suspension design and GR-FOUR all-wheel-drive system, while also contributing to the car’s excellent stability and handling.
Toyota’s ingenious GR-FOUR system is designed to optimise drive power to each wheel, while also being simple, compact and light.
It offers a theoretical torque split of up to 100 percent to the front or rear wheels, governed by a high-response coupling and an electronically controlled multiplate clutch located ahead of the rear differential.
Driver-selectable AWD settings are Normal (directing 40 percent of available torque to the rear wheels), Track (50 percent to the rear wheels) and Sport (70 percent to the rear wheels). The system will adjust torque split automatically based on driver inputs, vehicle behaviour and road or track conditions.
Every element of the new fully independent front and rear suspension setups has been optimised for performance, including high-response shock absorbers.
Front MacPherson struts are more rigid than the five-door Yaris hatch with newly developed knuckles and stiffer bushes for maximum control and stability.
A multi-link rear suspension, in contrast to the torsion beam layout in the standard Yaris, is also more rigid with new upper arms and stiffer settings for optimal responsiveness, handling and traction in high-speed cornering.
Electric power rack-and-pinion steering has been tuned to provide effective feedback and a true sports feel.
Large 356mm two-piece ventilated discs with four-piston callipers provide stopping power at the front, with 297mm ventilated discs and two-piston callipers at the rear, both designed to provide confident, stable and fade-resistant braking performance.
The short-stroke brake pedal has been tuned to provide a linear feeling with solid feedback while the clutch also features a mechanism to ensure consistent pedal feel and compensate for wear over time.
Given the sports potential of the GR Yaris, safety has also been a major priority with the GR Yaris featuring a suite of the latest Toyota Safety Sense features.
These include pre-collision safety system with autonomous emergency braking, intersection assistance, emergency steering assist, high-speed adaptive cruise control, lane trace assist, road-sign assist, auto high beam, blind spot monitor, head-up display, rear view camera and six airbags.
Driver-focused interior
The driver-focused cabin marks GR Yaris as a serious performance car with a small-diameter leather-wrapped steering wheel with fingertip controls, leather-wrapped short-throw gear shifter and handbrake, and aluminium pedals.
Large speedo and tacho dials sit either side of a 4.2-inch multi information display that offers an array of details including turbo pressure and gear-shift indicators.
Premium sports front seats offer the support and comfort of large bolsters. The adjustable driver’s seat and tilt-and-telescopic steering column contribute to an ideal seating position.
Two rear seats feature ISOFIX anchor points and are split 60/40- to expand the 141-litre luggage space.
Standard premium equipment includes dual-zone climate-control air-conditioning, smart entry and start, 8-speaker JBL audio, an advanced multimedia system and a 7-inch touchscreen display.
GR Yaris is covered by the five-year Toyota Warranty Advantage, seven years for engine and driveline, and capped-price servicing for the first six services within a 6-month/10,000km interval at $260 each.
GR Yaris Pricing
• GR Yaris $49,500 (plus on road costs)
Or perhaps you’d prefer the even hotter GR Yaris Rallye
Toyota’s special-edition GR Yaris Rallye performance car will be launched in Australia in March with an introductory offer of $56,200 driveaway.
The introductory offer price will apply to the first 200 cars, after which the price will move to the official recommended retail price of $54,500 plus on-road costs.
GR Yaris Rallye promises an even richer experience for enthusiasts who want to take their cars to the track.
Building on the 200kW GR Yaris, the special-edition model is equipped with performance upgrades that make it an even more focused, high-speed performance package designed for circuit racing.
It features circuit-tuned suspension, Torsen limited-slip differentials on the front and rear axles and 18-inch BBS forged alloy wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres.
Speaking to media today, Toyota Vice President Sales and Marketing said the launch strategy for the Rallye was consistent with that adopted for the GR Yaris.
“Back in September, we announced our go-to-market strategy. We knew our official RRP made perfect sense with GR Yaris competing head-to-head against pure performance cars in the segment costing more than $50,000” Mr Hanley said.
“But we weren’t content with that. We wanted to ignite the performance-car market. We wanted to broaden the awareness and appeal of the GR brand. And we wanted to support customers – many of whom we knew would be new to Toyota – by making GR Yaris genuinely attainable.”
“By all accounts, we’ve achieved exactly what we set out to do. Our strategy was built on a significant local investment… an aggressive driveaway offer, limited to the first 1000 cars.”
“The first 1000 were snapped up within a week – a remarkable response. We responded to this extraordinary demand by releasing a further 100 cars – at a new price point, but still well below the RRP. This kept faith with our promise to the first 1000 customers that they were receiving a limited offer.”
“We expect to deliver around 550 of these 1100 cars by Christmas… and the balance by April next year. Not surprisingly, we’re keen to secure more cars, most likely in the second half of next year – and we’ll keep you posted in the coming months.”
“Whenever those cars arrive, they will be priced at the RRP… $49,500 plus on-road costs. I’m sure that news will delight the enthusiasts who got in early. And, even at full RRP, GR Yaris will be excellent value and highly competitive against its performance-car rivals.”
“That brings us to the remaining piece of the puzzle… the circuit-focused Rallye.”
“Now, just as we did with GR Yaris, we want to excite as many fans as possible by ensuring this special-edition Rallye model is genuinely attainable.
“We want to continue to ignite the performance-car market, broaden the awareness and appeal of our GR brand, and support our customers – many of whom are new to Toyota,” he said.
Once we have tested and assessed the new Toyota Yaris GR and Yaris GR Rallye, seniordriveraus will bring you a comprehensive review, including everything the over-50 driver needs to know.