Toyota GR Yaris Review - One of the Best Cars of the 21st Century
Something truly special
Every now and then, something comes along which is really, really good. You try it or see it and go - wow.
The first time I remember this happening was when my father took me to an aircraft display event. The chatter amongst the crowd was shattered when an English Electric Lightning screamed along the runway at what seemed to be head height and then climbed vertically until it disappeared into the clouds. The noise from the Rolls Royce Avon engines was something to behold. On its return run, the aircraft broke the sound barrier.
Another wow moment was when I was a student at Durham Uni. On my second night I went out with a load of newly arrived blokes and walked to a pub over the road. They served craft beer. After having only experienced fizzy lager I was hooked. I also discovered pool and darts. The combination of all three was probably why I got a 2:2 rather than a First. Ah well.
And then last week, I had another experience which made me stand back and nod in appreciation — the Toyota GR Yaris. I have never been so disappointed when the bloke from Toyota arrived to take it away.
A bit of background
If you are a car manufacturer and you want to take part in something like the World Rally Championship (WRC), your car needs to meet certain criteria, one of which is that it needs to be available as a road-legal car which the public can buy. Another is that it must have a production run of at least 25,000 units. They tend to be referred to as homologation specials.
Most manufacturers take one of their current cars and adjust it so that it can withstand the rigours of a WRC series. Toyota did it the other way around by building a rally car and then making it acceptable for someone who needs to use it to go to work on Monday morning where the biggest challenge is likely to be avoiding bus lanes or some lunatic kid on an electric scooter.
And if you’re wondering why this Yaris has GR before its name, it’s because the car was developed by Toyota’s motorsport division - Gazoo Racing.
Second generation GR Yaris
The one you see here is the second version to arrive on our shores. They sell like hot cakes so you’ll need to scout around to find one. Used models sell for roughly what they were bought for a year ago. You could even make a profit which, let’s face it, is a rarity in the world of cars and shows you how sought after these cars are. The 6-speed manual version comes in at £44,250 while the 8-speed automatic is a further £1500 (Jan ’25).
The first obvious difference from the standard Yaris is that this is a 3-door car. It’s also wider and longer and a lot lower. The rear part of the floor is from the Corolla. As for the oily bits, a 4-wheel drive system is mated to a super-powerful 1.6 litre 278bhp 3-cylinder engine which gives you a 0-60mph time of 5.2 seconds and a top speed of 142mph. For the record, Toyota reckons you can manage up to 32mpg if you go steadily, which is unlikely.
For this latest version, the brakes have been upgraded, the bodywork stiffened and the driver’s seat lowered slightly. The interior has also been given a minor facelift with a new digital display for the driver.
A real hot hatch
However, the real reason for buying this car is because you want a hot hatch. A real hot hatch, not just a 3-door car with go-faster stripes. And I’m delighted to report that you will be grinning all the way to the nearest sweeping bend. It’s an absolute hoot to drive and hugely satisfying. The ride is firm (what do you expect with a rally-bred car) but the way the car clings to the road is nothing short of staggering. A limpet has nothing on the GR Yaris. The more you drive it the more confident you become. It wants to be hustled along. The point and squirt performance is a delight.
Driving modes
You get three driving modes - Normal, Eco and Sport - which adjust stuff like throttle response and steering feel. The AWD system is also adjustable and switches the amount of torque going to the front or rear wheels. The Track setting gives you more torque to the front wheels heading into a corner and then shifts it to the rear wheels to hurl you out of the corner. Clever huh?
You also need to drive it quite hard to make this punchy little car come alive. Spin the engine beyond, say, 4500rpm, and you’ll find out what sort of performance is really available. Confidence is an important thing with this car. When you learn how to gradually use the power, you will discover why this is the sort of car that makes you get up early on a fine Sunday morning and go for a drive just for the heck of it.
GR Yaris Interior
The interior is seriously smart. The 12.3-inch central touchscreen works well and you get all of the usual stuff you’d expect in a high-spec car like sat nav, rear cameras, parking sensors, DAB radio etc. The seats are rally-focussed, so I’d call them supportive but still comfy. No surprise that it’s tight in the back, although the sloping roof means that headroom is adequate for children but this is a car aimed at singles or couples.
It's probably a car you’d avoid if you want to go on long holiday trips because the firm ride can get a bit wearing and there’s a fair amount of tyre noise. The boot space is also limited, so I suspect that a lot of buyers will keep something much more ‘sensible’ and keep the GR Yaris for days when they want some fun.
Fun with a bullish character
As I hinted from the start of this article, the Toyota GR Yaris is one of the best driver-focussed cars around. It’s fun with a bullish character but also remarkably effective and simple at providing thrill-a-minute driving.
When reviewing cars, one of the questions I get asked frequently is, “Ah, but would you buy it?”
In the case of the Toyota GR Yaris, I can only answer in one way, “yes, in a heartbeat.”
words: Graham Courtney
pictures: Toyota
