This is the Toyota GR Yaris, a super speedy bomb on wheels with four-wheel drive. The GR Yaris is based on the Toyota Yaris economy car, but only loosely, as the GR has a completely new chassis and power train, and only two doors instead of four. ‘GR’ refers to Gazoo Racing, the motorsport division of Toyota which developed the GR Yaris.
Inspiration for the Toyota GR Yaris came from the Yaris WRC rally car, which competes in the FIA World Rally Championship. Toyota won the WRC driver’s title in 2019 and 2020.
The GR Yaris is powered by a specially developed 1.6 liter turbocharged 3-cylinder petrol engine, with an output of 261 hp and 360 Nm, making it the most powerful 3-cylinder engine ever produced for a road car. The engine is mated to a six-speed transmission, sending power to all four wheels. Curb weight of the Toyota GR Yaris is only 1.280 kilo, making for a power-to-weight ratio of 4.8 kilo per horsepower.
The huge vertical air intakes in the front bumper cool the front brakes. The body is made of aluminium and carbon fiber. The roof is 91 millimeter lower compared with a standard Yaris, creating a lower center of gravity. It has three chassis settings: Normal, Sport, and Track. These settings influence the balance of the 4×4 system: When Normal is selected the split is 60/40 front/rear, in Sport it switches to 30/70 and in Track the balance becomes a perfect 50/50.
With so much power and technology the Toyota GR Yaris carries a lot of speed: 0-100 is gone in only 5.5 seconds and top speed is 230 km/h. Even more impressive is the rolling acceleration. The GR Yaris explodes from 80 to 120 km/h in 4.1 seconds and from 80 to 160 km/h in 9.3 seconds.
The brake system is up to the job as well. At the front, the Toyota GR Yaris comes with 356 millimeter ventilated brake discs and at the rear with 294 millimeter ventilated brake discs. The brake calipers are made of aluminum, with four pistons front and two pistons rear. To put brake size into perspective: the brake discs fitted on the front wheels of the 340 hp Toyota Supra sport scar measure ‘only’ 348 millimeter, 6 millimeter less than the brake discs on the GR Yaris!
For track-use, Toyota is offering a Circuit Pack, with a limited-slip differential and slick-like tires. But it seems the Toyota GR Yaris is best suited for the road, bombing away any car on the roundabout.