Image: Peet Mocke
Image: Peet Mocke
Image: Peet Mocke
Image: Peet Mocke
Image: Peet Mocke
Image: Peet Mocke
Driving ImpressionsBy: Siyavuya Mbaduli
No doubt some of our readers will look at the line-up for this year’s Performance Shootout with a slight twinge of disappointment, searching for some glamorous metal. Previous years have indeed played host to some remarkable machinery – from V12 grand tourers to lightweight supercars and V8 muscle cars – that’s not to say 2022’s entrants are any less appealing.
Image: Peet Mocke
For one, the relative attainability of these working-class heroes means the four-cylinder offerings can speak to a far broader audience than any multimillion-rand limited-run supercar ever could. It also means blistering top speeds and sprint times are no longer the final arbiter when it comes to appreciating their value in the local performance car landscape. Nowhere is this more evident than in the case of the GR Yaris. While it may share its name with Toyota’s likely but hardly pulse-racing A-segment hatchback, the similarities stop there. The GR’s underpinnings are a Franken-steinian mixture of standard Yaris GA-B platform up front and the Corolla/Prius GA-C at the rear to accommodate the differential and clutch pack, as well as the stable-at-speed double-wishbone suspension setup.
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Its chunky body kit encompasses the sort of broad-haunched stance that wouldn’t look amiss on a Group B rally car. It not only lends the GR an air of purposefulness, but it also forms part of an impressive weight-saving regimen, which contributes to dynamic and performance characteristics that simply don’t align with a three-cylinder hatchback. Toyota has placed great emphasis on lightweight materials in the GR’s construction. The C-SMC (carbon sheet moulding compound) carbon-fibre roof is forged, rather than woven and is 3,5 kg lighter than a steel roof. Extensive use of aluminium in the bonnet and doors (representing a 24 kg weight reduction), 10% of the body shell (38 kg lighter than the previous Yaris hatch) and thin-sheet steel for the wings and side members contribute to a total kerb weight of just 1 280 kg.
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Fire up the engine and you’re quickly disabused of any notion that it’s just a fast Yaris. Propelling this feather-light shell is one of the largest and most powerful three-cylinder engines in a road car. The 1,6-litre turbo unit snarls and whistles through its wastegate as 198 kW and 360 N.m are channelled to all corners via a good old-fashioned six-speed manual ’box with a short, snappy throw and pleasingly robust mechanical action. It’s not just the GR’s astonishing turn of straight-line pace that grabs attention here.
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Plant the throttle and in the blink of an eye, you’re pinned against the supportive sports seat that, admittedly, lacks a little height adjustment. Sharp, responsive steering feel and simply astonishing reserves of grip are the order of the day. The GR’s AWD system isn’t an on-demand setup; instead, the front-to-rear drive is locked in via the drivetrain management system presets of standard (30:70), Sport (60:40) and 50:50 in Track mode. You can barely register its workings beneath you, but you can feel how it allows the chassis to almost pivot to your will. Swift directional changes don’t fluster the GR. It simply tucks itself into sharp bends and refuses to wash wide when exiting corners at speed.
Last year, in a line-up where it was outgunned on paper, the GR impressed in the company of many powerful and exotic performance cars. Now, with a more level playing field, it can shine, potentially making a legitimate grab for top honours.
Keyword: CPS 2023: Toyota GR Yaris 1,6 Rally – pure performance pedigree