Toyota has just given its hot hatch another glow-up, and honestly, it’s pretty badass. The latest evolution of the Type 26 GR Yaris has officially arrived, bringing a bunch of small but still very cool upgrades that make this already wild little performance car even more dialed-in for performance. A Steering Wheel Built For Real Racing ToyotaThe major upgrade that stood out to us the most is the awesome new interior layout. The GR Yaris has now become updated with a new motorsport-bred cockpit that will make you feel like you are drivng a proper race car. Developed by the folks at Toyota Gazoo Racing, the GR Yaris has always been one of those cars that just hits enthusiasts right in the heart. Since its launch, Toyota has been constantly tweaking it based on lessons learned from actual racing making this one of most affordable track-worthy cars you can buy. The new Type 26 version keeps that same philosophy alive.One of the biggest changes might sound simple, but it’s actually pretty sick. The GR Yaris now gets a new steering wheel designed with help from professional race drivers.What that means is that, on the track, this car is going to be amazing to drive.ToyotaDrivers often need to turn the wheel a lot—sometimes up to 180 degrees—without changing their grip. The old wheel could make that tricky because your hands might hit some of the switches. Not ideal when you’re pushing the car hard. So, Toyota literally started testing clay prototype steering wheels on race cars and had pro drivers try them out on real circuits. What ended up in the new car is a steering wheel with a smaller diameter and better-shaped grips, making it easier to hold onto when you want to attack those corners. The switches have also been rearranged and even get little lights for nighttime driving. It's a small detail, but still cool. More Features For More Track Driving There are no mechanical upgrades to the 1.6-liter 3-cylinder turbo engine, but there are some other upgrades that make the GR Yaris even better for track performance. 2026 Toyota GR Yaris Engine Specs Toyota also tweaked the electric power steering system so it feels better when the car is being pushed to its limits. The system now does a better job sensing steering inputs during high-load situations, like hard cornering or running super-grippy tires on a track.Some versions of the Type 26 also come with new high-performance tires that were developed specifically for the car. The setup includes Bridgestone Potenza Race tires mounted on lightweight BBS forged wheels, which is a combo that already sounds pretty serious. Toyota says the new tire design improves grip and control when you want to push this thing as hard as you can.ToyotaToyota even made a few quality-of-life improvements. For example, buyers can now combine the vertical rally-style parking brake with packages that include heated seats and a heated steering wheel.Having a proper rally handbrake and being able to keep your hands warm in winter is a total win-win.All of this is exactly why the GR Yaris is a much-loved hot hatch. Toyota does not treat it like a normal production car in the traditional sense. Instead, they keep racing it, learning from it, and then feeding that knowledge back into the road car, and making all of us hearheads happy.However, the sad part comes to US buyers, as the Yaris is still not available in the US market.