The Toyota GR Yaris, a car that’s been built to give the Japanese motoring giant a competitive edge in the World Rally Championship, has finally arrived. The Japanese carmaker has officially opened the orders books for the super hatch, with deliveries due to commence towards the end of the year.
The new model, formerly known as the GR-4, is essentially a homologation special. For Toyota to compete in the WRC, it must build a vehicle that’s based on one of its existing high-volume road cars. Over the past three years, the company used a standard Yaris (albeit covered in wings) to complete against the likes of Hyundai and Ford in top-tier rallying. But the company wanted to create a more focused baseline for its next-generation rally machine, due in 2021, so it created the GR Yaris to satisfy the FIA’s homologation rules.
Mechanically, the GR Yaris is almost completely different from the standard model. Out goes the front-wheel-drive system in favour of an all-wheel-drive layout, while the bodywork has been extensively revised to improve airflow and the car’s centre of gravity.
We’ll have to wait until next year to see whether the GR Yaris will give Toyota the upper hand on the world’s rally stages. In the meantime, here’s everything we know about the radical supermini.
Price and UK release
Prices start at £29,995 for the regular GR Yaris, which rises to £33,495 for the track-focused Circuit Pack edition. Toyota is taking orders now, and the first batch of customers are expected to get behind the wheel of their new car before the year is out.
Design analysis
This is clearly not a souped-up Yaris with a big wing bolted on the back. Instead, the GR model has been radically altered for car enthusiasts and ultimately give Toyota the edge in the WRC.
One of the more recognisable changes can be seen at the front of the car. The rounded design of the regular Yaris has been swapped out for a far more aggressive front end, complete with a giant grille that’s adorned with a GR logo. It’s a design that’s not appeared on any Toyota products that are sold in Britain, but similar gaping grilles can be found on some GR models in Japan.
Moving further back, you’ll find flared wheel arches that serve as a nod to the rally machine and a roofline that slopes downwards towards the back end. In fact, it’s 91mm lower than the roof on the regular Yaris. There’s a good chance Toyota went for a more coupe-esque design to reduce drag and lower centre of gravity of its next-generation WRC car.
You’ll also get a set of bespoke 18-inch forged wheels that are dressed in Dunlop’s SP Sport tyres. Toyota will also offer Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres as part of an optional circuit pack, which also includes Torsen limited-slip differentials on both axles.
Engine specs and performance
Unlike the rally car, which is powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the road-going version will have a three-cylinder turbo motor with the same displacement. That might seem odd, given that the GR Yaris is a homologation machine, but Toyota plans to use the GR’s three-pot motor in its more junior rally machines.
For the UK market, the three-cylinder motor develops 257bhp and 360Nm of torque. That’s sent to all four wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox, and Toyota doesn’t plan on offering an automatic version. This is a driver’s car, after all.
You can change the power distribution by selecting different driving modes. Normal mode splits the power 60:40, while Sport offers more rear bias at 30:70. Track mode, meanwhile, evenly distributes the power across both axles for better balance and traction out of corners. We expect the sportier modes will also open up valves tucked inside the massive twin exhaust system.
It’s light, too. The GR Yaris weights just 1,280kg, which is impressive given that four-wheel drive systems typically add a whole load of heft. This helps the car sprint from 0-62mph in 5.5 seconds, with Toyota limiting top speed to 143mph. To stop the car, Toyota has equipped the GR Yaris comes with 356mm grooved front discs with four-pot callipers, while the rears get 297mm discs and two-pot callipers.
Keyword: Toyota GR Yaris 2020: design analysis, engine specs and UK pricing