Less than 200 units of the new Toyota GR Yaris will be officially available in the Malaysian market, each priced at RM299,000. If you miss the opportunity to own one of these ‘Homologation Specials’ that are ready for competition use, there’s also another new sporty Toyota model available and it costs considerably less.
It’s the Toyota Vios GR-Sport (GR-S), and it has been specially developed for the Malaysian market by UMW Toyota Motor. In fact, at this time, no other country has this variant of the Vios which was launched last night along with the GR Yaris.
RM7,700 more than top Vios variant
The Vios GR-S is priced at RM7,700 more than latest Vios 1.5G, which is the top version of the popular Toyota sedan range. This means it would be RM95,284 (without insurance, Peninsular Malaysia price) and there will be considerably more units available as it is assembled in Malaysia at UMWT’s own plant in Selangor.
While there are 5 colour choices for the Vios range, the Vios GR-S is only available with a choice of 2 colours – White and Red, the former being a pearl finish and the latter is mica metallic.
For RM7,700, you get a Vios that stands out with a more aggressive appearance. It has a sculpted front bumper with a large black lower grille and the rear bumper includes a diffuser. The boot spoiler and side mirrors are finished in black and side skirts are also fitted, lowering the body visually.
The Vios GR-S also gets exclusive 17-inch alloy wheels finished in black with 205/45R17 tyres. The tyres are Toyo Proxes TR1 and these are the same type of tyres that are used by the cars racing in the Vios Challenge one-make series.
While a buyer would look at the visible items that come in the GR-S package, what cannot be seen and has to be experienced by driving is the suspension tuning that has been done. It draws on the experience of the Vios Challenge which has provided Toyota engineers with useful information to make the Vios better.
The Vios GR-S has been developed with experience gained from preparing the racing cars for the Vios Challenge.
The suspension is the same as that in a regular Vios with MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear. Tuning of the springs and stabilizer bars gives a sportier feel and sharper handling. However, comfort is not sacrificed which is not always the case when a car’s suspension is sports-oriented.
Tengku Djan’s comments
“It’s a fun to drive car and has a dual personality. On your daily drive, you have comfort and if you want to push it hard, then it transforms into a refined version of a racing car. I believe the Toyota engineers went to great lengths to accomplish this,” says GR Ambassador Tengku Djan Ley who has been Vios Challenge champion twice and is also a top drifter.
“What Toyota has done with the Vios GR-S is to take it to another level. It is not the run-of-the-mill special edition cars produced in Malaysia that normally focuses only on body kits, wheels and tyres, and interior enhancements. For the price, you are actually getting a lot of car,” he adds.
Reliable engine with dual performance characteristics
Reliability is one of the things people buy a Toyota for, and the company has worked hard to ensure this in all its models. For this reason, ‘improving’ engine performance is not common if it involves modifications. Toyota has many engines with different power outputs but there is also extra cost and to keep the Vios GR-S affordable, it has meant using the standard 1.5-litre 2NR-FE engine that has proven reliability.
However, you can still ‘modify’ the performance characteristics yourself even if you are not an engineer or a computer programmer. This can be done by just activating the Sports mode at the push of a button and an alternative ‘map’ in the Engine Control Unit (ECU) will be used which gives stronger acceleration.
10-speed CVT
The Vios GR-S also comes with a 10-speed CVT, rather than the 7-speed unit in the other variants. The additional ratio allows the car to be more responsive by sustaining higher rpm, and the gears (actually there are no gears in a CVT) can be selected using the paddle shifters as well. Toyota’s CVT has often been praised for having a feel which is closer to that of a conventional torque converter automatic transmission so you don’t get that ‘rubber band’ sensation.
The cabin has a more individualistic and bold look with black as the dominant colour., The black semi-bucket sports seats have red stitching on the suede and leather. The 3-spoke steering wheel is also leather-wrapped as is the shifter and of course, the ‘GR’ logo can be seen in many places including the start/stop button for the engine.
Meters originally developed for Lexus
The instrument panel is similar to the one in the Vios 1.5G with those sharp and distinctive Optitron meters. The meter technology was originally developed for use in Lexus models and has since trickled down to even the Vios so it’s a high-quality item.
For a sporty look, the meters have red calibrations and red pointers on a matt black background. Exclusive to this variant is a GR animation sequence on the 4.2-inch Multi-Information Display which appears whenever the engine is started.
The GR Garage in selected Toyota dealerships sell not only the GR Supra, GR Yaris and Yaris GR-S but also accessories for spirtier looks or enhanced performance.
Like the GR Yaris, the Vios GR-S is available only at Toyota dealerships with the GR Garage (only 5 nationwide at the moment) as well as those dealers which have teams participating in the Vios Challenge. To locate a GR Garage dealer, visit toyota.com.my/tgrmalaysia/gr-garage.
Keyword: Toyota Vios GR-Sport – more than just a ‘special edition’ car