The GR Yaris dominated the U.K.'s car of the year awards.
Just when Toyota was launching its greatest ever small car, a pocket rocket called the GR Yaris, news came from headquarters that it was withdrawing the Yaris model from the U.S. market.
To put that in perspective, that’s like Dodge withdrawing the basic Charger from its lineup just as it launched the latest and greatest ever Charger SRT Hellcat. Yes, that’s how good the GR Yaris really is. In the U.K. this tiny titan blitzed the country’s Car of the Year awards by capturing best car trophies from well-known publications such as Top Gear, Autocar, Car and Evo Magazine. And it also just happened to win the country’s top U.K. Car of the Year gong as well.
Those flared fenders really set off the tone of this tiny titan.
Packing technology from the World Rally Championship winning Yaris, the GR Yaris (GR is short for Toyota’s in-house racing arm Gazoo Racing) boasts a 268-hp, 1.6-liter, 3-cylinder gasoline turbocharged engine with 273 lb-ft of torque, a bespoke platform and body, a special full-time 4WD system and a 6-speed manual transmission.
As can be expected by these eye-opening specs, this hot hatch has Europe’s media in a tizzy searching for words to explain a car that has no rival. It also gets a Torsen LSD front and rear as well as an ‘iMT’ or an intelligent manual transmission that blips the throttle for you when you change down. Torque distribution can also be regulated as desired with three settings; Normal with a front:rear bias of 40:60, Sport at 30:70 and Track mode at 50:50.
The GR Yaris's interior features a leather-bound steering wheel and shifter and slide-resistant ... [+]
Below 3000rpm, the 1.6-liter turbo lacks punch, but keep the turbo spooled up and ready to rock and roll at just over 3000, and you have a car that can keep up with many supercars. The 2844-lb GR Yaris sprints from zero to 60mph in 4.9 seconds and will cover the quarter mile in 13.7 seconds at 104mph on its way to a top speed of 144mph. Steering is precise and direct, the 4-pot brakes are sure-footed and grippy and the car corners like it was born to race. The amount of understeer or oversteer depends on which drive mode you’ve selected. Surprisingly, it’s also very compliant and comfortable for just pottering around town at 35-40mph.
The GR Yaris jumps from 0-60 in 4.9 seconds.
Negatives? Just a pity the horn sounds like an annoyed chihuahua while the exhaust note could have done with a bit more attitude. In a strange attempt to beef up the sound, Toyota has channeled a synthetically created exhaust tune into the cabin through the speakers to titillate drivers. It works, to a degree. And don't expect to sit anyone in the back seat who’s bigger than a primary school kid. They won’t fit. Oh, and the price which starts at $41,520 seems a little steep for a Yaris. But when you think of the technology and development that went into it, you can do nothing but nod in reluctant agreement at that figure.
But unfortunately, Americans will never get to see or try this mighty GR Yaris because it will not be exported to the U.S. Once again, America will miss out on the best that Japan has to offer. However, if you have a spare 40-grand and you want one—because after all, Toyota will only make 25,000 units so it will hold its value—and you have a European buddy willing to ship one over, then I’d highly recommend the effort. Because Toyota will never make anything like this again.
