RE: Toyota GR Yaris | Spotted
Discussion
Neil1323bolts said:
MightyBadger said:
Keep thinking I have spotted one of these but when I get closer realise its a sporty hybrid thing and not a GR.
It’s a rare car to see out and about on a normal week day, I guess most owners keep them as a special weekend car, or worried about putting unnecessary mileage on. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a red one on the open highway, for me it’s the best colour. Leon R said:
I’m sure it does but 90% of the year in the UK it wont look anything like the photo you have posted. All the ones I have seen in the flesh look more like this https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/16490053
moonigan said:
I’m sure it does but 90% of the year in the UK it wont look anything like the photo you have posted. All the ones I have seen in the flesh look more like this
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/16490053
I found the red a really average colour on a dull day, but agree it looks great in the sun.https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/16490053
Wab1974uk said:
Ford lost £7-8,000 on every MK1 Focus RS is built. It wasn't as bespoke as the Yaris, or did it develop a new AWD system for it, or give it a carbon roof, or front and rear trick diffs.
The Ddfference is that Ford only sold a few thousand whereas Toyota has shifted 32,000 GR. They might have lost for the first year or two of production but are now making a profit on subsequent cars.CG2020UK said:
It’s nothing to do with the tech in the Yaris unfortunately.
I just don’t see Toyota doing it. They only exist to make money for their shareholders.
It’s just a myth someone has started on a forum for some weird reason as they think it means the car is more special when realistically it’s just a lack of understanding of how businesses operate.
If VW can make a Golf R for cheaper than a Yaris Gr yet sell it for more then fair play they are doing something right! The more margin the better.
It's everything to do with the tech in the Yaris, which was developed specifically for that car. VW were able to amortise a load of the costs of the Golf R across other models - including most of its body panels shared with other Golfs and its engine shared with most other VW brands. Toyota simply couldn't do that with the GR Yaris. Every single body panel was bespoke to it, windows too. Until they dropped it in the Corolla, the engine and AWD system were bespoke to it. So it has a bespoke body and power train, and sold only 30,000 units globally.I just don’t see Toyota doing it. They only exist to make money for their shareholders.
It’s just a myth someone has started on a forum for some weird reason as they think it means the car is more special when realistically it’s just a lack of understanding of how businesses operate.
If VW can make a Golf R for cheaper than a Yaris Gr yet sell it for more then fair play they are doing something right! The more margin the better.
Edited by CG2020UK on Thursday 2nd May 18:17
It also takes around ten times as long to build compared to a regular Yaris, which started at around £20k. There is far more than £10k of trick stuff and added cost in a GRY.
You need to compare the level of technology, and its sales volumes, to literally anything else at the same price. There was absolutely nothing close to the same level of tech and performance from any other car manufacturer. If it were possible to make and sell a car like that for a profit, don't you think other manufacturers would've already been doing it or followed Toyota's lead?
Toyota might be keen to make money for their shareholders but again, the benefit of the GR Yaris was marketing. Toyota probably won't make money from rallying in general, but they'll still do it to promote their brand.
I was umming and aaahing over the wait and deposit for a mk2 - but found a 20 mile old, late December 2023 (one of the last mk1’s registered). Basically a new car. I paid list for it.
The red was the colour I wanted when they 1st came out. It has a grey / black flake in the paint - in anything less than full sun it does look very dark - almost a different colour altogether. In full sun it really sparkles.
Enjoying the car greatly, love the WRC gel badge - sad I know! Love my scatter cushions too, they serve absolutely NO purpose at all, fly around the cabin, but remind me of the RR Burford thread a while back, I laugh whenever I get in the car… :-))
The red was the colour I wanted when they 1st came out. It has a grey / black flake in the paint - in anything less than full sun it does look very dark - almost a different colour altogether. In full sun it really sparkles.
Enjoying the car greatly, love the WRC gel badge - sad I know! Love my scatter cushions too, they serve absolutely NO purpose at all, fly around the cabin, but remind me of the RR Burford thread a while back, I laugh whenever I get in the car… :-))
Owned my bog-standard black circuit GRY for coming up to 3 years now, mileage just over 7600. It is my “daily” albeit I worked from home and have 2 x classics which I use equally as much weather depending.
Dog goes in the back, rear seats fold down flat, had 4 wheels and tyres in there, transported one of my 100kg Tanks to north Wales in it couple of years ago where it recorded an astounding [to me] 38mpg, albeit on the way there I had to drive carefully!
It’s a fantastic little car, easy to drive, immensely capable when you’re in the mood, docile when not. I doubt there is a more “stable” car point to point across country.
£33/ month service plan, 10-year warranty, I can’t really fault it, but no car is perfect.
Minor niggles are low speed throttle response is not great, clutch biting point a little inconsistent so an easy car to stall if you’re not paying attention. Tyre noise is a little excessive, ok the PS4’s offer outstanding grip, but I think when I eventuality replace them, I will go with a quieter tyre albeit less grippy but in 99% of road driving you won’t notice it.
TBH i am interested in the Mk 2 Auto version, indeed have an email from Toyota about so, but sod paying £560/year road tax for 5 years!
No interest in competing in it, been there done all that, besides in my experience you’d then be wanting more power etc
Dog goes in the back, rear seats fold down flat, had 4 wheels and tyres in there, transported one of my 100kg Tanks to north Wales in it couple of years ago where it recorded an astounding [to me] 38mpg, albeit on the way there I had to drive carefully!
It’s a fantastic little car, easy to drive, immensely capable when you’re in the mood, docile when not. I doubt there is a more “stable” car point to point across country.
£33/ month service plan, 10-year warranty, I can’t really fault it, but no car is perfect.
Minor niggles are low speed throttle response is not great, clutch biting point a little inconsistent so an easy car to stall if you’re not paying attention. Tyre noise is a little excessive, ok the PS4’s offer outstanding grip, but I think when I eventuality replace them, I will go with a quieter tyre albeit less grippy but in 99% of road driving you won’t notice it.
TBH i am interested in the Mk 2 Auto version, indeed have an email from Toyota about so, but sod paying £560/year road tax for 5 years!
No interest in competing in it, been there done all that, besides in my experience you’d then be wanting more power etc
moonigan said:
Leon R said:
I’m sure it does but 90% of the year in the UK it wont look anything like the photo you have posted. All the ones I have seen in the flesh look more like this https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/16490053
spikyone said:
Look at the level of tech in that car and tell me it's a £30k car. Bespoke and particularly high performance engine, bespoke AWD system, virtually every body panel was bespoke and some of them were carbon.
All of those things were high cost in their own right, never mind the development costs that would only be amortised over a fairly small production run. Yet it was cheaper than a Golf R, which shares a whole lot more with other Golfs.
They built it for marketing, because it would've been the basis of their WRC car. They're not a charity but they got a hundred times more publicity off the back of this than they did from the regular Yaris, so think of the "loss" as Toyota paying for that publicity.
100%, this car is a loss leader, an aspirational car for WRC fans and people like (most of) us!All of those things were high cost in their own right, never mind the development costs that would only be amortised over a fairly small production run. Yet it was cheaper than a Golf R, which shares a whole lot more with other Golfs.
They built it for marketing, because it would've been the basis of their WRC car. They're not a charity but they got a hundred times more publicity off the back of this than they did from the regular Yaris, so think of the "loss" as Toyota paying for that publicity.
Toyota is one of the few car brands that can sink a few £million into the red on planned car, knowing that the big picture return will outweigh any relatively small losses. Like a mini version of what VW did with Bugati Veyron.
I remember when concept first came out, and I thought no way the Prius maker delivering a car I actually really wanted. But, huge credit to Toyota, they made it and I (and about 30k other people) bought it. Certainly my view of Toyota as a brand is totally changed. Previously a Ford RS and ST, BMW M and (still) a Lotus lover, I now I put Toyota right up there with favorite brands.
Jcwjosh said:
A bloke on my road had one for about 6 months before swapping over to a GR86. I will have to ask him his thoughts on it. He had an alpine before the Yaris, I know they are different cars and horses for courses etc but I’m guessing he was underwhelmed
Reads more like he gets bored easily. British Beef said:
100%, this car is a loss leader, an aspirational car for WRC fans and people like (most of) us!
Toyota is one of the few car brands that can sink a few £million into the red on planned car, knowing that the big picture return will outweigh any relatively small losses. Like a mini version of what VW did with Bugati Veyron.
I remember when concept first came out, and I thought no way the Prius maker delivering a car I actually really wanted. But, huge credit to Toyota, they made it and I (and about 30k other people) bought it. Certainly my view of Toyota as a brand is totally changed. Previously a Ford RS and ST, BMW M and (still) a Lotus lover, I now I put Toyota right up there with favorite brands.
Yup what Beef said...Case in point is the LFA...They lost a boat load of money on each one and had a redesign and material change mid process costing millions. Toyota is one of the few car brands that can sink a few £million into the red on planned car, knowing that the big picture return will outweigh any relatively small losses. Like a mini version of what VW did with Bugati Veyron.
I remember when concept first came out, and I thought no way the Prius maker delivering a car I actually really wanted. But, huge credit to Toyota, they made it and I (and about 30k other people) bought it. Certainly my view of Toyota as a brand is totally changed. Previously a Ford RS and ST, BMW M and (still) a Lotus lover, I now I put Toyota right up there with favorite brands.
They made the GRY for WRC homologation and had to build it making a loss selling them for £33K. Coincidentally they made the GRY on the same LFA production line in Aichi, Japan.
Jcwjosh said:
A bloke on my road had one for about 6 months before swapping over to a GR86. I will have to ask him his thoughts on it. He had an alpine before the Yaris, I know they are different cars and horses for courses etc but I’m guessing he was underwhelmed
If he had the A110S (296PS) then he's getting less and less BHP! Maybe the MX-5 ND 2.0 is the car he is after .. 
Jcwjosh said:
A bloke on my road had one for about 6 months before swapping over to a GR86. I will have to ask him his thoughts on it. He had an alpine before the Yaris, I know they are different cars and horses for courses etc but I’m guessing he was underwhelmed
Elise Cup and Evora owner here. I'm not underwhelmed with mine... 
10 years ago I thought I would never want a Toyota
Akio Toyoda changed the company to make interesting cars AND kept it making money
GR's for all markets, a Prius that is interesting to drive, SUV's are top of their class in USA and desirable
He has really changed the company
I own a Hilux which was a rational purchase. I own a GRY which was an emotional purchase
Both are brilliant for what they are
Use mine every week; commute, long trips, shopping, Track Days. Does everything
and with a 10 year warranty - unbelievable !!
Akio Toyoda changed the company to make interesting cars AND kept it making money
GR's for all markets, a Prius that is interesting to drive, SUV's are top of their class in USA and desirable
He has really changed the company
I own a Hilux which was a rational purchase. I own a GRY which was an emotional purchase
Both are brilliant for what they are
Use mine every week; commute, long trips, shopping, Track Days. Does everything
and with a 10 year warranty - unbelievable !!
Jon_S_Rally said:
I'm still a bit torn on these in terms of body kits and the like. While I do think they need a slightly larger rear wing, a lot of the aftermarket stuff I've seen doesn't quite seem to work. It's one of those cars that's tricky to get right it seems.
I do feel like it could do with a wing but agree the aftermarket options just don’t look right. Not everyone’s a fan but I like the GRMN wing (which you can’t buy) or the MT carbon wing.I ordered two of these when they came out, intending to keep one standard and go a bit silly with making the second one look like a rally car. In the end I gave the second slot to a friend, and the one I did take is still standard, but I plan still to do something with it and then take it on the Kielder road and promptly get banned.
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