New Toyota GR Yaris revealed with 280hp
Updated 2024 model also gets the option of an eight-speed auto; UK prices due in March
The GR Yaris has proven a nice surprise for Toyota. The firm was so out of practice when it came to hot hatches - especially ones equipped with all-action AWD - that it not only needed to return to the drawing board to build the car it required for WRC homologation, it also had no barometer for retail success. It simply crossed its fingers and hoped it would sell the 25,000 examples of the three-door model it needed to satisfy the regulations.
Well, as we all know, it did a lot better than that. The 32,000 it has shifted so far has not only meant an unexpected feather in the Gazoo Racing cap, it has also ensured that the flagship Yaris receives a facelift and will remain a permanent constituent of the Toyota lineup for the foreseeable future. In fact, emboldened by its success, the company insists it will keep selling its little three-pot terrier for as long as possible. Or for as long as the increasingly stringent rules allow it to do so.
For what it’s worth, the 2024 update has all the hallmarks of a modern-day Toyota facelift. In broad strokes, the GR Yaris is much as it was before: still powered by its steroidal 1.6-litre turbocharged triple - albeit with a bit more grunt - still emphatically all-wheel drive and still mostly the same to look at. But detailed alterations abound and (as it has previously suggested it would) the manufacturer has gone to the trouble of supplying the new car with the option of an eight-speed automatic.
Beyond offering quicker shift times and closer ratios, one wonders why it felt the need to develop a brand new torque converter given the previous model’s popularity hardly seemed hindered by its manual transmission (quite the opposite, in fact) but that’s obviously beside the point. The two-pedal GR Yaris is here, and is said to weigh just 20kg more than the six-speeder that remains standard. Thanks to its snappier upshifts and a new launch control system, the auto is said to be 0.3 seconds quicker to 62mph than the do-it-yourself version.
Toyota hasn’t stated an official overall time for the new car, mind - but it is almost certain to have edged closer to 5 seconds thanks to the additional power eked from the three-pot. The engine has already proved itself amenable to aftermarket tuning, but with its maker chiefly concerned with improving cooling and durability (there are lighter pistons, updated exhaust valves and a strengthened valvetrain, plus a new sub-radiator and intercooler spray) the output only rises by a conservative 20hp. 280hp arrives at 6,500rpm as before, but you get 288lb ft of peak torque - 22lb ft more than before - a fraction earlier at 3,250rpm.
Alongside the changes to the powertrain, Toyota has tinkered with the available GR-Four drive modes: where previously there were Normal, Track and Sport, the manufacturer has now substituted the latter with a ‘Gravel’ setting. This is said to be 47 per cent rear-biased (Normal is still 60/40) while Track uses the torque-sensing differentials to vary the amount sent to the back axle between 40 and 70 per cent (having previously been fixed 50/50). Away from the AWD system, you can now choose between Sport, Normal and Eco, which tailors the settings for the electric power steering, air conditioning, throttle response and instrument display.
The latter is possible thanks to Toyota ditching its conventional dials (boo) in favour of a new 12.3-inch digital readout. It is flanked by a new dashboard, which, despite not looking that inspiring, is now lower by 50mm - an alteration that is intended to dramatically improve the driver’s field of vision. More importantly, the floor has been adjusted so the front seat can be lowered by 25mm (huzzah) and the steering wheel adjusted accordingly. Some switchgear has been moved around too for better access, not least the VSC-OFF button.
Elsewhere, the styling alterations seem fairly minimal. At the front, there is a new steel mesh for the lower grille in place of plastic, and a slightly larger intake in the centre, while the bumper now comes in three pieces to make it easier to mend. To the rear, you might have noticed that Toyota has rearranged the Yaris's LEDs - the most notable change being the relocation of the high-level brake light from the spoiler to the rear window - mostly so that modifying the rear spoiler is easier for tuners (and the maker itself; the Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä Special Edition variants are inbound later this month).
So far as tuning the body itself is concerned, Toyota has increased the amount of structural adhesive by 24 per cent and the spot welds by 13 per cent, seeking better rigidity. The suspension configuration is fundamentally unchanged, although the front struts are now secured by three bolts rather than one to reduce geometry changes under load, and the spring rates have been increased all round in conjunction with a marginally beefier front anti-roll bar. And in Europe at least, you’ll only be able to buy Yaris in ‘Circuit’ specification, as it proved wildly more popular. No word yet on UK prices, but expect that to be announced in March ahead of first deliveries in June. Don't be surprised if a queue has formed long before then. Toyota won't be.
Pricing news will be interesting - less than £40k?
However I expect we will see a price starting with a 4 and with rates as they are it'll be a significantly more expensive car.
I wonder if they will pause GR Corolla production to allow for more units of this, it was reported that the plant was only producing 8 GRY a day.
Good on Toyota continuing to develop interesting cars whilst others had gone dull. That being said elsewhere in other models they do need to vastly improve security and durability.
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