Toyota offers more torque for GR Yaris (in Japan)
GR icon joins Kinto Factory Toyotas with manufacturer sanctioned upgrades
It could well be argued that the GR Yaris doesn’t really want for much. But that hasn’t stopped Toyota from trying to improve things; we’ve already seen the GRMN for a committed and very lucky few in Japan, and now its domestic market will also be treated to Kinto Factory status. Which is a Toyota creation, and means a whole new world of manufacturer-approved and fitted upgrades.
Previously this was reserved only for customers with the Morizo Selection, though now has been expanded to all owners in Japan that bought their car through a Toyota dealer. Perhaps most notable for the moment is a torque upgrade for the 1.6-litre, turbocharged three-cylinder engine via ‘GR Yaris Performance Software 2.0’, up from 273lb ft to, er, 288lb ft, between 3,200rpm and 4,000rpm. Which doesn’t sound like a huge gain, though Toyota is promising ‘strain free and relaxed acceleration based on technologies honed through racing in rallies’ as a result.
On top of another 15lb ft, owners sending their Yaris in for a Kinto Factory overhaul can also get personalised software settings for ‘optimally tailored performance’. Decided either through a consultation at a GR Garage or a driving analysis, the Yaris software for throttle response, 4WD torque distribution and the steering assist can now be chosen from 27 different settings depending on your preference. So, presumably, the car could be set up to your tastes with a very sharp throttle and a heavy rear bias to the GR-Four all-wheel drive, for example. And not much steering assist.
It all sounds very exciting. Toyota get to keep contact (and hopefully goodwill) with the customers they’ve sold cars to, and those GR Yaris drivers out there now have the opportunity, it seems, to have a car more suited to their personal driving style rather than just the attitude changes possible through Normal, Sport and Track. In Japan, it’ll cost 141,400 yen (or £875) to get the torque boost and open your car up for personalisation. From there, the garage consultation and setup costs just £55 (8,800 yen), or a little more than £90 if there’s a driving data analysis thrown in as well. Less than a bag of sand all in, basically, for a slightly punchier Yaris that ought to drive a bit more how you like it to as well. Sounds like a no-brainer for those GR customers in Japan - let’s hope something like the Kinto Garage makes it to the UK in time.
I don't think that is how we operate in the UK.
"Kaizen" A car that already is perfect to many (myself included) and they are still looking at incremental improvements. For such a "reasonable" outlay for a factory set of changes its a no brainer.
I doubt we'll see it in the UK...
Goes to check Evolves GR Yaris......
Got the car and apart from spraying the wheels a different colour, I've left it alone. Think it's pretty perfect as it is. For what I need it for anyway. If I was still in my 20's or 30's however ......
This isn't going to happen though, as production is getting switched to the GR Corolla. It could be useful for owners who don't want to potentially reduce the longevity of the car by adding a load of mods to boost the performance. TBH a lot of the driving fun in the car happens with the engine off boost - and in the right gear (2nd-4th). I like the idea of more settings for the AWD, as that is more interesting/useful than the torque increase.
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