Toyota GR Yaris - Official! (Vol 2)

[Aroldyte]

732NM said:

A GR86 might have been a more appropriate choice if you were looking for a similar driving involvement type but more practical fit to the Elise.

I've only driven a GR Yaris for a day, and wasn't pushing on that hard, but it felt quite insulated from the road compared to the various STi Impreza's
I've owned and driven. Not really enough power to unstick it until you're really pushing the tyre limits, by which time you're well over the limit of legal road speeds. It's extremely competent at road legal speeds, which can sometimes kill the fun aspect, you need it to be low grip conditions to get the best out of it probably.

Strange question but do you think less grippy tyres would help, e.g. moving to an all weather tyre such as Michelin Cross Climate or similar?

[732NM]

Aroldyte said:

Strange question but do you think less grippy tyres would help, e.g. moving to an all weather tyre such as Michelin Cross Climate or similar?

It's an interesting question. From my experience of that type of tyre you tend to get a lot less precision, rather than less grip, when working at road use loads. It might be better going for a proper summer track biased tyre which needs some heat in it before it gives its peak grip, but you'd have to use a different set in winter, as it would be lethal.

It's a pity you cant buy the RE070 Bridgestone anymore, i suspect that would work a treat on a GR Yaris.

[Aroldyte]

Miocene said:

Any thoughts on the current cars on the market? Seems to be a fairly consistent trickle.

I test drove one, albeit briefly, last week and enjoyed it. Some of the comments above are interesting, as I already had concerns in my head that i'd need to drive it fast to enjoy it. I used to drive fast when I was younger, but now more drive for pleasure - but as above, I've wanted one for a good while and now in a position to get one.

I've made serious enquiries on one car for sale - it missed one service (unless I wasn't sent it in error), which is a bit annoying, but has been looked after apart from that.

I've been keeping an eye on the market for at least the last year, and finally bought last month, a one owner 22 plate, pure white, circuit pack with just a touch over £3k miles on the clock. Car is 'as new' inside and out and has been garaged throughout its life. Owned by a retired gentleman who was just not using it that much. Not even the slightest bit of corrosion to the underside which is rare. I paid £31k dead and it was a private sale. I went for pure white because I think it gives the best contrast with the black bits, and if it needs any paintwork at some stage, flat white is a doddle to match, unlike the pearlescent cars.

Similarly I missed out on another 22 plate car at a dealers with just 2k miles that went for £32k just before Xmas. I also offered £28k in March for an immaculate 21 plate car with 8k miles that ended up selling for £28.5k, private sale.

So there are well priced cars out there, usually via private sale and without the £3-4k dealer markup. They all come with Toyota warranty so see no reason to buy one of these from a dealer. Plus with a private sale you get to meet the owner and get a feel for how the car has been looked after and stored etc.

That said, good value cars GR Yaris seem fewer and further between now, with most ultra-low mileage cars having added £2-3k to the sale prices since Xmas. So I wonder if the market is indeed moving up, perhaps the time of year, or whether it's mostly just chancers hoping someone will bite?

[Miocene]

Aroldyte said:

I've been keeping an eye on the market for at least the last year, and finally bought last month, a one owner 22 plate, pure white, circuit pack with just a touch over £3k miles on the clock. Car is 'as new' inside and out and has been garaged throughout its life. Owned by a retired gentleman who was just not using it that much. Not even the slightest bit of corrosion to the underside which is rare. I paid £31k dead and it was a private sale. I went for pure white because I think it gives the best contrast with the black bits, and if it needs any paintwork at some stage, flat white is a doddle to match, unlike the pearlescent cars.

Similarly I missed out on another 22 plate car at a dealers with just 2k miles that went for £32k just before Xmas. I also offered £28k in March for an immaculate 21 plate car with 8k miles that ended up selling for £28.5k, private sale.

So there are well priced cars out there, usually via private sale and without the £3-4k dealer markup. They all come with Toyota warranty so see no reason to buy one of these from a dealer. Plus with a private sale you get to meet the owner and get a feel for how the car has been looked after and stored etc.

That said, good value cars GR Yaris seem fewer and further between now, with most ultra-low mileage cars having added £2-3k to the sale prices since Xmas. So I wonder if the market is indeed moving up, perhaps the time of year, or whether it's mostly just chancers hoping someone will bite?

Can't argue with any of that.

I originally started looking a year ago, but the search fell away due to other priorities. Prices do seem to have firmed up for the lower mileage cars, but similarly I'm wondering if it's the time of year. I'm in no particular rush, so will wait for the right one.

There was a one owner car on AT a few weeks back, sold by a chap who said he was 'reducing the amount of hp' he had, or something along those lines - is that the one you bought? If so, that sounded like a good one, from memory it'd had the underside protected.

[Aroldyte]

Miocene said:

Can't argue with any of that.

I originally started looking a year ago, but the search fell away due to other priorities. Prices do seem to have firmed up for the lower mileage cars, but similarly I'm wondering if it's the time of year. I'm in no particular rush, so will wait for the right one.

There was a one owner car on AT a few weeks back, sold by a chap who said he was 'reducing the amount of hp' he had, or something along those lines - is that the one you bought? If so, that sounded like a good one, from memory it'd had the underside protected.

Nope not the same car as my underside is not protected (yet). If you are happy to wait and can act quickly when the right car becomes available, there will be some good value cars that do come up from private sellers. Also worth popping a wanted post on the FB groups and forums. Loads of dreamers on price though and some cars priced high seem to have been for sale since I've been looking, in other words for well over a year. They must have had offers they've turned down I guess. But there's lots around so you shouldn't have to wait too long.

How I assessed any car I was interested in was to check out the price for same year and mileage on Carwow and Motorway (not WBAC as prices are unrealistically low), and then offer the seller about a grand more than the top price on these sites. Worked for me.

[JustGREENI]

I mentioned on a GRY facebook group that I wanted a mint, standard, low mileage car and would pay the right money for the right car.
An old gent messaged me, saying that his wife's car would be for sale, she couldn't manage the manual box anymore, since having an heart operation and now wanted an auto Mini.
So after a quick look at his profile, he had 3 friends... alarm bells.
I asked for more info, thinking it was a scam.
''Owned from new, 2,200 miles, never been out in the DARK! Kept in a heated garage, mats over the mats etc!''
So I asked for photos of the garage and heaters... I know what a Yaris looks like!
Sure enough, a stream of photos came, the boiler in the garage, the radiators, a nice rug that the car lived on and a flawless white CP GR Yaris.
A couple of weeks later I was in the heated garage, transferring funds.
It's a fantastic car, I've certainly owned 'faster' and 'cooler' cars (including Westfield, Porsche, Z3MC, V6 Clio etc etc), but they do not make me smile like this does when I get on some empty 'B' roads up around the Peak District. I love it.

[Yahonza]

This sounds a bit like the story of the retired couple that wanted a new Yaris - but wanted a manual and not an automatic.
They are all hybrids now, so they bought a GR Yaris instead. The great thing about it is it does the standard pootling about Yaris thing very well too.

[Phil.]

JustGREENI said:

It's a fantastic car, I've certainly owned 'faster' and 'cooler' cars (including Westfield, Porsche, Z3MC, V6 Clio etc etc), but they do not make me smile like this does when I get on some empty 'B' roads up around the Peak District. I love it.

A bit like my experience. Bought a 200 mile 6 month old GR off a retired gent. As new. That was two years ago. It’s now on 1400 miles because it’s a third car and I spend 4-5 months a year abroad.

Have owned much faster cars but nothing as fun as the GR. Reminds me of my Impreza turbo. It’s a keeper.

[Clad-Hach]

Aroldyte said:

So last month I bought an immaculate low mileage 22 plate GR Yaris (approx 3,000 miles - stock standard CP car). The drive home from the dealership was 250 miles and I did this only on A and B roads to really get to know the car performance and handling. I absolutely loved it.

Since getting home though I've kind of gone off the boil with it. Even though we live on the Mid Wales borders (so we have some excellent roads), I'm now not so sure about it and I'm worried I've just spent the best part of £30k + on a car that is not quite the practical but still fun alternative to the Elise this was supposed to replace.

Driving the Elise yesterday didn't help as the Elise feels like a special event even whilst sat in stationary traffic. Whereas the Yaris feels like it needs to be driven at at least 9/10 ths before it starts feeling special. And when pressing on, the Yaris can often feel quite unsettled and feel a bit wayward and vague with camber changes, etc, when I thought it was supposed to be one of the most planted cars around. Weird, I don't remember this so much from my original trip home from the dealership. Generally I have been driving it in Track mode, so 50/50 torque split.

The other thing that I feel is making me loose the love for it is the seemingly over-complicated central infotainment unit, dashboard control etc, and the fact it took me nearly an hour the other day with the manual simply to sort out the tyre pressures without the TPS throwing up warning signs.

To be honest I'm very tempted to now keep the Elise (which I was planning on selling), and perhaps even sell the Yaris instead. But before I do, please tell me I am wrong and that perhaps it just takes a little bit of time to get to know this car. Or maybe I was expecting too much?

Edited by Aroldyte on Wednesday 14th May 16:48

Trying to replace a sharp handling mid engined sports car with a 4WD hot hatch and not get on with it I can understand 100%, simply because you can't, they are poles apart from handlling to driving inputs never mind driving enjoyment.

I have a GR along side a Cayman S...the same scenario, poles apart type of cars and driving enjoyment but I love them both, the Porsche for the sheer minimal amount of input to get great feedback and enjoyment from the car blasting down a twisty road to the Yaris where I find grabing it by the scruff of the neck and fighting with it down B-roads is immense fun.

Keep both of them just drive them differently...and enjoy.

[randytusk]

732NM said:

Aroldyte said:

Strange question but do you think less grippy tyres would help, e.g. moving to an all weather tyre such as Michelin Cross Climate or similar?

It's an interesting question. From my experience of that type of tyre you tend to get a lot less precision, rather than less grip, when working at road use loads. It might be better going for a proper summer track biased tyre which needs some heat in it before it gives its peak grip, but you'd have to use a different set in winter, as it would be lethal.

It's a pity you cant buy the RE070 Bridgestone anymore, i suspect that would work a treat on a GR Yaris.

I run with Cross Climate 2 during the winter and now Sportcontact 7 in the summer (phenomenal tyre).I have to daily drive it so need it to be dependable in all weather

Sub 10 degrees and in heavy rain the CC2 perform very well. Grip drops off a lot over 10 degrees and its easy to engage ABS or induce sideways slip even in the dry .

Interestingly, there is often a little less ultimate grip in slightly damp conditions too BUT the handling is very benign and any yaw is very easy to control at all times on the CC2.

I haven't had the chance to really explore limits of the SC7 - there is so much grip that it highlights the body roll...

[ecsrobin]

randytusk said:

I run with Cross Climate 2 during the winter and now Sportcontact 7 in the summer (phenomenal tyre).I have to daily drive it so need it to be dependable in all weather

Sub 10 degrees and in heavy rain the CC2 perform very well. Grip drops off a lot over 10 degrees and its easy to engage ABS or induce sideways slip even in the dry .

Interestingly, there is often a little less ultimate grip in slightly damp conditions too BUT the handling is very benign and any yaw is very easy to control at all times on the CC2.

I haven't had the chance to really explore limits of the SC7 - there is so much grip that it highlights the body roll...

I run CC2 and agree they’re a great tyre but I’d say the PS4s provides more confidence down to about 5deg rather than 10deg when most will switch over. As soon as it was cooler and snow they’re incredible.

[Aroldyte]

Clad-Hach said:

Aroldyte said:

So last month I bought an immaculate low mileage 22 plate GR Yaris (approx 3,000 miles - stock standard CP car). The drive home from the dealership was 250 miles and I did this only on A and B roads to really get to know the car performance and handling. I absolutely loved it.

Since getting home though I've kind of gone off the boil with it. Even though we live on the Mid Wales borders (so we have some excellent roads), I'm now not so sure about it and I'm worried I've just spent the best part of £30k + on a car that is not quite the practical but still fun alternative to the Elise this was supposed to replace.

Driving the Elise yesterday didn't help as the Elise feels like a special event even whilst sat in stationary traffic. Whereas the Yaris feels like it needs to be driven at at least 9/10 ths before it starts feeling special. And when pressing on, the Yaris can often feel quite unsettled and feel a bit wayward and vague with camber changes, etc, when I thought it was supposed to be one of the most planted cars around. Weird, I don't remember this so much from my original trip home from the dealership. Generally I have been driving it in Track mode, so 50/50 torque split.

The other thing that I feel is making me loose the love for it is the seemingly over-complicated central infotainment unit, dashboard control etc, and the fact it took me nearly an hour the other day with the manual simply to sort out the tyre pressures without the TPS throwing up warning signs.

To be honest I'm very tempted to now keep the Elise (which I was planning on selling), and perhaps even sell the Yaris instead. But before I do, please tell me I am wrong and that perhaps it just takes a little bit of time to get to know this car. Or maybe I was expecting too much?

Edited by Aroldyte on Wednesday 14th May 16:48

Trying to replace a sharp handling mid engined sports car with a 4WD hot hatch and not get on with it I can understand 100%, simply because you can't, they are poles apart from handlling to driving inputs never mind driving enjoyment.

I have a GR along side a Cayman S...the same scenario, poles apart type of cars and driving enjoyment but I love them both, the Porsche for the sheer minimal amount of input to get great feedback and enjoyment from the car blasting down a twisty road to the Yaris where I find grabing it by the scruff of the neck and fighting with it down B-roads is immense fun.

Keep both of them just drive them differently...and enjoy.

Thanks, and yes they are both very different beasts. I guess I wanted the GR to feel rawer, and as a driving experience it feels aloof, soft, and detached compared to the Elise. That said when it's on the boil and on the right bit of road, it is a fantastic thing to behold. So I feel that I need to give it perhaps a year to see how I get on, and in the meantime keep the Elise in it's garage rather than sell it. Just need to learn how to use the infotainment system, and sort out the temperamental tyre pressure warning thingy, so that they don't spoil the party.

[ecsrobin]

Aroldyte said:

Thanks, and yes they are both very different beasts. I guess I wanted the GR to feel rawer, and as a driving experience it feels aloof, soft, and detached compared to the Elise. That said when it's on the boil and on the right bit of road, it is a fantastic thing to behold. So I feel that I need to give it perhaps a year to see how I get on, and in the meantime keep the Elise in it's garage rather than sell it. Just need to learn how to use the infotainment system, and sort out the temperamental tyre pressure warning thingy, so that they don't spoil the party.

See my earlier post. It’s not temperamental tyre pressure sensors it’s not enough air in them.

[Aroldyte]

ecsrobin said:

See my earlier post. It’s not temperamental tyre pressure sensors it’s not enough air in them.

Thanks, I inflated to the correct pressure in PSI and have checked this on a gauge? Tyre pressure on the dash is in Bar and my gauge in PSI so that does not help. Should I just put a bit more air in? Also, any way to change the dash to PSI?

[ecsrobin]

Aroldyte said:

Thanks, I inflated to the correct pressure in PSI and have checked this on a gauge? Tyre pressure on the dash is in Bar and my gauge in PSI so that does not help. Should I just put a bit more air in? Also, any way to change the dash to PSI?

If you are UK based you can change to psi, Aus cars can’t.

It’s to do with the pressure sensors measuring to 2 decimal places and the dash measuring to 0 and rounding up so you might actually have 31.89psi and not 32psi so yes just top up a tiny bit more.

[Unreal]

Yep it's annoying and alarming the first time it happens!

[randytusk]

Aroldyte said:

Clad-Hach said:

Aroldyte said:

So last month I bought an immaculate low mileage 22 plate GR Yaris (approx 3,000 miles - stock standard CP car). The drive home from the dealership was 250 miles and I did this only on A and B roads to really get to know the car performance and handling. I absolutely loved it.

Since getting home though I've kind of gone off the boil with it. Even though we live on the Mid Wales borders (so we have some excellent roads), I'm now not so sure about it and I'm worried I've just spent the best part of £30k + on a car that is not quite the practical but still fun alternative to the Elise this was supposed to replace.

Driving the Elise yesterday didn't help as the Elise feels like a special event even whilst sat in stationary traffic. Whereas the Yaris feels like it needs to be driven at at least 9/10 ths before it starts feeling special. And when pressing on, the Yaris can often feel quite unsettled and feel a bit wayward and vague with camber changes, etc, when I thought it was supposed to be one of the most planted cars around. Weird, I don't remember this so much from my original trip home from the dealership. Generally I have been driving it in Track mode, so 50/50 torque split.

The other thing that I feel is making me loose the love for it is the seemingly over-complicated central infotainment unit, dashboard control etc, and the fact it took me nearly an hour the other day with the manual simply to sort out the tyre pressures without the TPS throwing up warning signs.

To be honest I'm very tempted to now keep the Elise (which I was planning on selling), and perhaps even sell the Yaris instead. But before I do, please tell me I am wrong and that perhaps it just takes a little bit of time to get to know this car. Or maybe I was expecting too much?

Edited by Aroldyte on Wednesday 14th May 16:48

Trying to replace a sharp handling mid engined sports car with a 4WD hot hatch and not get on with it I can understand 100%, simply because you can't, they are poles apart from handlling to driving inputs never mind driving enjoyment.

I have a GR along side a Cayman S...the same scenario, poles apart type of cars and driving enjoyment but I love them both, the Porsche for the sheer minimal amount of input to get great feedback and enjoyment from the car blasting down a twisty road to the Yaris where I find grabing it by the scruff of the neck and fighting with it down B-roads is immense fun.

Keep both of them just drive them differently...and enjoy.

Thanks, and yes they are both very different beasts. I guess I wanted the GR to feel rawer, and as a driving experience it feels aloof, soft, and detached compared to the Elise. That said when it's on the boil and on the right bit of road, it is a fantastic thing to behold. So I feel that I need to give it perhaps a year to see how I get on, and in the meantime keep the Elise in it's garage rather than sell it. Just need to learn how to use the infotainment system, and sort out the temperamental tyre pressure warning thingy, so that they don't spoil the party.

What you need to wait for is a season of bad weather - torrential rain, sudden snowfall etc. Conditions that would render most sports cars unusable are a delight in the Yaris.

I've had such fun drives on minor A roads during the winter - the car shines on badly surfaced back roads. I now look forward to every M11 closure as it gives me an excuse to venture into the GR's natural habitat

[Aroldyte]

randytusk said:

What you need to wait for is a season of bad weather - torrential rain, sudden snowfall etc. Conditions that would render most sports cars unusable are a delight in the Yaris.

I've had such fun drives on minor A roads during the winter - the car shines on badly surfaced back roads. I now look forward to every M11 closure as it gives me an excuse to venture into the GR's natural habitat

How are the standard Michelins in the snow with the GR? Any good, or best to go for an 'All Seasons' tyre fir the winter months?

[Unreal]

Aroldyte said:

randytusk said:

What you need to wait for is a season of bad weather - torrential rain, sudden snowfall etc. Conditions that would render most sports cars unusable are a delight in the Yaris.

I've had such fun drives on minor A roads during the winter - the car shines on badly surfaced back roads. I now look forward to every M11 closure as it gives me an excuse to venture into the GR's natural habitat

How are the standard Michelins in the snow with the GR? Any good, or best to go for an 'All Seasons' tyre fir the winter months?

I haven't seen snow on the south coast for a decade so no idea. The tyres were fine in merely cold conditions but even then you're very rarely talking freezing. The Michelins fitted as standard are a summer tyre so I'd be amazed if there isn't a better tyre for snow. Just remembered - you might want to watch this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjeWByYQ-hs

[ecsrobin]

Aroldyte said:

How are the standard Michelins in the snow with the GR? Any good, or best to go for an 'All Seasons' tyre fir the winter months?

Michelin have just released a crossclimate 3 sport. Crossclimate 2 in the snow in Hampshire over winter and the grip was incredible. The 3 sport is even grippier than the 2 so will swap out after next winter when mine are done.