When we began this channel, the intention was to focus on classic and modern classic cars. Of course, I knew that one day we will break the rule, as our passion for cars should not be limited by their age. What I did not expect, however, was that this first exception to the rule was going to be a Toyota, no less their very bottom of the line model, the Yaris.
It was of course no ordinary Toyota Yaris, it was the special homologated model by Toyota’s racing branch, GAZOO Racing – the GR Yaris. It all happened in 2018 when the Toyota Yaris won the World Rally Championship. After that, Toyota President Akio Toyoda, a huge car enthusiast (no surprise here), wanted a street version of the car and decided to lead the development himself. This is strange in a lot of ways because (i) it is rare for a big car manufacturer’s President to be so hands-on on a car project (Mr. Toyoda was literally drifting around in the snow in the prototypes during the development phase); and (ii) almost all WRC race cars were based on a street production model, this was the first time that a street production car was fully based on a race car from scratch.
The result was the mighty GR Yaris, a car that was a big hit among car magazine, YouTube channels and the likes right off the bat. Despite being a hot hatch with only 3-cylinders and 260HP, the car was punching well above its weight right from the get go (well, in many cases literally, as it only weights 1,280KG thanks to the use of aluminium body panels and a carbon fibre roof) and winning all sorts of magazine tests. Today, we find out what is so special about this pocket rocket from the East.
At the outset, the car looks nothing like an ordinary Yaris. The ordinary Yaris has 5-doors, while the GR Yaris reduced that to 3. Also, the front end of the GR Yaris looks like something directly out of a Transformer movie with all sorts of air vents (all functional for different coolers, including the large intercooler for the 1.6 litre turbocharged engine). When inside, I was expecting the interior to be very plasticky, but it exceeded expectations, with carbon fibre-looking materials across the dash, and Alcantara on the doors. Most importantly, the entire interior feels very solid. Common complaints on the car’s interior in reviews were that the seating position is very high, and the visibility is relatively poor. The seating position is alright I thought; yes you do sit high, but it is bearable. Visibility on the other hand could really be better. The rear window is small, thanks to the intentionally lowered roof for better aerodynamics. Forward visibility is also poor as the rearview mirror hangs very low.
Stepping on the clutch, it feels like you’re stepping on air, as it’s very light. The gearshift however, is splendid. Short, crisp, and tight, you know this car means business just from the very first time you put it in first gear. Setting off, the first time you step on it, you’ll immediately be impressed with the power band of the car. There is absolutely no lag or downfalls – it goes right to redline is a constant burst. The car feels very quick as well, despite ‘only’ having 260HP. The 3-cylinder engine sounds magnificent, much better than most 4-cylinder cars if I am honest (I am starting to think good engine note is a characteristic of 3-cylinder cars as I had the same feeling in the Mazda Autozam AZ-1 last time).
Given the hype, the handling is everything you would expect from it. The car has endless grip and it almost feels like it dares you to go faster at corner exit, corner after corner, with no intention of losing any level of grip whatsoever. The braking is also awesome given the lightness of the car. The car feels extremely balanced and there is honestly nothing that I could fault it for.
It was such a refreshing experience, the GR Yaris. Its hooliganism characteristic, tempting you to break all sorts of speed limit and rules, does make one feel young again. I have not felt that way in a car since the JDM legends of the 90’s, like the Lancer Evolution and the Subaru Sti. There are of course similarly fast and fun cars on the market today, but the best thing about the GR Yaris is that it remains compact and small, just like the JDM legends of the 90’s and unlike the huge cars we see today, like the latest Civic Type R FK8.
The GR Yaris retails at about 30,000GBP and HK$600,000 and many reviewers in Hong Kong complain that it is overpriced “for a Yaris”. This is utter nonsense. As discussed, this car is nothing like an ordinary Yaris. The R&D involved and materials used in the car are worth every bit of the asking price – not to mention this is a properly homologated model which is always good and only getting rarer in today’s world. The GR Yaris was also produced in a completely different factory than the ordinary Yaris. The GR Yaris was hand built in an individual factory that used to build the Lexus LFA, and not on the common production line of the Yaris.
All in all, the GR Yaris is a car we should celebrate, as enthusiast-made cars like this will not happen for much longer in a world where we are rapidly going towards electric vehicle ‘appliances’
Thanks to the team as always for their help!
Alex (http://www.taipanmedia.com)
Dave (Email: david@lemonadeandgiggles.com)
Alex C. (IG: @nofishshark)
See our review video here: