2021 Toyota GR Yaris. Driven.
Part of a series of long-term reviews.
I am speaking to you from the side of a deserted mountain road. A winter’s morning sun is slowly heating up that new car smell in the GR Yaris. This stretch of tarmac glides upwards into the rocky ravines of Andalucía, and on this cold Sunday it looks especially perfect. It is a road I thought I knew well, until I began my approach in a machine that has had years of effort invested. This car represents something very rare; the ‘blank cheque’ skunkworks project, which for many enthusiasts is only ever a dream. I have stopped because it is important to note a simple observation; that this is not a product of engineering theory. This is not a product of market analysis. This is a product of blood-won understanding and mettle. This is one of the last of the Homologation Specials.
After writing this, I dropped back into the driver’s seat and began booting it up the hill again. The first thing that struck me about this car was the chassis. It is notably rigid and composed, and is very out of place for a car like this. The car sits on its own platform, developed for the crushing rigors of WRC. It is nothing like the over-powered and under-chassis’d Golfs and Renaults that it competes with. The glue used to bond the chassis is stronger than steel, and it implements 280 additional structural welds over the XP210 (normal) Yaris. Toyota assembles the frame on laser-aligned jig plates. It feels 911-stiff. Then you start going around corners. Autocar recently timed a GR Yaris one second quicker around a greasy Mallory Park circuit than a GTR Nismo back to back. You can throw it into a corner any way you want, and the four wheel drive will blast the thing out the other side. Suspension is McPherson up front, and the rear is sprung on double wishbones. This is a setup, overall, that is more reminiscent of a front engine — rear wheel drive drivetrain, rather than FWD. Nothing like that’s been seen on a hatchback since what, the F20? It has good tune-ability and agility in corners. Curiously, graduations have been scribed on the car’s toe and camber adjustment points so owners can modify geometry on a whim. But I’m not thinking about any of this right now. The road is demanding my attention. A dab of brakes while powering through a curve, and the whole things floats up, unloading into a terrifying and controlled gyration. I wish I was exaggerating. There’s an incredible sensitivity in the car’s responses to what you do. Like a hot shrink.
The best part about the Yaris is the four wheel drive. It augments every component it works with, making it faster and grippier. In an industry that cowers from user engagement and personal responsibility in the names of safety and a ‘humans are stupid’ attitude, this machine is a big up yours. Power can be split 30/70 front/back and is capable of sending 100% of torque to the rear. It’s permanent as well, unlike haldex crap like Quattro or 4Motion where four wheel drive is engaged as a safety measure. It incorporates nine silicon carbide clutch plates between the gearbox and rear axle to modulate power distribution. Up front, huge 356mm two-piece steel brakes are installed that are unnecessary for a car this light. Carbon ceramics were considered but then determined to be unnecessary. You will agree that this was an objectively bad decision.
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I think sports cars should always look interesting, whether they be very beautiful or very practical; but never in a bad way. The Yaris is ugly in a Group B S1 Quattro kind of way. It sits suitably high, with a retorting and highly functional pit-bull stance. The fenders are wide and are very effective in situ. Aero touches include pressure relief openings for the front wheel arches, widened side skirts and a kamm tail that is reminiscent of a GTR’s rear end (the whole thing is basically a mini GTR). In my notes I have written ‘CHR looks sportier. Why not get the Lexus guys involved?’ The interior is slick and practical, very fresh and new. HVAC control is just intuitive and works. No bulldust. Buttons are good, gear lever and steering wheel are well trimmed. The alcantara is strategically implemented, mostly to keep you from sliding around under cornering forces. There’s no shudder apart from from a buzz that comes from the rear left armrest at around 130 kph. To make sure it didn’t make any other noises at other speeds, I took it up to 230 kph on the highway. I am happy to report that only the wind noise gets a bit loud. It has lane departure warning, intelligent cruise control, lane keep assist and brake assist for emergencies. It’ll basically drive itself on a highway.
Power is from an all-alloy three cylinder turbo 1.6. Unique to this car, it is also FIA R5 homologated. Engineering is typical Toyota overbuilt. Radiators are massive and the intercooler is bigger than needed. The Getrag V16 gearbox is modified from the unit used in some 400 horse Evora variants; again, overbuilt. More importantly, it is the lightest 3 cylinder in production. The most powerful as well, claiming a not-really 261 PS — more like 280. The GR-Four system is also the lightest in the world.
It’s about eleven degrees outside so the tyres refuse to heat up. But something’s happening with the drivetrain. I watch the oil temp creep past one-ten degrees C, and then the engine begins to change. The heaving turbo is temperamental, unpredictably powerful and hard to keep spinning. It is an absolute riot. Finally, some personality in a modern sports car. The heavy H-pattern’s springing begins slipping the synchros in by themselves. The shifter clunks under my hand. I was not expecting this. This thing’s alive, like those old and snarling classics. The light weight and relentless power make it a lot more capable than you think. I am continuously aware that I’m not fast enough to make it go faster.
Nitpicking like this is unnecessary, but this car is definitely not perfect. The front end (apart from the front fascia) design is poorly executed. The front wheels appear too small under that high bonnet line, and visibility also suffers slightly. The rear works very well though.
Walter Rohrl said that “A car is never fast enough until you are standing in front of it in the morning and you’re afraid to unlock it.” And you know what? Down in the base of my chest, I feel it.
