In its pursuit to compete in the World Rally Championship (WRC), Toyota invested heavily in the development of a racing version of the Yaris. Dubbed the Toyota GR Yaris, it instantly became a modern day JDM icon for a new generation of car enthusiasts. With its high-performance specifications and sleek design, the Toyota GR Yaris has generated excitement and high expectations within the automotive community. This time round, I’ll be checking out the Toyota GR Yaris, and see if it lives up to my expectation as an enthusiast vehicle.
If you’re not a car enthusiast, you may be wondering why this Yaris looks so different from the one you see on the roads. Well, the GR Yaris was based on the Yaris from Europe and it has a wider rear track, thanks to the use of the TNGA-C platform from the Toyota Corolla. This gives the car a more muscular look with wider wheel arches at the rear, and the design blends seamlessly into the curves around the C-Pillar. And I have to say, the designers at Toyota did an amazing job on this car. The wider wheel arches and curves around the C-Pillar are just stunning. 
Despite its small footprint, the GR Yaris is designed as a driver’s car from the get go. The engineers at Toyota have placed the wheels at the outer edge of the vehicle, providing the car with the ultimate stability. The black color highlights around the car give it an aggressive look, and the LED headlights and taillights are a nice touch, fitting the overall aesthetic of the vehicle. And let’s not forget about the wheels. The GR Yaris comes with a set of lightweight 18-inch BBS rims wrapped in 225/40 R18 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, providing the necessary grip for the road. 
The interior of the GR Yaris is a back-to-basics setup. It’s not really a luxurious interior, but the fit and finish are top notch and I really like the simplicity of it. In front of the driver, there’s an analogue instrument cluster with a 4.2-inch multi-info display that’s easy to read. The 7-inch head unit in the center of the dashboard is also high definition and much smoother to use than the regular Yaris. Just like the regular Yaris, the GR Yaris also comes with wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, making driving even more enjoyable. And for entertainment, there’s a basic 6-speaker sound system to keep you entertained on the road. 
For the driver and the front passenger, the front seats are bucket seats with good side and back support, perfect for keeping the driver in place when driving spiritedly. To keep the car as light as possible, both front seats come with manual adjustment to help find the perfect driving position. While it is easy to see out from the front, the view out of the rear window is rather narrow due to the thick C-pillar. And the rear seats, however, are really, really tight. I don’t even want to try getting into it. It barely fits me. Behind the rear seats, the GR Yaris has a 174L boot, which is smaller than the Perodua Axia. But, the rear seats can be folded down to expand the boot space, which is a bonus. 
Under the hood, the GR Yaris is powered by a bespoke 1.6L 3-cylinder turbocharged engine, developed specially by the Gazoo Racing team. It’s paired with a 6-speed manual transmission, and power is sent to all 4 wheels through the specially developed GR-Four all-wheel drive system. This engine produces a healthy 261PS of power and 360 Nm of torque, which is more than enough to get the GR Yaris moving with speed. The GR Yaris can hit the 100km/h mark in just 5.5 seconds and to a top speed of 230 km/h. 
This engine has a wide powerband, and together with the all-wheel drive system, it makes the GR Yaris feel fast and responsive on the road. The upgraded exhaust system also gives the car a sporty and aggressive sound, enhancing the driving experience even further. Overall, the powertrain of the GR Yaris is impressive, providing plenty of power and a thrilling driving experience. 
In terms of the transmission, the 6-speed manual transmission in the GR Yaris has been designed to handle rally stages, which is why the gearing is on the shorter side. The gear shift is smooth and the clutch is easy to modulate, making it easy for drivers to find the biting point and drive the car smoothly in the city. The car also comes with an auto blip on downshift feature, which helps to blip the throttle on downshifts for those who are not familiar with heel-and-toe driving style. 
Handling wise, the steering system on the GR Yaris is super precise. The steering wheel has the right amount of weight to it, and it allows the driver to place the car accurately on the road where the driver wants it to be. And with the front end of the Yaris, the GR Yaris feels very agile on its feet while changing direction. But with the wider rear tracks and all wheel drive system, the GR Yaris can exit the corner in a predictable yet stable manner. 
When going over bumps and uneven roads, the stiff suspension on the GR Yaris handles road imperfections efficiently, ensuring a smooth and comfortable ride. The car remains incredibly stable even at high speeds, allowing the driver to take corners with speed and precision, and to further exploit the car’s limit. The suspension design also keeps the car flat through corners, boosting the driver’s confidence. The GR Yaris is also equipped with powerful brakes, featuring 4-pot front discs and 2-pot rear discs, which provide ample stopping power and are easy to modulate. This setup ensures consistent and reliable performance, essential for a high-performance vehicle like the GR Yaris. 
The GR Yaris boasts an impressive list of safety and driver assistance features to enhance the driving experience. However, it is surprising to see that the focus on weight savings resulted in the omission of blind spot assist. Despite this, the car still comes with a range of driver assistance systems that the driver can choose to utilize. For safety system, the GR Yaris will come with 6 Airbags, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Traction Control (TRC), Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), Emergency Brake Signal (ESS), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), and Brake Assist (BA). And for the Driver Assistance systems, the GR Yaris comes with Pre-Collision System (PCS), Lane Departure Alert (LDA), Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC), Lane Tracing Assist (LTA), Automatic High Beam (AHB), and Tyre Pressure Warning System (TPWS). 
After reviewing so many types of vehicle, I rarely come across a car that I would consider owning, but the Toyota GR Yaris is definitely one of them. Despite its price of RM 286,896, I appreciate its simplicity and ease of use. Toyota has stripped away complicated controls, allowing the driver to fully enjoy the driving experience. As a car enthusiast, I believe that the GR Yaris is a testament to Toyota’s excellence, and I hope they continue to create such vehicles.
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