While petrolheads don’t usually associate the Toyota Yaris with performance, fans of the World Rally Championship(WRC) know that the Yaris has done incredibly well in the world of motorsport of late. As Toyota has committed itself to motorsport for the foreseeable future, it endeavoured to produce a special road-going performance Yaris as part of a homologation project.
Unfortunately, due to rules changes, we’ll never see the rally version of this car compete; however, the road car is still being produced. It features a bespoke platform, a motorsport-developed engine, a new all-wheel drive system and an emphasis on absolute performance thanks to a great development programme from both Toyota Gazoo Racing and Tommi Mäkinen Racing. The GR Yaris is one of those rare cars that is a future classic before it is even out of production.
1.Forged BBS wheels
The Rally specification GR Yaris comes fitted with a set of lightweight BBS forged wheels that weigh just 8.8 kg while the standard GR Yaris has 11.6 kg wheels. Not only do the BBS wheels look fantastic, they also reduce the unsprung weight of the car, improving performance.
2.Touchscreen infotainment system
While the GR Yaris is all about performance, it is also important that the car is usable and has creature comforts. The colour touchscreen system in the car features both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality and is hooked up to six speakers.
3.Performance
The little GR Yaris is the result of a rally car homologation project by Toyota, so it’s safe to say that performance is its forte. Be sure to experience the acceleration, handling and braking performance as they are said to be immense. The 5.5 second 0-100km/h time and 230km/h top speed is the result of a 1 280kg kerb weight, a new all-wheel drive system and of course, the potent 198kW and 360Nm of torque from the 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine.
4.WRC plaque
Each GR Yaris gets a special WRC commemorative plaque on the centre console stating that the car was developed for the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC).
5.Semi-autonomous driver aids
The Rally model within the GR Yaris range comes with a suite of semi-autonomous driver aids, including the Pre-Collision System (PCS), Automatic High Beam (AHB), Lane Trace Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control.
