Toyota may still be keeping mum with regards to details of its upcoming GR Yaris, but a recent first drive report from Autocar has shed some light on the hot hatch’s key specifications. Set to be revealed at the Tokyo Auto Salon next month, it will be quite a different beast from the Yaris GRMN that preceded it.
Whereas that car was simply a hotted-up version of the standard Yaris, this new model will be far more bespoke. First of all, it will have a different body – whereas the regular fourth-generation car is five-door only, the GR will be a three-door. It will also have a much lower roofline for better aerodynamics, which is important as the car will be used as a basis for Toyota’s World Rally Championship (WRC) contender in 2021.
Not only would a three-door body allow the car to carry more aerodynamic components, the chopped roof would also increase the distance between it and the rear wing (the height of which is dictated by regulations), improving the latter’s efficiency. According to the article, the roof has been lowered as much as possible whilst still maintaining road-legal levels of rearward visibility.
Despite this, the GR will sit on the same platform as the fourth-gen Yaris and share the same 2,560 mm wheelbase. However, the suspension will be completely revised, the rear end featuring double wishbones instead of the cooking model’s torsion beam, linked to passive dampers that save weight. The widened front and rear track is evident on the outside, where swollen fenders hide the larger wheels and tyres.
The new rear suspension will ease the fitment of the now-confirmed all-wheel drive system, which dispenses with a heavy centre differential in favour of a high-performance coupling ahead of the rear axle. This performs the same job of apportioning torque to the front and rear axles, and the GR will feature three settings for this – Normal (60:40 front-to-rear), Sport (30:70) and Track (50:50).
The GR will also differ from the GRMN under the bonnet. Instead of the latter’s 1.8 litre supercharged four-cylinder engine, it will get a brand new 1.6 litre turbo three-pot, which again saves weight. According to lead engineer Naohiko Sato, the engine is the lightest and most powerful 1.6 litre mill in production (at least before the Mercedes-AMG One rolls around), with claimed outputs of more than 250 PS and 350 Nm of torque.
While this engine won’t be used in the WRC car, it’s been designed to allow it to be homologated for the more budget-friendly R5 rally category. It’s paired to a six-speed manual gearbox, which not only weighs less but also increases the fun factor. The brake discs measure 18 inches in diameter with four-piston callipers at the front, and 16 inches with two-piston stoppers at the rear.
Unlike the 86 and the Supra, which were designed in collaboration with Subaru and BMW respectively, the GR Yaris will be the first sporting Toyota product in around 20 years to be designed entirely in-house. It’s the second car from the carmaker’s Gazoo Racing division, developed with help from Toyota’s motorsport arm and Tommi Mäkinen Racing, the latter running the company’s WRC effort.
Sato said that the rally team had “many difficult requests”, particularly in aerodynamics, weight and strength. He then had to battle to gain approval from higher-ups of a company still focused on building high-volume, mass-market products. “When we asked for three doors, everyone disagreed, because it meant a new body,” he says. “We had to fight for it, but we finally got it.”
Sounds like quite a recipe. Who here wants to see the GR Yaris join the Supra in Malaysia?
GALLERY: Toyota GR Yaris spyshots
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This is the most powerful 1.6 3cylinder turbo by 2021
AMG1 is the most powerful 1.6 V6 turbo by 2021
Toyota will be more powerful than other Japanese rivals when racing at 1000 km Selangor Circuit that will be placed at 3rd while Honda will be placed at 4th. But probably, Proton will finish at the top.
This B segment car easily smoke out C and D segment cars ( 1.5 Turbo, Civic and Accord)..
toyota can squeeze so much of bhp and PS from a small engine because their engineers are constantly working hard trying to improve their engines.
Their workers never lepak, minum teh 8x and always tuang kerja
Thursday and Friday also say cannot work besides Saturday and Sunday
But their team is scared to death in competing with real racers. Any race series they are participating? Nope. Why? They planning to create their own syiok sendiri one make ‘racing’ ka? Wakakakakaka!!!
Yes, that is why the hardworking Toyota engineers managed to win Le Man’s only after all other teams left the competition.
Lol! True dat bro!
Yes bro. Nobody spends their Saturday and Sunday like you working hard at downvoting other people’s comments and upvoting your own.
Damn bring it on! But hopefully got option to downsize the front brakes and rim to 17inch.. if not habis la rim bengkok kena potholes
awesomeness from Toyota!
You want to buy any Japanese Cars or Proton, you can. But as long as, you don’t buy Honda. There are lots of quality problems and even service center management also not doing very well. Yet, Honda Malaysia are very good for not listening to what consumers complaints had said and just straight away concentrate on assembling Honda cars.
Probably, I owned my Honda CRV since Oct 2018 but few months later, my gearbox knob also broken, certain engine parts also got spoilt and even door also make creaking sound. Of course, not only I went to service center every week to repair, even so many Honda owners also attend to service center every week. And we have to wait and don’t know what time to collect our car. After longer hours, finishing repairing Honda cars, However, several days later, still got problem. Don’t know whether they give fake parts or either didn’t repair at all. So that’s why I recommend you to stay away from Honda and buy Proton, Toyota, Nissan and others.
This article is about Toyota, not Honda. You want to complain about Honda cars, pls go to Honda FB page, not here.
This article talking about toyota car you go talk about honda, you trying to go off topic for what? Spread your anti-honda agenda ah?
At 1000km Sepang race Toyota finished 4th after two Proton (1st and 2nd) and one Honda (3rd). Hopefully this development will be able to finish 4th too.
Don’t you know? Toyota is multiple times WRC champions, with celica, corolla and now yaris. They are also multiple world champion in le mans racing as well as world endurance.
They were once in F1 racing too. All nothing compare to merdeka race which is just a local event. Proton yet to enter WRC, s2000 is only Asia Pacific level.
Multiple Le Man’s champions? Unfortunately for you and Toyota that is a lie.
In F1 Toyota reached a good 10th position in 12 years. Possibly the hardworking Toyota engineers spend more time in the sushi bar than on the Cad workstation?
What is this? Why are Toyota not using their roadgoing Yaris body? Bespoke means this is custom built so this is worse than Proton Iriz R5 that uses bodies taken from factory. And why are Toyota not using their roadgoing 1.5l 4cyl production engine? This car doesn’t even have any similarities to those on sale now. This is so far off compared to Iriz R5, there is no relation to the roadgoing car.
Is Iris R5 even for sale to the masses?
MEM is still testing the car out but much like Satria Neo S2000, the car eventually will be on sale for privateers.
If UMW toyota can bring the supra all the way from magna steyr to us, surely they can bring this pocket rocket to our shores too
Seriously interested to buy, just wish it’s not some cheapen version and below 140k.
In your dreams dude. This will cost from rm70k to 90k, not 140k
did they forgot the 1.6 Peugeot Prince engine
New generation Toyota Starlet, nice
Must be one hell of an engine to pull out 250ps from a turbo 3 cyl. Cant wait to hear what it sounds like
This is the REAL Yaris! The ASEAN Yaris is a piece of SHIT
true!
yes asean yaris is piece of shit and yet you are driving a blue bezza.