Toyota GR Yaris 2020: a star is born

Alvaro Avilés 10 January 2020 5 min.

The Toyota GR Yaris 2020 has already revealed its full potential and, without a doubt, we can say it will be one of the most anticipated launches of the year that has just begun

A few days ago we got to see the first Toyota GR Yaris camouflaged, an ultra-radical version of the Japanese brand’s city car aimed at the most enthusiastic drivers. However, the time has now come to see the final production model unveiled and get to know it in greater depth.

Toyota Gazoo Racing is the brand’s motorsport division, so every time we learn of a new model with the GR badge we rub our hands together. Just last year, they were responsible for bringing back one of the most iconic models in the brand’s history: the Toyota GR Supra, which we had the chance to test at its official presentation.

In addition, the guys at Gazoo Racing are once again putting the Toyota name at the top of the motorsport world: they won the World Endurance Championship (WEC), the Dakar 2019, and the brutal Toyota Yaris WRC allowed Ott Tanak to claim the World Rally Championship title.

This latest experience has served to develop the new Toyota GR Yaris, a version that will serve as the gateway to developing the next Toyota Yaris WRC. It is therefore practically a race car for the road.

The Toyota GR Yaris 2020 debuts a new platform, engine, suspension…

The development of the new Toyota GR Yaris has been a very serious affair, as it debuts a new platform, new engine, new suspension and a new all-wheel-drive system. Moreover, it perfectly combines the magic formula of power and low weight, so we can say that a star has been born.

The bodywork work on the new generation of the Toyota Yaris has been intense: the roofline has been lowered by 91 mm to achieve better air resistance. In addition, the guys at Gazoo Racing have pulled out of their sleeve this three-door configuration, which will only be available in this version. It is built from lightweight materials such as carbon fibre polymer and aluminium.

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The newly designed platform has been created to achieve a wider rear track and to allow the fitting of a new double-wishbone rear suspension system. However, it is not entirely new: the front half of the GA-B platform —that of the new Toyota Yaris— has been fused with the rear part of the GA-C platform, that is, the one used by the Lexus UX.

Furthermore, care has been taken to make the geometries perfect, so the engine position has been moved back and the weights balanced with manoeuvres such as placing the battery in the boot.

A three-cylinder pushed to the limit

Under the bonnet, we also find a completely new powerplant. It is a turbocharged three-cylinder which, thanks to technologies taken directly from the competition version, produces no less than 261 CV and 360 Nm. To complete the package, the Toyota GR Yaris is fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox.

With all this, we have an explosive cocktail: the power of a sporty compact with the weight of a city car, as the power-to-weight ratio is 4.9 kg/CV. In this way, the Toyota GR Yaris does 0-100 km/h in 5.5 seconds and has a self-limited top speed of 230 km/h.

Of course, to stop this little ground-to-ground missile we need brakes to match inside the 18-inch alloy wheels. For this reason, it fits large 356 mm ventilated discs with four-piston calipers which, as a curiosity, are larger than those of the Toyota GR Supra.

An all-wheel-drive system that will be fun to play with

Another of the novelties of the Toyota GR Yaris 2020 is the new GR-Four all-wheel-drive system, specially designed to optimise the power delivered to each wheel. The driver can adjust its operation across three settings depending on circumstances and preferences.

The first option is Normal mode, in which the system distributes power 60% to the front axle and 40% to the rear. If we activate Sport mode, this ratio changes radically, so the front axle takes 30% of the power and the rear the remaining 70%. Finally, we have Track mode, in which all the torque is split equally between both axles.

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Circuit Pack for the non-conformists

In case all this wasn’t enough, Toyota has made the Circuit Pack available to buyers. The main differences from the standard variant are a high-performance suspension, 18-inch forged alloy wheels fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport tyres in 225/40 R18 sizes and, above all, a Torsen-type limited-slip differential on each axle.

What has not yet been revealed is the price of the Toyota GR Yaris, so we will have to wait to find out and dream of owning one of the most promising small GTIs of recent years.