Video: the Toyota GR Yaris dares to challenge the Nissan GT-R Nismo

The Toyota GR Yaris is the sporty city car of the moment, and it’s no wonder, since it had been a long time since anything like it was offered. Its tuning makes it one of the most radical options in its segment, but ¿is it really enough to challenge the very Nissan GT-R Nismo? It is indeed: the small -but tough- GR Yaris has dared to compete against the titanic GT-R, the supercar nicknamed Godzilla, a car that, on paper, is better than the Japanese sporty city car in every respect.

And we must not forget that the Nissan GT-R has always stood out for its performance-to-price ratio, which is very hard to beat. The same can be applied to the GR Yaris, logically adapted to its format, and that is why pitting both vehicles against each other is not so far-fetched.

In the first instance we have the Toyota GR Yaris, a competition car with a licence plate for use on public roads. Under its skin lies a turbocharged three-cylinder engine capable of producing 261 CV and 360 Nm of torque, figures managed through a six-speed manual gearbox and the intelligent GR-Four all-wheel-drive system.

On the other side is the Nissan GT-R, the king of Japanese kings, a supercar with hypercar performance at a premium sports car price, a real tongue-twister, let’s say. In its Nismo version, the GT-R boasts a 3.8-litre V6 capable of producing 600 CV and 652 Nm of torque, which translates into a 0 to 100 km/h sprint in 2.8 seconds and a top speed of 315 km/h.

With this in mind, it is obvious to assume that the GT-R could blow the GR Yaris away in a straight line and even on an open track, but what happens when the two face off on a twisty circuit? The stiffer, bouncier suspension and the greater weight of the Japanese supercar play a bad trick on it, causing the GR Yaris to be crowned the winner.

https://youtu.be/wWW36BYQZi0

That’s right, the small -we insist: but tough- Toyota GR Yaris managed to complete the lap in 48.9 seconds while the GT-R did it in 49.3. It is not an overwhelming difference, but it is when we consider the gulf between the two models in terms of performance. In this way, the sporty city car once again proves its worth by beating the very Nissan GT-R Nismo, albeit under specific circumstances.

Technical specifications of this car

HatchbackToyota Yaris9 versions · from 24,550 €