# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
The GR Yaris is superb: hands down the best Toyota we've ever driven

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
The GR Yaris is superb: hands down the best Toyota we've ever driven

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
The GR Yaris is superb: hands down the best Toyota we've ever driven

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content
The GR Yaris is superb: hands down the best Toyota we've ever driven

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content.description
The GR Yaris is superb: hands down the best Toyota we've ever driven

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content[]
"headline":"Toyota GR Yaris Review 2025"

# data.attributes.metatag[].attributes.content[]
"description":"The GR Yaris is superb: hands down the best Toyota we've ever driven"

# data.attributes.field_cars_driving.value
It drives like you hoped it would. Like you dreamed it would. In Top Gear’s collective head we wanted it to feel like a boisterous little charger, and it does. And that means there’s nothing else out there quite like it. It’s the size of a Ford Fiesta ST (no longer with us, of course), but has the attitude of something far more aggressive. But it’s not as tightly focused and serious minded as a Civic Type R.

You get in and it feels right: good seats, nice control weights, no slack in the steering, brakes or gearlever. You immediately feel at one with the GR Yaris, before you’ve got out of the car park even. And it makes a good, growly noise with a real edge to it. There aren’t many hot hatches – or sports cars full stop – that get these basics right.

Sounds great. Tell me more...

Stay with the low speeds and there’s a bit of tussle in the ride. It’s a short, broad, stiff car, so a bit of twitch is to be expected. There’s noise from the tyres when you go quicker, but the heavily strengthened bodyshell means zero creaks and rattles and gives the suspension a rigid central core to work from. Not once did we find ourselves looking for the non-existent adaptive damper button. The GR Yaris proves that if you get a single set-up right, you don’t need more options.

No, it’s not as relaxing as a Golf GTI on a schlep. It pulls 2,800rpm at 70mph and isn’t the sort of car you can steer with one finger. But we forgive it wholeheartedly.

Does it have different drive modes?

It does. Normal, Sport and Eco adapt the power steering and throttle response, while the auto has its shift feel adjusted. Of more consequence are the AWD modes, which modulate how much torque goes to each axle: Normal (60:40), Gravel (53:47) and Track. This is the one everyone talks about because it sends 60 per cent of the torque to the front wheels heading into a corner, but then 70 per cent to the rears for better acceleration on the way out. This means you can get on the power early, the Torsen diff doing its thing to pull you out of corners. Hard, with zero understeer.

It’s an addictive experience, especially if you want to teach yourself left foot braking, building up power against the brakes mid-corner, and then release the brakes for a maximum attack exit. Not many cars let you use throttle and brakes together. This Toyota does. It’s a small thing, irrelevant to most people, but it’s there and it works well.

Here’s something else in the same vein. Most cars have now replaced the manual handbrake with an electric parking brake. Not Toyota. And not only that, but if you do give it a yank while you’re moving, it disconnects drive to the rear wheels. It’s the best handbrake outside an actual rally car.

Why is there an automatic now?

Good question. A sign that Toyota is taking things too seriously? It’s designed for the track, and in testing the pros got faster lap times out of it than the manual. As an eight-speed the ratios are closer together, operated by flappy paddles or the drive shifter. At the insistence of chairman Akio Toyoda, the latter had to be backwards to upshift and forwards for down, like a proper rally car. Good old Morizo.

Two major benefits, as far as we can tell. Losing the manual lets you focus on the road (or track), giving you more bandwidth to enjoy the Yaris’s affinity with changing direction. And boy does it relish that lateral g. Also, if you’re going to daily this - and encounter traffic a lot - you could argue it’s less taxing.

There’s a fraction of a second between asking for a gear and receiving it; so not racecar telepathic, but still hasty. Could the paddle action feel more… significant? Maybe. The shifter definitely could. But the main takeaway is that - inevitably - losing the manual extracts some of the fun. The short throw of the six-speed is a great partner, although we’d encourage you not to press the iMT rev blip button on the centre console: you can shift fast enough to beat the system, s do it yourself instead. You’ll get more out of it.

What about the engine?

It’s a belter. When it first came out we were sceptical that 257bhp was enough when most rivals have 300bhp. But most rivals also weigh around 150kg more and are nowhere near this engaging. Now the little 1.6 triple punches with 276bhp, and it hits surprisingly hard. Toyota reckons from 4,900rpm to the 7,200rpm redline - like a serving suggestion on a ready meal - is the sweet spot, the GR thumping through that band in third and fourth with real determination.

Lower down it’s a bit lumpy and the turbo doesn’t get going until 3,000rpm, but at the top end it keeps its composure all the way to the red line. And it sounds great. Artificially augmented, yes, but enticing and a much bigger noise than you expect. The kind that makes you want to keep your foot in.

Is there anything wrong with it?

Gah. It’s a proper rufty tufty little car, this. It goads you to give it some, and if you do, it’s with you every step of the way. There are tiny issues: the brakes, although powerful, need a solid stamp. And there’s not much natural steering feel, but because it responds immediately and proportionately, you have massive confidence in it. The manual gearshift is tight and together, and you feel intrinsically connected to it. So to answer the question in a word: no.

Buuut… initially the GR had the mindset of a rally car, not a steely eyed track weapon. Now that Toyota has made it more rigid and altogether more focused, it’s stepped away from its rallying roots a little. The tearaway scamp is growing up.

# data.attributes.field_cars_driving.processed
It drives like you hoped it would. Like you dreamed it would. In Top Gear’s collective head we wanted it to feel like a boisterous little charger, and it does. And that means there’s nothing else out there quite like it. It’s the size of a Ford Fiesta ST (no longer with us, of course), but has the attitude of something far more aggressive. But it’s not as tightly focused and serious minded as a Civic Type R.

You get in and it feels right: good seats, nice control weights, no slack in the steering, brakes or gearlever. You immediately feel at one with the GR Yaris, before you’ve got out of the car park even. And it makes a good, growly noise with a real edge to it. There aren’t many hot hatches – or sports cars full stop – that get these basics right.

Sounds great. Tell me more...

Stay with the low speeds and there’s a bit of tussle in the ride. It’s a short, broad, stiff car, so a bit of twitch is to be expected. There’s noise from the tyres when you go quicker, but the heavily strengthened bodyshell means zero creaks and rattles and gives the suspension a rigid central core to work from. Not once did we find ourselves looking for the non-existent adaptive damper button. The GR Yaris proves that if you get a single set-up right, you don’t need more options.

No, it’s not as relaxing as a Golf GTI on a schlep. It pulls 2,800rpm at 70mph and isn’t the sort of car you can steer with one finger. But we forgive it wholeheartedly.

Does it have different drive modes?

It does. Normal, Sport and Eco adapt the power steering and throttle response, while the auto has its shift feel adjusted. Of more consequence are the AWD modes, which modulate how much torque goes to each axle: Normal (60:40), Gravel (53:47) and Track. This is the one everyone talks about because it sends 60 per cent of the torque to the front wheels heading into a corner, but then 70 per cent to the rears for better acceleration on the way out. This means you can get on the power early, the Torsen diff doing its thing to pull you out of corners. Hard, with zero understeer.

It’s an addictive experience, especially if you want to teach yourself left foot braking, building up power against the brakes mid-corner, and then release the brakes for a maximum attack exit. Not many cars let you use throttle and brakes together. This Toyota does. It’s a small thing, irrelevant to most people, but it’s there and it works well.

Here’s something else in the same vein. Most cars have now replaced the manual handbrake with an electric parking brake. Not Toyota. And not only that, but if you do give it a yank while you’re moving, it disconnects drive to the rear wheels. It’s the best handbrake outside an actual rally car.

Why is there an automatic now?

Good question. A sign that Toyota is taking things too seriously? It’s designed for the track, and in testing the pros got faster lap times out of it than the manual. As an eight-speed the ratios are closer together, operated by flappy paddles or the drive shifter. At the insistence of chairman Akio Toyoda, the latter had to be backwards to upshift and forwards for down, like a proper rally car. Good old Morizo.

Two major benefits, as far as we can tell. Losing the manual lets you focus on the road (or track), giving you more bandwidth to enjoy the Yaris’s affinity with changing direction. And boy does it relish that lateral g. Also, if you’re going to daily this - and encounter traffic a lot - you could argue it’s less taxing.

There’s a fraction of a second between asking for a gear and receiving it; so not racecar telepathic, but still hasty. Could the paddle action feel more… significant? Maybe. The shifter definitely could. But the main takeaway is that - inevitably - losing the manual extracts some of the fun. The short throw of the six-speed is a great partner, although we’d encourage you not to press the iMT rev blip button on the centre console: you can shift fast enough to beat the system, s do it yourself instead. You’ll get more out of it.

What about the engine?

It’s a belter. When it first came out we were sceptical that 257bhp was enough when most rivals have 300bhp. But most rivals also weigh around 150kg more and are nowhere near this engaging. Now the little 1.6 triple punches with 276bhp, and it hits surprisingly hard. Toyota reckons from 4,900rpm to the 7,200rpm redline - like a serving suggestion on a ready meal - is the sweet spot, the GR thumping through that band in third and fourth with real determination.

Lower down it’s a bit lumpy and the turbo doesn’t get going until 3,000rpm, but at the top end it keeps its composure all the way to the red line. And it sounds great. Artificially augmented, yes, but enticing and a much bigger noise than you expect. The kind that makes you want to keep your foot in.

Is there anything wrong with it?

Gah. It’s a proper rufty tufty little car, this. It goads you to give it some, and if you do, it’s with you every step of the way. There are tiny issues: the brakes, although powerful, need a solid stamp. And there’s not much natural steering feel, but because it responds immediately and proportionately, you have massive confidence in it. The manual gearshift is tight and together, and you feel intrinsically connected to it. So to answer the question in a word: no.

Buuut… initially the GR had the mindset of a rally car, not a steely eyed track weapon. Now that Toyota has made it more rigid and altogether more focused, it’s stepped away from its rallying roots a little. The tearaway scamp is growing up.

# data.attributes.field_cars_editor_title
Toyota GR Yaris review: a hot hatch that channels the old homologation specials

# data.attributes.field_cars_inside.value
The GR Yaris feels very purposeful as you climb behind the wheel. Toyota has listened to feedback and made sweeping changes in here. On the first version of the car you sat high, in the rallying style for ideal visibility, but a lot of buyers hated this and had their seats lowered, so Toyota cut out the middle man and dropped it by 25mm.

To compensate, the instrument panel - now a single block containing a new 12.3in digital display, touchscreen, the starter button and an air vent - is now 50mm lower to improve visibility. The rearview mirror’s been moved too. It’s not a looker, but that’s not the point. Function over form, everywhere.

The controls all operate with more precision than any other hot hatch bar the Honda Civic Type R. And the seats, soft, yet well padded, are great. Not claustrophobic, just comfortably bolstered.

So it’s just a standard Yaris inside?

No, not at all. The gearlever is 50mm higher, but could have been raised further to place it even closer to the steering wheel. Too much rally maybe. Sure, it has the same door cards, touchscreen and heating controls, but the dashboard leaves you in no doubt: you are here to drive.

There’s a simple rotary controller for the AWD modes and a rocker for the drive switch. We’d have finished these in red, not grey, so they stand out more. Yep, that’s how much we’re nit-picking.

Great, but is it well built?

Yup, it feels properly robust. If anything it’s missing some creature comforts, especially now the price has ballooned. What happened to the Alcantara steering wheel inserts? And the useful phone tray under the screen? The stiff chassis means there are no squeaks or rattles and although material quality is no better than average, it’s lifted by having metal pedals.

But the overall impression is that this is a well engineered and built car that feels like it’ll stay the course. It’s worth knowing Toyota says it takes 10 times longer to build than a standard Yaris, constructed not on the normal line, but GR’s facility within the Motomachi factory.

What’s it like in the back?

Cramped and dark. You know Toyota didn’t really plan on you using the rear seats because not only is head and legroom extremely limited, but the front seat doesn’t tilt and slide very well. Nor is the 174-litre boot exactly big. Who cares? If you want the car, you’ll make this work for you. And you do want the car. You really do.

# data.attributes.field_cars_inside.processed
The GR Yaris feels very purposeful as you climb behind the wheel. Toyota has listened to feedback and made sweeping changes in here. On the first version of the car you sat high, in the rallying style for ideal visibility, but a lot of buyers hated this and had their seats lowered, so Toyota cut out the middle man and dropped it by 25mm.

To compensate, the instrument panel - now a single block containing a new 12.3in digital display, touchscreen, the starter button and an air vent - is now 50mm lower to improve visibility. The rearview mirror’s been moved too. It’s not a looker, but that’s not the point. Function over form, everywhere.

The controls all operate with more precision than any other hot hatch bar the Honda Civic Type R. And the seats, soft, yet well padded, are great. Not claustrophobic, just comfortably bolstered.

So it’s just a standard Yaris inside?

No, not at all. The gearlever is 50mm higher, but could have been raised further to place it even closer to the steering wheel. Too much rally maybe. Sure, it has the same door cards, touchscreen and heating controls, but the dashboard leaves you in no doubt: you are here to drive.

There’s a simple rotary controller for the AWD modes and a rocker for the drive switch. We’d have finished these in red, not grey, so they stand out more. Yep, that’s how much we’re nit-picking.

Great, but is it well built?

Yup, it feels properly robust. If anything it’s missing some creature comforts, especially now the price has ballooned. What happened to the Alcantara steering wheel inserts? And the useful phone tray under the screen? The stiff chassis means there are no squeaks or rattles and although material quality is no better than average, it’s lifted by having metal pedals.

But the overall impression is that this is a well engineered and built car that feels like it’ll stay the course. It’s worth knowing Toyota says it takes 10 times longer to build than a standard Yaris, constructed not on the normal line, but GR’s facility within the Motomachi factory.

What’s it like in the back?

Cramped and dark. You know Toyota didn’t really plan on you using the rear seats because not only is head and legroom extremely limited, but the front seat doesn’t tilt and slide very well. Nor is the 174-litre boot exactly big. Who cares? If you want the car, you’ll make this work for you. And you do want the car. You really do.

# data.attributes.field_cars_owning.value
When the GR Yaris first came out, it was a plucky £30k hero. Those days are long gone. With no pressure to get them out the door, this updated model is now £44,250 for the six-speed manual or £45,750 for the eight-speed auto. And that puts it in Civic Type R territory. Yikes.

The other snag is that supply is so limited that the first wave of cars were doled out to previous GR Yaris buyers and people who had managed to get on Toyota’s waiting list early enough. So you can't actually configure and order one right now. Boo.

What do I get for my money?

You mean what would you get for your money. Circuit trim is the only spec, and it packs 18in BBS forged aluminium wheels, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres, the 12.3in digital display and 8.0-inch touschreen, a head-up display, reversing camera, auto wipers, dual-zone auto aircon, a six-speaker sound system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a USB port, leather trim on the handbrake and steering wheel, LED lights, and all of the active safety systems that are mandated these days.

For what it’s worth, the lane keep assistance isn’t too intrusive, and the speed limit warning is silenced through the steering wheel. Almost impossible to find, but it’s in there.

Survive the HunGR Games (geddit?) and your only dilemmas are the transmission, and which of the four colours available you like best. That’s it.

Any special editions?

There are! In honour of Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä - the two drivers who’ve won WRC titles in the GR Yaris - there’s an Ogier Edition and a Rovanperä Edition. Each gets a carbon fibre rear wing, much WRC stickerage and other fripperies, but more significant are the updated modes. The Ogier gets a Morizo mode (for consistent lap times) and a Seb mode (for getting the tail out); the Rovanperä has a Donut mode (need you ask?) and a Kalle mode (yet more rear looseness). Only 100 of each were planned at £60,000 apiece, so chances are you're out of luck already.

Phew. What about running costs?

Seriously? Surely you’re too far down the rabbit hole to be thinking about fuel bills. Toyota estimates just over 32mpg for the manual and 29mpg for the auto, and we've found that 30mpg is easily achievable even with some enthusiastic driving. A 50-litre fuel tank means a near 300-mile cruising range.

With CO2 of 197g/km for the manual and 215g/km for the automatic, you can see why Toyota is worried about corporate emission fines. First year's VED is £1,650, but £190 thereafter. And you'll have to pay the expensive car surcharge of £400+ per annum for five years. The old GR Yaris wouldn't have. Ouch.

# data.attributes.field_cars_owning.processed
When the GR Yaris first came out, it was a plucky £30k hero. Those days are long gone. With no pressure to get them out the door, this updated model is now £44,250 for the six-speed manual or £45,750 for the eight-speed auto. And that puts it in Civic Type R territory. Yikes.

The other snag is that supply is so limited that the first wave of cars were doled out to previous GR Yaris buyers and people who had managed to get on Toyota’s waiting list early enough. So you can't actually configure and order one right now. Boo.

What do I get for my money?

You mean what would you get for your money. Circuit trim is the only spec, and it packs 18in BBS forged aluminium wheels, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres, the 12.3in digital display and 8.0-inch touschreen, a head-up display, reversing camera, auto wipers, dual-zone auto aircon, a six-speaker sound system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a USB port, leather trim on the handbrake and steering wheel, LED lights, and all of the active safety systems that are mandated these days.

For what it’s worth, the lane keep assistance isn’t too intrusive, and the speed limit warning is silenced through the steering wheel. Almost impossible to find, but it’s in there.

Survive the HunGR Games (geddit?) and your only dilemmas are the transmission, and which of the four colours available you like best. That’s it.

Any special editions?

There are! In honour of Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä - the two drivers who’ve won WRC titles in the GR Yaris - there’s an Ogier Edition and a Rovanperä Edition. Each gets a carbon fibre rear wing, much WRC stickerage and other fripperies, but more significant are the updated modes. The Ogier gets a Morizo mode (for consistent lap times) and a Seb mode (for getting the tail out); the Rovanperä has a Donut mode (need you ask?) and a Kalle mode (yet more rear looseness). Only 100 of each were planned at £60,000 apiece, so chances are you're out of luck already.

Phew. What about running costs?

Seriously? Surely you’re too far down the rabbit hole to be thinking about fuel bills. Toyota estimates just over 32mpg for the manual and 29mpg for the auto, and we've found that 30mpg is easily achievable even with some enthusiastic driving. A 50-litre fuel tank means a near 300-mile cruising range.

With CO2 of 197g/km for the manual and 215g/km for the automatic, you can see why Toyota is worried about corporate emission fines. First year's VED is £1,650, but £190 thereafter. And you'll have to pay the expensive car surcharge of £400+ per annum for five years. The old GR Yaris wouldn't have. Ouch.

# data.attributes.field_cars_stand_first
The GR Yaris is a proper rally car for the road, with a few creature comforts thrown in

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict.value
Two things stand out. That Toyota has created this car at all, and that it’s done an outstanding job of it. Cars like the GR Yaris simply don’t happen these days when everyone spins countless bodystyles off one platform. Toyota is as guilty of that as anyone: look at the BMW-based Supra.

This is Toyota’s riposte. And it’s superb. It proves what we’ve long suspected: that a pukka road-going rally car is the best thing for tackling a modern B-road. Small and light, with punchy dynamics and a gutsy motor, it’s a deeply compelling machine.

We’re not completely sold on the direction of the update though. By refining the package in so many areas, the GR Yaris has lost some of the rallying DNA that made it so good in the first place. Don’t get us wrong, it’s a hoot to drive, with the playfulness of the old Ford Fiesta ST combined with the sort of composure and eagerness that Subaru Imprezas used to do so well. But it hasn’t got the pedigree of a Civic Type R, and at this price they’re now fighting in the same arena. Eek.

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict.processed
Two things stand out. That Toyota has created this car at all, and that it’s done an outstanding job of it. Cars like the GR Yaris simply don’t happen these days when everyone spins countless bodystyles off one platform. Toyota is as guilty of that as anyone: look at the BMW-based Supra.

This is Toyota’s riposte. And it’s superb. It proves what we’ve long suspected: that a pukka road-going rally car is the best thing for tackling a modern B-road. Small and light, with punchy dynamics and a gutsy motor, it’s a deeply compelling machine.

We’re not completely sold on the direction of the update though. By refining the package in so many areas, the GR Yaris has lost some of the rallying DNA that made it so good in the first place. Don’t get us wrong, it’s a hoot to drive, with the playfulness of the old Ford Fiesta ST combined with the sort of composure and eagerness that Subaru Imprezas used to do so well. But it hasn’t got the pedigree of a Civic Type R, and at this price they’re now fighting in the same arena. Eek.

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict_against
Diluted rallying DNA, serious price, limited rear headroom (as if you care), not as playful on track

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict_for
Punchy engine, agile yet planted, lovely short-throw manual box

# data.attributes.field_cars_verdict_text
The GR Yaris proves what we've long suspected: that a pukka road-going rally car is the best thing for a B-road

# data.attributes.field_cars_what_is_it.value
A Toyota hot hatch, if you want to hugely downplay it. But it’s actually far more significant and exciting than that. And very much not a Yaris as you know it. Here’s the score: the regulations that govern top line rallying dictate that your car has to be based on an existing road car. This is called homologation and although your rally car can deviate from the road formula in many areas, in some key ones it can’t.

The latest regs say you have to build 25,000 road cars, so no one bothers any more. Until Toyota… did. Before the car’s reveal in 2020 it designed a rally car from the ground up first, and set about making it roadworthy second. Nine WRC titles and some 40,000 sales later, the gambit has paid off. Handsomely.

So how much of it is shared with the standard Yaris?

Let’s use the roofline as an example. It’s high in the standard Yaris so people can sit in the back, but the rally car wants it as low as possible so it doesn’t block air from the rear wing. Tommi Mäkinen, Toyota’s WRC boss, apparently wanted it even lower, but Toyota insisted the rear seats should stay in the road car. Similarly WRC regs say you can’t fit aero devices to the rear doors. So the GR Yaris simply does away with the rear doors. The carbon fibre roof saves 3.5kg, the door skins, bonnet and tailgate are aluminium, removing another 24kg. It’s not even a Yaris chassis underneath. The front half is, but the rear is adapted from the Corolla and C-HR.

It has the Yaris’s 2,560mm wheelbase, its headlights, door mirrors and antenna. But that’s it. It’s 55mm longer, 60mm wider and 45mm lower (actually closer to 100mm lower at the rear). Under the bonnet is the world’s most powerful production three cylinder engine. Its single turbo spins on ball bearings, while the engine itself is hydraulically mounted on one side to reduce vibration and unwanted movement. The sort of tech that front line supercar firms like to bang on about.

[node:field_onward_journey_card-themed]

The 4WD system is claimed to be the lightest on the market. Lightest, but not most basic. There’s an aluminium central transfer case and in Normal mode the torque is split 60:40 front to rear. That alters depending on the mode you choose. Track is 30:70 and Gravel 53:47. Skids or grip, you decide. At the rear there’s an electronically controlled clutch pack to divide torque between the wheels.

It’s a genuinely exciting car this, a hot hatch with a real purpose in life. After all, when was the last time we had a proper rally homologation special, something we can all aspire to? Not since the Imprezas and Evos of the 1990s. This, then, is a once in a generation special. And to cap it all off, Toyota smashed it out of the park.

So a very light update for the latest one then…

Er, nope. Instead of fiddling with the paint and calling it a job done, Toyota has gone back to the drawing board and put the GR Yaris through a complete root and branch review. Like parents forcing a straight-A student to do extra studying. After they’ve nailed their exams.

Toyota’s motto for the project was “develop, race, break, fix”, every detail subject to scrutiny, every bit of feedback from pro drivers and customers alike considered.

So, the headlines: the engine produces 276bhp and 288lb ft of torque, gently dialled up from the previous 257bhp and 266lb ft. The 0-62mph run takes 5.2 seconds, the car weighs in at 1,280kg and reaches a top speed of 143mph if you keep your foot pinned long enough. It’s a details game, too – Toyota increased the number of weld points and use of structural adhesive by 13 and 24 per cent respectively, to keep the weight down. Toyota even used more bolts to secure the shock absorbers, with the aim of improving steering response and handling.

In terms of gearbox you can choose between a six-speed manual and an eight-speed auto. The purist in you says go for the manual, but Toyota reckons the auto will land you faster lap times. A Circuit pack used to be a £3,500 option, but as most people bought it anyway, it’s been consumed into a single spec. So you get 18in alloys, Michelin Pilot 4S tyres, 356mm four-pot front brakes and 297mm two-pot rears (both vented and finished in red), plus mechanical front and rear Torsen diffs. Same torque split control, but more grit and guts in the system. More rally.

Toyota’s revamped the interior too. The driver’s seat is 25mm lower, the instrument panel’s 50mm lower and the rearview mirror shifted to improve your view of the road, the digital display is new, and the VSC-OFF and hazards are easier to reach. All in the name of putting the driver first, you understand. Especially if you’re on a track day. Hence the intercooler spray function.

Good grief. That’s a lot, right?

Yep. And all that for a car that was already stupendously good. You have to hand it to Toyota for not resting on its laurels: it’s put just as much effort into the sequel as it did for the original box office hit. Lesser manufacturers wouldn’t have.

What’s the catch?

Ah, thought you’d ask that. The original GR Yaris was insanely popular: Toyota shifted about 40,000 examples worldwide, half of those in Europe. Far more than the 25,000 it needed to square things with the WRC. Now it can afford to be more selective about production, and with corporate CO2 targets to worry about it’s looking at a couple of thousand cars a year only. Boo.

And with novelty comes cost. When it launched the GR Yaris started at a snip over £30k. Forget that. It’s now £44,250 for the manual, or another grand and a half for the auto. There are a pair of specials named after rally champs Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä, but they’re £60k. Gulp.

# data.attributes.field_cars_what_is_it.processed
A Toyota hot hatch, if you want to hugely downplay it. But it’s actually far more significant and exciting than that. And very much not a Yaris as you know it. Here’s the score: the regulations that govern top line rallying dictate that your car has to be based on an existing road car. This is called homologation and although your rally car can deviate from the road formula in many areas, in some key ones it can’t.

The latest regs say you have to build 25,000 road cars, so no one bothers any more. Until Toyota… did. Before the car’s reveal in 2020 it designed a rally car from the ground up first, and set about making it roadworthy second. Nine WRC titles and some 40,000 sales later, the gambit has paid off. Handsomely.

So how much of it is shared with the standard Yaris?

Let’s use the roofline as an example. It’s high in the standard Yaris so people can sit in the back, but the rally car wants it as low as possible so it doesn’t block air from the rear wing. Tommi Mäkinen, Toyota’s WRC boss, apparently wanted it even lower, but Toyota insisted the rear seats should stay in the road car. Similarly WRC regs say you can’t fit aero devices to the rear doors. So the GR Yaris simply does away with the rear doors. The carbon fibre roof saves 3.5kg, the door skins, bonnet and tailgate are aluminium, removing another 24kg. It’s not even a Yaris chassis underneath. The front half is, but the rear is adapted from the Corolla and C-HR.

It has the Yaris’s 2,560mm wheelbase, its headlights, door mirrors and antenna. But that’s it. It’s 55mm longer, 60mm wider and 45mm lower (actually closer to 100mm lower at the rear). Under the bonnet is the world’s most powerful production three cylinder engine. Its single turbo spins on ball bearings, while the engine itself is hydraulically mounted on one side to reduce vibration and unwanted movement. The sort of tech that front line supercar firms like to bang on about.

The 4WD system is claimed to be the lightest on the market. Lightest, but not most basic. There’s an aluminium central transfer case and in Normal mode the torque is split 60:40 front to rear. That alters depending on the mode you choose. Track is 30:70 and Gravel 53:47. Skids or grip, you decide. At the rear there’s an electronically controlled clutch pack to divide torque between the wheels.

It’s a genuinely exciting car this, a hot hatch with a real purpose in life. After all, when was the last time we had a proper rally homologation special, something we can all aspire to? Not since the Imprezas and Evos of the 1990s. This, then, is a once in a generation special. And to cap it all off, Toyota smashed it out of the park.

So a very light update for the latest one then…

Er, nope. Instead of fiddling with the paint and calling it a job done, Toyota has gone back to the drawing board and put the GR Yaris through a complete root and branch review. Like parents forcing a straight-A student to do extra studying. After they’ve nailed their exams.

Toyota’s motto for the project was “develop, race, break, fix”, every detail subject to scrutiny, every bit of feedback from pro drivers and customers alike considered.

So, the headlines: the engine produces 276bhp and 288lb ft of torque, gently dialled up from the previous 257bhp and 266lb ft. The 0-62mph run takes 5.2 seconds, the car weighs in at 1,280kg and reaches a top speed of 143mph if you keep your foot pinned long enough. It’s a details game, too – Toyota increased the number of weld points and use of structural adhesive by 13 and 24 per cent respectively, to keep the weight down. Toyota even used more bolts to secure the shock absorbers, with the aim of improving steering response and handling.

In terms of gearbox you can choose between a six-speed manual and an eight-speed auto. The purist in you says go for the manual, but Toyota reckons the auto will land you faster lap times. A Circuit pack used to be a £3,500 option, but as most people bought it anyway, it’s been consumed into a single spec. So you get 18in alloys, Michelin Pilot 4S tyres, 356mm four-pot front brakes and 297mm two-pot rears (both vented and finished in red), plus mechanical front and rear Torsen diffs. Same torque split control, but more grit and guts in the system. More rally.

Toyota’s revamped the interior too. The driver’s seat is 25mm lower, the instrument panel’s 50mm lower and the rearview mirror shifted to improve your view of the road, the digital display is new, and the VSC-OFF and hazards are easier to reach. All in the name of putting the driver first, you understand. Especially if you’re on a track day. Hence the intercooler spray function.

Good grief. That’s a lot, right?

Yep. And all that for a car that was already stupendously good. You have to hand it to Toyota for not resting on its laurels: it’s put just as much effort into the sequel as it did for the original box office hit. Lesser manufacturers wouldn’t have.

What’s the catch?

Ah, thought you’d ask that. The original GR Yaris was insanely popular: Toyota shifted about 40,000 examples worldwide, half of those in Europe. Far more than the 25,000 it needed to square things with the WRC. Now it can afford to be more selective about production, and with corporate CO2 targets to worry about it’s looking at a couple of thousand cars a year only. Boo.

And with novelty comes cost. When it launched the GR Yaris started at a snip over £30k. Forget that. It’s now £44,250 for the manual, or another grand and a half for the auto. There are a pair of specials named after rally champs Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä, but they’re £60k. Gulp.

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The GR Yaris is superb: hands down the best Toyota we've ever driven