Toyota GR Yaris improved with driver-focused enhancements
The Toyota GR Yaris has never needed much improvement, but Toyota Gazoo Racing keeps finding reasons to make it better anyway. And since Toyota uses the World Rally Championship as a product development platform, you accept the improvements, especially when they’re aimed squarely at improving performance.
Toyota GR has revealed an updated GR Yaris, and the most noticeable change is the steering wheel. The diameter drops 5mm to 360mm. In practice, this means faster inputs, a bigger grip area, and no thumb rests. The button layout has also been revised. Competition drivers learned the hard way that cranking the wheel through 180 degrees could accidentally trigger wheel-mounted controls. Those buttons have been repositioned.
The new Bridgestone Potenza Race tyres feature a revised tread pattern, compound, and internal construction for better grip and improved circuit performance. Drivers gain better handling and less road noise, while updated front and rear damper settings improve driving feel.
Further updates include electric power steering with an expanded assistance range that remains more consistent under heavy braking and high-load cornering, a new GR emblem on the driver’s airbag cap, a driver-monitor camera, heated seat and steering wheel functions, and a vertical handbrake option.
To recap, the GR Yaris sold locally packs a 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder producing 210kW and 400Nm, sent to all four wheels through either a 6-speed manual or an 8-speed automatic. Both models are priced at R942,200 and R971,300, respectively.
Local availability hasn’t been confirmed, though given TGR’s consistent local support for the GR range, local availability should follow soon.
