Photo: Toyota
On November 17th at Wedding Bells, the all-new Toyota GR-4 Yaris is scheduled to premiere at Rally Australia. As the name implies, the subcompact hatchback is expected with all-wheel drive.
AWD would be an impressive upgrade over the competition, including the Renault Clio R.S. Trophy. We’re just as curious as you are about what made Toyota decide on all-wheel drive in such a small car, but nevertheless, don’t forget that compacts such as the Ford Focus RS and Mercedes-AMG A 45 S 4Matic+ are doing it for a few years now.
Toyota also surprised with the previous generation of the Yaris when the Japanese automaker came out with the GRMN. Limited to 400 examples in Europe, the predecessor stood out from the crowd by way of supercharging instead of turbocharging. As such, the 1.8-liter produced 212 PS and 249 Nm of torque at the gentle tap of the loud pedal.
While there’s no information available for the GR-4 Yaris, we suspect the engine bay is hiding a four-cylinder powerplant instead of the 1.0- and 1.5-liter three-pots of the regular model. The badge on the back of the camouflaged prototype isn’t blue-ish, so don’t expect any sort of hybrid assistance.
It’s likely that Toyota will treat the GR-4 Yaris to a good ol’ manual transmission, sweetening the deal with modern touches such as a rev-matching feature and aluminum on the pedals to bring the point home. We wouldn’t hold our breath for an automatic with a torque converter or a dual-clutch transmission, more so because this thing could be a limited edition just like the Yaris GRMN.
It wouldn’t make much sense to spend money on anything other than a no-nonsense stick shift, and by the looks of the flared wheel arches at the rear, this fellow here could be more than a limited edition. WRC-inspired homologation special, anyone?
Toyota did confirm there are multiple performance versions of the Yaris on the horizon, and this could be the most go-faster flavor of them all. In addition to the WRC-inspired hot hatchback, the Yaris is also expected to get GR Sport and GRMN variants. The three-pronged approach would make the Yaris one of the most versatile nameplates in the segment, an engineering effort that eclipses the likes of Renault, Peugeot, as well as Ford.
While the GR Sport is supposed to be the easy-to-drive everyday car, the GRMN and GR-4 are dynamically different and therefore intended for more driving-centric customers. On a related note, does anyone know why did Toyota choose Australia of all places to reveal the sporty side of the Yaris?
Toyota also surprised with the previous generation of the Yaris when the Japanese automaker came out with the GRMN. Limited to 400 examples in Europe, the predecessor stood out from the crowd by way of supercharging instead of turbocharging. As such, the 1.8-liter produced 212 PS and 249 Nm of torque at the gentle tap of the loud pedal.
While there’s no information available for the GR-4 Yaris, we suspect the engine bay is hiding a four-cylinder powerplant instead of the 1.0- and 1.5-liter three-pots of the regular model. The badge on the back of the camouflaged prototype isn’t blue-ish, so don’t expect any sort of hybrid assistance.
It’s likely that Toyota will treat the GR-4 Yaris to a good ol’ manual transmission, sweetening the deal with modern touches such as a rev-matching feature and aluminum on the pedals to bring the point home. We wouldn’t hold our breath for an automatic with a torque converter or a dual-clutch transmission, more so because this thing could be a limited edition just like the Yaris GRMN.
It wouldn’t make much sense to spend money on anything other than a no-nonsense stick shift, and by the looks of the flared wheel arches at the rear, this fellow here could be more than a limited edition. WRC-inspired homologation special, anyone?
Toyota did confirm there are multiple performance versions of the Yaris on the horizon, and this could be the most go-faster flavor of them all. In addition to the WRC-inspired hot hatchback, the Yaris is also expected to get GR Sport and GRMN variants. The three-pronged approach would make the Yaris one of the most versatile nameplates in the segment, an engineering effort that eclipses the likes of Renault, Peugeot, as well as Ford.
While the GR Sport is supposed to be the easy-to-drive everyday car, the GRMN and GR-4 are dynamically different and therefore intended for more driving-centric customers. On a related note, does anyone know why did Toyota choose Australia of all places to reveal the sporty side of the Yaris?
GR Yaris Prototype. Live at Wedding Bells, Rally Australia. 17.11.19. #GR4 #GR Yaris #TGRWRT #ToyotaGAZOORacing #WRC pic.twitter.com/aEs3cMxsVQ
— Toyota Europe (@toyota_europe) November 6, 2019
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