Arguably the most exciting B-segment hot hatchback in production today, the GR Yaris will receive a facelift in January 2024. Or so claims Magazine X, which understands that Toyota will unleash the mid-cycle refresh at Tokyo Auto Salon on January 12.
Toyota will hold a press conference on January 12, 2024 at 9:30 Japan Standard Time, but alas, the Japanese automaker didn't mention whether the GR Yaris is up for a facelift or not. Fellow motoring publication Best Car also claims that the mid-cycle refresh is due in January 2024, yet – for the time being – this information hasn't been confirmed.
In addition to stylistic updates, Toyota has reportedly bumped up the power to 300 ps. The Japan-spec RZ makes 272 ps and 370 Nm of torque, meaning 268 horsepower and 273 pound-feet. 300 metric ponies is pretty close to the 300 mechanical horses of the GR Corolla for the US market, which – coincidentally – features the same three-cylinder engine. What's more, the Corolla's engine also makes 273 pound-feet.
Based on the aforementioned, this particular rumor holds water. The most important addition to the GR Yaris for 2024, however, is the long-rumored automatic transmission. Magazine X reports that it's called GR-DAT, which stands for GAZOO Racing – Direct Automatic Transmission. A torque-converter auto, said transmission is tuned for high-performance driving. Think of it this way: 9G-Tronic for Benzes and SPEEDSHIFT MCT 9G for AMGs.
Mercedes-AMG replaces the 9G's torque converter with a wet start-off clutch to lower weight and lower inertia. The GR-DAT, on the other hand, is said to feature a torque converter that locks up immediately when changing gear. By comparison, conventional automatics usually lock when the vehicle stops acceleration. Still, is the GR-DAT a thing or not?
Photo: Toyota
Back in October 2023, the folks at Toyota Times published a story in which none other than Akio Toyoda confirmed to have driven "a GR Yaris equipped with the new technology at Round 5 of the 2023 ENEOS Super Taikyu Series." Racing driver Hiroaki Ishiura claims that the direct automatic transmission"senses when you’re braking hard and downshifts for you to prepare for acceleration."
Japanese motoring publications are notorious for unrealistic rumors. But as far as the 2024 Toyota GR Yaris is concerned, both Magazine X and Best Car appear to be spot on. The GR-DAT – or whatever it will be called – will obviously add some complexity to the GR Yaris. The price tag will go up as well.
As of December 2023, the manual-equipped GR Yaris for the Japanese market is 3,960,000 yen for the RZ and 4,560,000 yen for the RZ High Performance. In other words, 27,985 and 32,225 freedom eagles at current exchange rates. Over in Europe, the GR Yaris is much, much pricier at €34,000 (circa $37,700).
Then again, the GR Yaris is the most capable subcompact hot hatchback of the lot at the moment of reporting. It also has massive tuning potential, with Powertune Australia extracting a staggering 552.5 kW (751.2 ps or 740.9 hp) at 8,117 revolutions per minute.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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