The Toyota GR Yaris is one of those cars that needs no introduction, and there are only a handful such rides coming from mainstream companies. It is a homologation special that has little in common with the regular Yaris and is part of the brand’s GR lineup, which only comprises fun-to-drive machines.
But ‘fun-to-drive’ is a different term when it comes to the Toyota GR Yaris, which proved once again that it is pretty much a WRC racer in disguise. A video shared on YouTube by ‘corners cz’ right before New Year’s Eve shows a red copy being pushed to its limits on a twisty mountain road, somewhere in Europe.
Sprinkled with various hairpin turns, the course, which seems to have been closed at the time of filming, as there is no traffic whatsoever, brought out the best within this pint-sized hot hatch. The tip of the hat goes to the driver, who gave it all by pulling the handbrake and pinning the throttle to the floor to perform some perfect drifts in a very WRC-like way.
You won’t need to take a long break in order to watch the video embedded at the bottom of the page, as it is almost 2 minutes long. Moreover, the clip does not feature any special effects, nor music, and it is the kind of footage that gets shared among petrolheads. That said, get ready for a couple of minutes of pure unaltered fun in the company of this great ride, which is part of a dying breed, just like anything that features an internal combustion engine.
Since we have mentioned the motor, we might as well remind you that it is a 1.6-liter unit, with three cylinders, assisted by forced induction. The Euro-spec variant has 257 hp (261 ps / 192 kW) and 266 lb-ft (360 Nm) of torque, and the Japanese one is a bit punchier, with 268 hp (272 ps / 200 kW) and 273 lb-ft (370 Nm) available via the right pedal. A six-speed manual transmission is the sole option here, and the thrust is delivered to the all-wheel drive system that further contributes to the racy feel.
How were they able to equip it with an all-wheel drive system? Why by using a dedicated platform, of course. You see, the GR Yaris uses a mix between the GA-B (normal Yaris) and the GA-C (Corolla), and this turns it into an all-weather warrior. The model has no direct rival, because as we already told you, it is a homologation special. In terms of size, however, it does fall in the same zone as the Ford Fiesta ST, Hyundai i20 N, and Volkswagen Polo GTI, and it can humiliate all of them when it comes to the driving part.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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