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Toyota GR Yaris Goes Head to Head Against Honda Civic Type R in a Drag Race

The Toyota GR Yaris has just been rather recently made available to the public, and already journalists and owners are giving it the beans in all sorts of testing, from quarter-mile runs to being pushed hard around the track, dyno sessions and all kinds of four-wheel hooning.
Toyota GR Yaris vs Honda Civic Type R 5 photos
Photo: CarWow
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And that can only be a good thing for those of us considering a purchase, as we can put Toyota's statements to the test, and see what the little hot hatch is really made of.  After endless comparisons to other cars in its segment, it was about time somebody actually took the GR Yaris out for a drag race, so that we can actually see how things would go down in a real-life scenario.

And although its direct competitors are cars like the Volkswagen Polo GTI, the Ford Fiesta ST or the Renault Clio RS, the guys at CarWow are punching high with this test, as they pitch the GR Yaris against the larger, more potent Honda Civic Type R.

So we've got a 260 horsepower, four-wheel drive, 1.6-liter turbo going up against a 320 horsepower, front-wheel drive, 2.0-liter turbo. Where the Toyota lacks in power and engine displacement, it makes up with the increased traction and about 220 fewer lbs (100 kg) than the Honda.

As it seems the test is conducted in typical British weather, heavy rain coming down on the track, so you might think that the GR Yaris is going to win. On their first run the Honda seems to be struggling with excessive wheelspin, so the GR Yaris pulls ahead and just barely manages to win the quarter-mile (402 meters) race, with a recorded time of 13.8 seconds.

For the next two runs, the producers decide to remove the Toyota's four-wheel drive advantage, as the two cars head into a rolling start type drag race. The Honda's got the edge now, with more power and more torque, and it wins both attempts. The two cars engage in one last test, braking, and the lightweight advantage kicks in, with the GR Yaris managing to stop by a car length faster.

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About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
Dragos Chitulescu profile photo

The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
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