The Toyota GR Yaris is arguably the hottest hot hatch to launch this year. Available as a single variant, the second member of the Gazoo Racing (GR) family (after the GR Supra) is literally a pocket rocket for the road.
Powered by a turbocharged 1.6-litre three-cylinder engine that churns out 200kW and 370Nm, the GR Yaris drives through a six-speed manual transmission and all-wheel drive. It’s 0 to 100km/h sprint time of 5.2 seconds is a new benchmark in class.
To distinguish from the regular Yaris, the GR Yaris gets a model specific body kit and wider tracks to give the hot hatch a wider look. Sporty additions include more aggressive front and rear bumpers, a large roof-mounted wing and a pair of dual exhaust pipes.
But if that is still not hot enough, a range of aero add-ons are now available from Gazoo Racing in Japan. The already aggressive stance of the GR Yaris is lifted further with a front bumper lip spoiler which reduces ground clearance by 20mm, reducing front end lift at high speeds. There are also matching side skirt extensions and a beefier rear diffuser that houses quad exhaust tips.
The genuine factory-backed GR parts are draped in gloss black paintwork for the full racing look. Further upgrades in the form of carbon fibre license plate frames for the front and rear are also available, as well as decorative body stripes and GR tyre valve caps.
On the inside, enthusiasts will be keen on those carbon fibre look trim inserts for the dashboard and door cards. They can be complemented by special GR floor mats and a protective GR boot mat.
Rounding off the package is a red front strut bar for added rigidity and a Gazoo data recording device that can be connected directly to the USB port of the GR Yaris to log performance data using a special computer application.
While Gazoo Racing has stopped short of boosting power output of the engine (likely reserved for the upcoming hardcore Yaris GRMN), a simple aftermarket chip tuning should see the boosted 3-pot easily nudging 220kW and 400Nm, an increase of about 20kW and 30Nm from stock.