Yaris GRMN

[Devon Aygo]

Yaris GRMN chapter now on Toyota.co.uk site & pre-orders taken soon: https://www.toyota.co.uk/world-of-toyota/stories-news-events/new-toyota-yaris-grmn.json

[Ant182]

Thanks Lee, well waiting for my info and hopefully Toyota will do something grand to launch it in the UK that us plebs can go too, plus be able to test drive them as they are meant to be driven and not just at 30mph around the local roads #boring.

Renault did a full road show for the launch of the new Megane at my local track of Croft, we got to use all the cars (Zoe/Clio/Megane/GWizz) on the roads and track with an instructor, even though I know it like the back of my hand and scared him to death lol.

 

 

[Ant182]

New Toyota Yaris GRMN review

 

The Toyota Yaris GRMN hot hatch offers a lot of power for quite a bit of cash but its it any good?

The Yaris GRMN is a hot hatch in the old style, and mostly all the better for it. This first taster proves that Toyota has taken the task very seriously, and while the GRMN is neither perfect nor cheap, it’s still a car of undoubted character and a lot of fun to drive.

Toyota hasn’t made a hot hatchback for more than a generation, but now it’s back with a pretty specialised offering, and Auto Express has had an early taster of the high-performance Yaris GRMN at the Nürburgring in Germany.

The new model’s suffix stands for  ‘Gazoo Racing tuned by Meisters of the Nürburgring’. Only 400 examples will ever be built, and between 90 and 100 are projected to come to the UK, at around £26,295.

The Yaris GRMN features a supercharged 1.8-litre engine, and although the car is still going through the homologation process, the final outputs should be around 210bhp and 250Nm of torque. These easily overcome a kerbweight of just 1,135kg to deliver an impressive 0-60mph time that’s expected to be as low as 6.3 seconds. That power is deployed via a reinforced six-speed manual gearbox to a Torsen-type limited-slip differential, while exhaust gases exit through a bespoke centre-exit tailpipe.

 

The suspension is both stiffer and lower, with special Sachs-made dampers, while wheels are BBS 17-inch items that save 1.6kg per corner over a standard 17-inch wheel. The brakes are much more effective, with four-pot calipers on the front axle that promise not only vastly improved stopping power, but also much better pedal feel.

Visually, the Yaris GRMN is surprisingly mild, although the large Gazoo Racing stickers of the production car, in red and black, betray its intent. They can be deleted at the time of purchase, if so desired.

From the moment this pre-production prototype fires up it’s obvious this is a Yaris unlike any other. The exhaust has a real bark, which intensifies with revs, so that you’ll need to shout to a passenger to be heard under hard acceleration.

It’s a quick car, too, although without the sudden burst of torque typical of a modern turbocharged hot hatch, so you’ll need to work the engine hard through the gears to really enjoy the full extent of the car’s performance. That is not a chore, however; in fact, the slick gear change and sharp throttle response make flitting between ratios all the more satisfying.

Initially, the GRMN’s suspension feels very firm, but once above 20mph it smooths out and then offers a lot of body control over even awkward road surfaces. The steering is a little artificial around the straight ahead and in the manner in which it self centres, but there’s very little torque steer, despite the differential.

 

The GRMN is a car that begs to be driven everywhere as hard as possible, free of gimmicky driving modes. It’s loud and manic, although the standard Bridgestones relinquish their grip relatively easy and soon start to squeal. Perhaps the car’s biggest failing is its ergonomics; a high-set seat and a driving position that lacks much in the way of adjustment mean taller drivers will struggle to get comfortable.

At £26,295, the GRMN is a lot of money for a Yaris, but then this is a vastly more exclusive car than something like a Ford Fiesta ST. It’s well specified, too, with DAB, climate control and sat-nav all standard.

Key specs

• Model: Toyota Yaris GRMN
• Price: £26,295
• Engine: 1.8-litre 4cyl supercharged petrol
• Power: 210bhp/250Nm (est)

• Transmission: Six-speed manual, FWD
• 0-60mph/Top speed: 6.3s (est) /143mph (est)
• Economy/CO2: 37.7/170g/km
• On sale : July 27 2017

[Ant182]

For £26.295 I'll carry on building my own mk3 SR up, suspensions already down wheels are on next up building my own supercharger kit for it and then all the other bits that make it start and stop quickly.

[Mike J.]

Almost as much (peak) torque as the Yaris Hybrid: 169 (electric) plus 111 (petrol)! On Torque pro I have 'seen' 269Nm for a short while . It would be nice to compare the 0-30mph of the GRMN and the Hybrid.

[Ant182]

42 minutes ago, Mike J. said:

Almost as much (peak) torque as the Yaris Hybrid: 169 (electric) plus 111 (petrol)! On Torque pro I have 'seen' 269Nm for a short while . It would be nice to compare the 0-30mph of the GRMN and the Hybrid.

Yes that would be interesting plus it maybe a good way forward as its more green so turn a few hybrid models into a semi hot hatch with added exhaust/seats/suspension/brakes then us hot hatch/tuner lovers would be interested plus would be cheaper than 26k. They had looked at a hybrid hot hatch with a concept a while back.

If I was truthful I like this concept better that what they have put out now.

[Mike J.]

Thanks for the info, I tracked down some more:

Yaris Hybrid R

Unfortunately it is (was) another overkill with 420bhp!

All I need is a 2kWh Lithium Ion Battery under the rear seat (same size as the existing 1kWh NIMH) - chuck in a charging point so pre-heating/cooling can occur. Then make sure the high torque can last more than a few seconds to give 0-60mph in 7 secs. Top speed remaining the same as is now.

[Ant182]

10 minutes ago, Mike J. said:

Thanks for the info, I tracked down some more:

Yaris Hybrid R

Unfortunately it is (was) another overkill with 420bhp!

All I need is a 2kWh Lithium Ion battery under the rear seat (same size as the existing 1kWh NIMH) - chuck in a charging point so pre-heating/cooling can occur. Then make sure the high torque can last more than a few seconds to give 0-60mph in 7 secs. Top speed remaining the same as is now.

I agree with you Mike it doesn't take much to create a hot hatch, and if we know this why is Toyota not listening to us customers and it can be done as some cars over the years have been raided from the parts bin then sold as a new car. I love my Toyota's it just makes me sad that they are more focused now on the old person market here in the UK but in JP they get all the extra add on's and a race series dedicated to the Yaris/Vitz in Japan called the gazoo racing netz cup.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Presumably the GRMN is intended to raise Toyota's profile in light of the Yaris WRC, and to make some sales on the back of it.

The 1.8 engine is a supercharged non-hybrid version of the engine used in the Auris/Prius/C-HR hybrids - built at Deeside UK.

Also, at the end of the day, it is based on the 2017 facelift of the 3rd generation Yaris, rather than being an all new car using Toyota's Next Generation Architecture.

So see the GRMN for what it is - a limited performance edition using an existing engine, etc (albeit modified), intended to inject some sparkle into the ageing Yaris range which is now 6 years old plus. Let's see what the fourth generation Yaris brings.

As regards sales, it is down to the individual importing organisations (eg Toyota GB, Toyota Ireland, Toyota Germany, etc) to decide which specs of cars they think they can sell. Interestingly the GRMN doesn't feature on the Toyota Germany or Toyota Ireland websites. Cars such as the Yaris Yellow Edition Bi-tone are hardly focussed on the old person market. 

I suppose Toyota GB must be doing something right, as the Yaris has been their best seller in the UK for a number of years, followed by the Aygo, and the GRMN can only raise the profile further.

 

[Ant182]

Thanks for the info Mike, and yes again I agree with you but there is a lot of Toyota owners/fans/enthusiast that where hoping now we have seen the GT86 come and now this GRMN Yaris that we would start to get a mass produced Sporty Yaris at a reasonable price and again as you say lets see what happens.  It's just a shame that owners of the older sporty Toyota's T'sport Yaris or Corolla's that don't want to leave Toyota are having to drift away because there is nothing that replaced them. It would be nice so get some feed back from Toyota on this as we are doing so well in Motorsport World. 

One Toyota dealer is using this opportunity to send those owners to their Renault/Ford garages to buy a Clio or Focus, I have even been told that if the Toyota Sprint Series was called the Renault/Ford sprint series they would back me so much more and do more promo work.

 

These are just my thoughts as a long time Toyota owner/enthusiast/racer.