The Toyota GR Yaris has finally been unveiled at Tokyo Auto Salon, and it’s better than we expected. It actually makes more power than previously reported, with 268 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. It comes from a turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-three cylinder engine, making it the world’s most powerful three-banger. Toyota says it will get to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds.
But the engine is only the start of a monster hatchback. It comes with a six-speed manual transmission that’s matched to an all-wheel-drive system that uses a multi-plate clutch center differential to divvy up power, with three different settings (Normal, Sport and Track). As previously reported, the default split is 60/40 front/rear, with Sport switching to 30/70 and Track going with 50/50. Both ends of the car can be fitted with mechanical Torsen-type limited-slip differentials.
Toyota GR Yaris -The chassis has seen a number of upgrades, too. The front suspension continues to use MacPherson struts, but the rear has been changed to a double-wishbone independent design. The front brakes now have 14-inch slotted rotors and four-piston calipers, and the rear brakes have 12-inch rotors clamped by two-piston calipers. Weight is kept to 2,822 pounds through the use of aluminum doors, hatchback, hood, and a carbon-fiber roof.
Despite the addition of AWD as well as two Torsen limited-slip differentials, the GR Yaris weighs only 1,280 kilograms (2,822 pounds) and promises to offer a thrilling experience behind the wheel. It does the 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in less than five and a half seconds and will top out at an electronically capped 143 mph (230 km/h).
Introduced the Tokyo Auto Salon the feisty hatch takes advantage of Toyota’s WRC expertise and comes in a three-door form making use of carbon fiber polymer and aluminum to keep the weight low. There’s a newly developed double-wishbone rear suspension, a MacPherson strut front suspension, and a wider rear track compared to the regular Yaris. The roofline has been lowered by 91 millimeters (3.6 inches) to obtain a coupe-like silhouette, and there are frameless doors along with 18-inch alloys serving as telltale signs this isn’t an ordinary Yaris.
