Toyota has shown off the second generation GR Yaris hot hatch at the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon. The highly-regarded GR Yaris was a massive critical hit for Toyota, and this second-generation version looks to improve on some of the niggles of the first model.
Extra power
Perhaps what the GR Yaris needed least was more power, but it’s getting some anyway - an extra 19hp, bringing it to a total of 280hp, with a 30Nm torque boost to 390Nm. The little 1.6 turbo engine remains the most powerful three-cylinder engine in production.
Toyota says that the uprated engine has been tested to literal breaking point in the Japan Rally Championship and the Japanese Endurance Race series, and that experience means that the Yaris’ engineers have given it a strengthened valvetrain, a new exhaust valve material and an increase in the D-4ST fuel injection pressure. New lightweight pistons with wear-resistant rings and a new intake pressure sensor have been added.
The GR Yaris now comes in a single specification, called ‘Circuit’, which includes a cooling performance pack. This equips the car with a new sub-radiator to improve reliability in full-throttle driving, modifications to the air intake and an intercooler water spray.
While the six-speed manual gearbox will once again be standard, Toyota will offer a new automatic option - an eight-speed Gazoo Racing Direct Automatic Transmission. This new gearbox gets clever software that figures out how and when the driver is braking so as to maximise the downshift speeds, and Toyota says that it: “anticipates when gear shifting is necessary even before changes in vehicle behaviour occur, so that gear selection reflects the driver’s intentions and is similar to how professional drivers operate.” On the test track, this auto box has actually proved to be the quicker option than the manual… To prove the automatic’s rugged qualities, the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Championship team tested it in snowy conditions on fast-flowing roads in Finland, and it has also been used in the Japan Rally Championship, the Toyota Gazoo Racing Rally Challenge and the Super Taikyu Series.
Switchable driving modes
The GR Yaris now gets switchable Sport, Normal and Eco modes which engage different settings for the electric power steering, air conditioning operation, throttle response and the driver’s instrument display. If it’s an auto model, then the gearshift also changes in Sport mode, with Toyota saying that switching modes alters the ‘box’s “shock and response” settings. The manual shift direction has been changed to suit competition driving so the driver pushes the lever forward for downshifts and pulls back for upshifts – a detail promoted by ‘Master Driver’ and Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman Akio Toyoda (alias “Morizo”).
As before, the GR Yaris gets electronically controlled four-wheel drive, which has adjustable settings for Normal, Sport and Track modes, which alter the torque split from front to rear. As before, front and rear Torsen limited-slip differentials are offered.
The GR Yaris’ three-door body is also now stiffer than before, thanks to a 13 per cent increase in spot welds and the application of approximately 24 per cent more structural adhesive. The basic suspension design - front MacPherson struts and rear double wishbones with trailing arms - but the attachment points have been stiffened up and strengthened, and the springs and dampers are now a little stiffer than they were.
Inside, the GR Yaris’ cabin has been given a going-over, and it now gets new digital instruments, an upgraded central infotainment screen, and repositioned controls and switches, apparently in response to feedback from racing and rally drivers. Controls that often need to be used in competition driving, such as intercooler spray, stability control switch, and hazard lights, have been moved closer to the driver so they can be reached quickly and easily when using a racing harness. On the passenger side, the tray in the instrument panel has been made larger so there is space for extra gauges or a co-driver’s monitor to be fitted.
The dashboard itself has also been lowered, with the top of the instrument panel sitting some 50mm lower down to improve the driver’s field of vision, while the central control panel is now angled at 15 degrees toward the driver. The seat is also set some 25mm lower, which will be a relief to those who found the old GR Yaris’ seating position too high up. That new 12.3-inch fully digital instrument panel has two layout modes - normal and sport, the latter providing a sports performance-focused data display. The design is free of any superfluous ornamentation, so graphics a clear and information can be instantly viewed and understood. On the automatic model, the read-out includes transmission oil temperature and a visual warning in addition to a sound alarm to alert the driver when engine revs are too high for downshifting.
On the outside, the grille at the front now gets a steel mesh finish, while there are larger air intake openings and a lower-set front bumper, which also gets a simpler split construction so it’s easier and cheaper to replace should you have a ‘whoopsie’ moment on a track-day. Ahem.
There’s revised are at the rear, and new fog and reversing lights too. There’s also a new colour option - Precious Metal - and standard equipment will include the latest-generation Toyota Safety Sense systems, navigation and a digital key. The automatic model will provide a higher specification with forged wheels, rear and side monitors and a premium JBL sound system.
New Year’s address
Toyota is to produce special editions of the new GR Yaris, named after two of its World Rally Championship (WRC) star drivers. The Sébastien Ogier Special Edition and Kalle Rovanperä Special Edition are based on concept models shown at last year’s Tokyo Auto Salon. They will be unveiled at the Rallye Monte-Carlo, the opening round of this year’s World Rally Championship, which takes place from January 25th to 28th.
We don’t have Irish prices for the new GR Yaris yet, but that’s probably immaterial. This time around, production is said to be much more limited, and few versions of the car will make it here or to the UK. If you want one, you may already be too late.
As the new GR Yaris was launched, Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda gave a small New Year’s address under the guise of his motor-racing nickname, Morizio.
In it, he paid tribute to those affected by the recent earthquake which hit Japan, and those who stepped in to help and aid the wounded and injured. “Now is the time to cease such things as confrontation, division, dispute, and slander and to help each other and say “Thank you” to one another with a smile. I believe that this is a time that requires us to display such maturity” he said. “Tokyo Auto Salon is a festival at which car lovers can surround themselves with cars and smiles. The smiles born here will lead to energising Japan’s automotive industry. I would like to link that energy to the vitality of Japan as a whole again this year. Today, with such a desire, I hope you will allow me to extend to you my greetings for the new year. Together with these words, I will keep on moving. Because we’re car lovers, we can build the future... My desire to enjoy cars makes me want to try various technologies... This is something that I’m serious about. The future is something for all of us to build together! I want to build the future together with all car lovers! Let’s all build the future together!”