Features

Car pictures of the week

We pit the indomitable Toyota GR Yaris against the Audi S1 in the latest issue of evo. Here are some of our favourite snapshots

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17 Nov 2023

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The Toyota GR Yaris captured the hearts, minds and wallets of car enthusiasts when it stormed onto the scene in 2020. A pint-sized homologation project with four-wheel drive and huge performance, there wasn’t – and still isn’t – anything quite like it. But there used to be. Sort of…

The Audi S1 is another small, turbocharged all-weather hatch with remnants of rallying in its DNA. Its impressive quality and ability won us over in 2014, bringing a greater sense of fun than other fast Audis of the time. But how does it stack up against the Toyota, one of the best hot hatches for a generation? Pick up a copy of evo magazine issue 316 in-store or online via the evo shop to find out.

The two are closely matched on paper, but the Toyota edges it in pure performance terms. Its 1.5-litre turbocharged three-pot generates 29bhp more than the Audi’s four, and propels the lighter Yaris to 62mph in 5.5sec. That’s three tenths quicker than the S1, but in reality, they each have the kind of readily accessible punch to give some sports cars a headache.

As with the best hot hatches, it’s the tenacity, grip and poise of both that really draw you in – particularly in the Toyota’s case. ‘As your confidence grows, so does the pace it draws out of you,’ said Stephen Dobie.

‘It’s perhaps paradoxical that while the Toyota has a longer, more satisfying arc to its dynamics, the Audi feels better prepared for such longevity. The GR’s flimsy parcel shelf and thin ‘suede’ door cards would appal you if you weren’t so acutely aware of how aggressively your money has been directed at the chassis instead.’

To read the full feature, pick up a copy of evo 315 in-store or online via the evo shop.

Car pictures of the week: archive

Below are some of our favourite images from previous editions of evo car pictures of the week. Click on the pictures for the full galleries.

Gallery 1

Click below to see all the images of our first car pictures of the week gallery, here featuring the indomitable Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, mk1 Volkswagen Golf GTI, Ford Shelby Mustang GT350 and the stunning Porsche 911 re-imagined by Singer.

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Gallery 2

Here we dig further back into the evo archives where we pull out some iconic images of the Ford GT slightly out of context in the European Alps, a TVR Sagaris in central London, the Audi RS2 as well as one of our most iconic twin tests between the Ferrari 599 GTO and Lexus LF-A.

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Gallery 3

The previous-generation Bentley Continental GT seemed to get better with age, a notion mirrored by the Jaguar E-type when in modern ‘lightweight’ form. Both of these British icons, as well as the Aston Martin Vantage GT12 feature in gallery three.

Bentley Continental GT V8 S - ferry static

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Gallery 4

Fans might have cried fowl when Ferrari decided to turbocharge the Ferrari 488, but it’s not like Ferrari don’t have a history with turbocharged V8 engines. Here the 488 co-stars alongside the stunning F40, while elsewhere in this gallery we take a Porsche Cayman GTS to Japan for a stunning mountain blast.

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Gallery 5

Italian twelve-cylinder supercars seem to be the main agenda in the fourth evo car pictures of the week gallery, here featuring four V12 Lambos and the stunning 599 SA Aperta limited edition alongside its 550 Barchetta predecessor.

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Gallery 6

GT3s and GT-Rs are just the beginning for gallery number six, with the Noble M600, Aston Martin One-77 and a couple of McLaren flagships filling out our most amazing gallery yet.

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Gallery 7

A gallery of new and old, here the McLaren 720S cemented its place as a truly great supercar alongside a daring night shoot with an Audi R8 LMX, pitch a Nissan GT-R and Audi Quattro against each other on Welsh mountain roads and drive the original 'Hakosuka' GT-R.