Toyota GR Yaris Fast Fleet test – living with the homologation hot hatch

With superb timing, our pre-facelift Toyota GR Yaris arrived just after a massive test of hot hatches, in which the Yaris finished second. The model supplied for that test was the ‘Convenience’ version, which wasn’t what we’d have chosen, having declared a strong preference for the Circuit Pack from our previous interactions, including six months with a long-termer thus equipped in 2021.

Our new long-termer isn’t a Circuit Pack model either. The giveaway is the wheels, which are not as thin-spoked and are shod with Dunlop Sport Maxx rather than Michelin PS4 tyres. Mechanically, its suspension isn’t as stiff and its anti-roll bars are a little softer, but more significantly it’s missing the front and rear Torsen slippy diffs of the Circuit Pack. The question is, will extended experience of a non-Circuit Pack car change our minds?

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I had thought there were only two pre-facelift Toyota GR Yaris specs, but it turns out there was a third, simply called ‘GR Yaris’, which is what we have here. Maybe it should have been called the ‘Inconvenience Pack’, because it doesn’t have satnav, heated seats, a head-up display or parking sensors, and only has six speakers for its sound system rather than eight. Perhaps the only convenience is that it was £2k and £3.5k cheaper than the Convenience and Circuit Pack models respectively when it was on sale.

The Fast Fleet Yaris arrived with little more than delivery miles on the clock. It looked perfect, outside and in, and although the seat position is high, there’s something uniquely appealing about the strong character of the GR Yaris; the heft of its gearshift and the heavy, loping note of its turbocharged triple. I decided to forego full throttle for the first 1000 miles, partly, I admit, in the hope that the fuel economy would improve from the average shown on the trip computer: just 21.7mpg…

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Having spent time in a similar car just a few weeks earlier, I knew what to expect from the dynamics. Compared to the Circuit Pack car, you notice the softer suspension, with a less sharp turn-in, especially in the wet, yet there seems to be no payback in terms of ride quality. As for the diffs, on the road their absence isn’t obvious, apart from when hauling hard out of tight turns in the wet, and even then stability control manages slip and keeps a lid on things. Their absence had been very obvious on the cold, wet track for the aforementioned group test; coaxed into mid-corner attitude, when you got back on the throttle the car would scrabble with limited effect, like a panicked cat on a polished floor.

The first long journey took me to Morgan in the Malvern Hills. It was a steady run there and back, and although the average mpg crept up, I was afraid the little Yaris was going to prove thirstier than an early morning Brit in a Gatwick bar. I knew it was a 50-litre tank, yet closing in on empty I’d done only 250 miles, suggesting around 25mpg. I was surprised when the pump clicked off at 36 litres. That meant about 33mpg, but there couldn’t be 14 litres left, could there? Is it actually a 40 or 45-litre tank?

Our time in its replacement shows that the Gen 2 GR Yaris is a proper step on, especially in its dynamics, and we also learned that there would be just one model: the Circuit Pack. Sensible decision, yet I was starting to get into a satisfying groove with our standard car, especially after it had passed 1000 miles. The engine is quite the character. It’s a bit grumpy at low revs; it pulls fine but shakes like the revs are half what they are and is much happier with the needle up at 2000rpm. Beyond that there’s a glorious swelling of torque that seems enormous for a 1.6-litre three-pot and comes with a deep, confident, guttural note. A two-wheel-drive car would struggle to contain and deploy it but the four-wheel-drive Yaris takes it in its stride.

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It’s a car that attracts a fair bit of interest too, and in one wet roundabout the combo of torque and traction can illustrate what all the fuss is about. You don’t need to be trying that hard, either. Then came a drive back from Wales after our shoot on the MST Mk1 Escort (evo 319).

I’ve been going to Wales since the late ’80s and I’ve never seen rain and wind like Storm Isha brought. However, the drive back in the Yaris was brilliant. The route took in some of my favourite roads, twisting and turning, falling and climbing, with the extra challenge of standing water. The Yaris devoured them. It was at its most awesome in the most challenging parts, agile and poised, its ride soaking up difficult surfaces without effort.

Despite the conditions, I never once wished I had the diffs or the dynamics of the Circuit Pack, or the set-up of the Gen 2 car. Dialled in to our long-termer’s characteristics, exploiting its natural ability and using generous slugs of torque, the Yaris was a formidable, engaging and satisfying drive. And remarkably relaxing, which I put down to the calming influence of the engine’s lazy drawl and the deliberate, unrushed way you use the weighty gearshift. I wouldn’t have predicted that but, so far, so very good.

This story first featured in evo issue 321.