Think you’ve seen all that Toyota has to offer with its Gazoo Racing Sport models? Get this: The Japanese carmaker has just given the Yaris the same aesthetic treatment. Yes, the Yaris—the five-door that Toyota has successfully turned into such an impressive hot hatch.
But as expected with these kinds of reveals from Toyota, the new Yaris GR Sport—or the GR-S, to make it sound more familiar—isn’t anything like its GR Yaris relative. The hatchback’s upgrades are mostly aesthetic.
On the outside, the tweaks include the new Dynamic Grey paint finish, bespoke 18-inch alloy wheels, machined red decal lines, and a ‘G’-motif mesh grille. Inside, the Yaris GR Sport gets red stitching on the seats, steering wheel, and shifter. Gunmetal gray accents and GR Sport logos also adorn the interior. An Ultrasuede seat upholstery and integrated heat seaters come as an option.
Performance-wise, Toyota has fitted aerodynamic upgrades and upgraded shock absorbers that react quicker at low speeds and improve steering response and ride comfort. Drag is further reduced by additional liners in the front and rear wheel arches, and the body is now more rigid thanks to underfloor bracing on either side, promising better handling and stability.
As for what’s under the hood, this hatch is powered by a familiar 1.5-liter hybrid powertrain, the setup that Toyota claims can do over 30km/L.
No prices have been announced yet, but Toyota has confirmed that it will be available in Europe by the second quarter of next year. What’s your take on this new GR Sport model from Toyota?
