At the turn of the year, we were treated to news that a new GR Yaris was on the horizon for Toyota. Well, the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon is well underway, and it looks like the initial reports were true.
Welcome, ladies and gents, to the new Toyota GR Yaris. In its fourth year, the hot hatch has now gotten a refresh. See those blacked-out air intakes on the front bumper? There used to be a gap between the large grille and the intakes on the sides. Toyota has made these changes to improve cooling performance. A portion of the lower lip now also gets a black finish, and the small protruding bits were added to the sides.
At the rear, the taillamp stretches the width of the vehicle, illuminating the lower edge of that black panel on the door. Toyota has also added an opening on the lower garnish just under the bumper to reduce drag and improve aerodynamics. It also helps exhaust heat from the muffler below.
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Toyota has also drastically reworked the interior. While the overall design looks similar, the buttons have been repositioned for ease of use for the driver. The control panel has also been tilted 15 degrees towards the driver for better visibility and operability.
The facelift, surprisingly, comes with significant mechanical and technological upgrades. The 1.6-liter three-cylinder turbopetrol under the hood gets a significant boost, as it now churns out boasts 300hp and 400Nm of torque. What’s more, it can now be had with an eight-speed Gazoo Racing direct automatic transmission.
The GR Yaris now also comes with a drive-mode select function with Sport, Normal, and Eco modes available. Toyota has also added a ‘Circuit Mode’ for Japan-spec models, which unlocks the GR Yaris’ potential for racetrack use by overriding the speed limiter, maximizing fan output for better cooling, reducing turbo lag, and indicating optimal gear shifts.
So... should we call this a mid-cycle refresh? We’d like to believe there will be a next-generation model after this, so let’s call it so. You can check out more photos of it below.
More photos of the facelifted 2024 Toyota GR Yaris:
