Reviving the magic of homologation specials, the Toyota Yaris Gazoo Racing (GR) is the closest you can get to driving an actual WRC-spec rally car, every day. A special car for so many reasons, the Yaris GR is only available in a 3-door form and although it looks like an everyday Yaris, it borrows only a few parts from the standard car. The trouble is, it’s only available in Japan, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, and Malaysia.
While we can only lick our screens and imagine what it would be like to drive one, someone got behind the wheel of this mad-hatter and summoned his Group-B skills. Or we don’t know if it was too much of Dirt Rally. Anyways, watch the video and you’ll know.
Powering the Yaris GR is a 1.6-litre three-pot motor which is turbocharged and develops 260+ hp and about 370 Nm of torque. All that power is sent to all four wheels via a 6-speed iMT gearbox, which helps this pocket bomb to go from 0 to 100 kmph in about 5.2 seconds. The rush continues until the car hits an electronically-limited 230 kmph.
The GR Yaris offers three modes where power can be distributed to the front and rear axles in variable ratios. There’s Track (50:50), Sport (30:70) and Normal (60:40), which let the driver tailor the car’s behaviour according to mood and driving conditions. The car’s lightweight 4WD system features a high-response coupling and electronic clutch to balance torque between front and rear axles. When braking into corners, torque is sent to the rear wheels to inspire more confidence in the driver.
Where the standard model comes fitted with an open differential, the car is also available with a Circuit Pack which brings front and rear Torsen limited-slip differentials (LSD) into the picture. There’s something about these rally-inspired monsters which make them more exciting than any glazed exotica which comes out of Italy. It’s probably the fact that it’s like a simple screwdriver which can transform into dynamite.