b) still very much a Yaris inside
Cars like this are always bland inside because it's not where they've spent the money. Have you ever been in a Lancia Delta or the aforementioned Escort Cosworth? They're crap and they sell for vastly inflated sums of money.
If you want a posh interior you buy a luxury car. This is the kind of car where you pull everything out to fit a roll cage and bucket seats.
It's the aspiration of function over form, with genuine motorsport roots that's exciting. It helps that it's probably the best bang-for-buck you can buy new today. Most fast cars are a more product of marketing than engineering but this bucks the trend. If you need a car to project an image, it's probably not for you.
I owned a couple of Toyota Celica GT4s (their last 4wd turbo homologated vehicles, some are 30 years old now) and this is the first time since then I've thought a new car this interesting. Apparently Plato did laps Celica GT4 vs GR Yaris for an upcoming Fifth Gear and the Yaris smashed the time with a similar power output.
I would imagine the range of the battery would be about 100,000 miles.
This is excellent and I feel it was missed.
Too much grip is good, I've got a 330bhp RWD BMW and it's shit off the lights.
DaveyBoyWonder
Free Membera) £30k for the base model without nav etc
b) still very much a Yaris inside
I think this is partly a Japanese vs European thing... Here, we kind of expect expensive cars to have nice interiors and toys. In Japan they see performance and luxuriousness as being two separate things- you can have both but it's not the default.
So, frinstance. I have 2 Subaru Legacies of the same age, UKDM and JDM. Both cars get the exact same Bilstein suspension upgrades and make about the same power (UK is 3 litre n/a, JDM is 2 litre turbo) The UK Spec B has an upgraded interior with computer, upgraded stereo, satnav, heated leather seats, etc, 18 inch wheels. The JDM one was more expensive to buy new, and they do the exact same job, but has the exact same interior and stereo as the cheapest spec Legacy you could buy, and rather boring 17s.(to me, that's an upgrade but the world has fallen for big wheels) It doesn't even get cruise control or steering wheel stereo controls.
If you put the JDM model out in the UK literally every review would say "Great engine but £23000 (in 2004 money) for an estate car with poverty spec seats? MADNESS". But the Japanese market absolutely lapped it up.
a) £30k for the base model without nav etc
I suppose satnav would be useful in a rally car as you could get rid of that pesky co driver shouting instructions at you all the time along with losing the 80kg of weight.
Mmmmm...It’s awd for a start which is boring. Do you remember the similar hype around the gt86? Those things are just slow.
Fantombiker have you driven either of them?
I'm a biker as well and I can tell you the Yaris is a masterpiece of engineering and it is motorbike quick and it certainly isn't boring.
It’s awd for a start which is boring
This isn't your grannies Vag Haldex system though is it. It's permanent not on-demand for a start, Bias can be adjusted from front to rear either 60/40, 50/50, or 30/70 - and in the circuit pack is combined with a Torsen LSD. That 30/70 setting should see you right for a more rear biased cornering adjustability. The remarkable thing they've done is combined all the above with a solid suspension setup and it still comes in at around 1280 Kg - if it was pushing 1500kg like a golf R then it wouldn't be so interesting.
Mmmmm…It’s awd for a start which is boring. Do you remember the similar hype around the gt86? Those things are just slow.
It's boring in a VW or Audi shopping trolley but it's certainly not boring when you can light up all four tyres.
Have you ever driven a GT86? Standard models are underpowered and make a crap noise but they're magic to drive.
Just been across the town and I see there’s a new GR Yaris in white sitting next to a mates scallop boat at the harbour (kirkcudbright, Galloway), time to call him to see who’s it is and get a run out in it before it gets written off (fisherman & fast cars round here usually end up in fields)
Decent drag race on the carwow YouTube channel today - Golf GTI vs Ford Focus ST vs Skoda Octavia vRS
Golf a clear winner even though the Ford has quite a bit more power.
OP - do you now have a GR ? How is it going ?
Currently on 500 miles, haven't given it the full beans yet but what a car.
It has an ability to safely overtake. 😜
It's the years of bangernomics that has allowed me to buy one, life's too short and all that b******.
Never wanted a new car as much as I'd like a GR (I'll have a white one please!)
Alas, my 14 year VW caddy will have to do.
May offend some, driving on a public road.
But.
😱😱😱
OP interested to know how you get on . I’ve been looking at Porsche Boxters for similar money, but this is a potential option.
The only bit that worries me that people are saying it’s like an old Impreza which is good in some ways but you had to be a very capable driver to have fun in that without killing yourself.
Does it stick to the road like glue or actually move around a bit?
That vid - he knows what he’s doing , unlike most of us 😂
Recently got a shot of an M2 Competition. Knew I shouldn’t as the comedown would be horrendous after it, I wasn’t mistaken. Now trying to work out how to get fun cat back in my life...... 😩
a) £30k for the base model without nav etc
Who gives a toss about installed satnav in a performance orientated car? If the infotainment system has CarPlay, it’ll run satnav from your phone, or else just stick the phone to the screen like I did for 100,000 miles driving for BCA.
We’ve had a couple of Focus ST’s in for repair, 16-plate models, and they’re really basic inside, about the same as an equivalent year EcoSport or Fiesta - again, money is spent on the really important engineering, nobody has ever bought something like this Yaris, or a Caterham, or one of the performance Renaults, and complained about the lack of luxury toys in the cockpit.
like I did for 100,000 miles driving for BCA
You drove for BCA? You never mentioned.... 😉
For me the entertainment in driving a vehicle fast is getting it to or towards its limits. Vehicles with fantastic performance like this you really cannot do so on a public road unless you really are a driving god and prepared to risk serious jailtime and if something does go wrong then the consequences are much worse
An old mini is a much less good car dynamically but ordinary mortals can feel they are getting it to its limits on roads without doing stupid speeds
My old BSA footrests to the ground throttle wide open in 3rd felt fast as eff. The same corner I could take faster on my BMW and feel nothing like the thrill.
this is a large part of the reason I stopped riding motorbikes - it was all going to end in tears one way or another
Could any of you use a car like the Yaris to anything like its potential or are you going to end up with a dull experience simply because you can get nowhere near its limits?
Having no grip isn't about drifting every corner it's about arriving and being able to choose which end of the car has grip and adjusting that using the throttle, brakes and steering. Practicing that is the most fun part of driving imo. But the key is you can do it at a slow enough speed that if you then spot a hazard you can cut the fun in a safe distance. One of the best cars I've driven for that is a Citroen c1. Slow af but hella entertaining on the right road.
Maybe on a bike forum it's easier to understand in bike terms... I make the same decision on my MTB - good grippy tyre up front but just a ground control out back so the lariness can be had at a safer speed
Yes TJ proper dull that's what it is.
Your words are wise but without a hint of wisdom.
Its my experience that the best handling and fastest vehicles I have ridden / driven only become fun at ludicrous speeds. could you drive a car like the superduper yaris to anywhere near its limit?
Probably the best handling / fastest thing I have ever ridden / driven was my mates gsxr 7/11 streetfighter I was riding it on the torque ie midrange revs in 3rd and 4th on a nice twisty road. I was getting to grips with it nicely and I thought just cruising nowhere near its limits. I looked at the speedo to see 90+ mph as the front wheel lifted. I never got anywhere near its limits. I didn't dare to enter the top 1/3 of the rev range.
I personally find it more fun to be able to take a vehicle right thru its rev range with the throttle wide open, I like to be able to think I have got close to its limits. I find that more rewarding
Mayvbe you do track days? maybe you can find fun driving at 15% of the vehicles capability, mnaybe you are enough of a drivbing god to get to its limits on the road?
I was asking questions and describinbg my own experiences
Now tell me - can you thrash a vehicle like that on the road or not? do you find it fun to drive at 15% of the vehicles ability?
Now tell me – can you thrash a vehicle like that on the road or not?
can you or should you...
I had a test booked for one just before Xmas, but it got cancelled due to going into tier 4, will have to wait until it’s over now. Booked it by going into Toyota dealer and just asking about it.
Owned a evo 7 for last 11 years, want to see how it compares, as for the people saying evo’s need a lot of maintenance, in 11yrs mine has had 2 cam belts and a oil change every year so it’s been very good in that respect.
Too much grip is good, I’ve got a 330bhp RWD BMW and it’s shit off the lights.
Actually I'd agree, my 951 has similar power but no mod cons, like abs or traction control coupled with eighties turbo lag etc so a car like the Yaris will be better in every way on our variable grip road surfaces.
Can you still have fun without breaking the law?
Dunno not driven one, but I'd like to.
I'm tempted by one of these as well.
Going to book a test drive one lockdown is over.
I've moved out of an E46 M3, which at its limit (or mine) slid around everywhere on demand. Input, feedback, sound... all an absolute pleasure. Grip, speed... hmmm not the fast motor i've owned.
Jumped into a DC5 integra after and its like a go kart. lift off oversteer on tap and the noise is on par with the M3 (almost). As involved as the M3... not really, quicker over my fav bit of road... 100%. So my point...
My worry with the GR is that its like my current toy but further refined. Most of us aren't Ari Vatanen standard, but sensible speeds, a good whip is exactly that. My bangernomics Focus estate bike box which cost me £600 last year was a hoot at max chat (circa 40mph). All relative i guess.
I watched a vid on the car last night and the guy reviewing said even in 30/70 it had too much grip to be fun to drive on the road. Doesn’t mean it’s not very very rapid but I guess it depends what people want in a car.
I’m going to test drive one when I can, but I’m reality the monthly payments put it in the same category as thinks like Porsche.
Edit: The vid was the one linked above in the black car
I still haven't seen one in the flesh but that's not too surprising given my current daily routine. I'm surprised by the lukewarm reception to be honest. I thought the car would be a little more lairy and people seem disappointed that it isn't slithering all over the place at B-road speeds.
It's the aftermarket tuners that will release this cars full potential and I look forward to whistling turbos and 4 wheel drifts.
I'm still in the honeymoon period with the Fiesta PE but maybe I'll take a look in a couple of years.
Just had a quick look on the toyota used cars site to see whether any of these are hitting the second hand market yet - there's only one listed and they want £39k for it!
Anyone know what the current lead time is for a new one?
I really want to like this car, its got a lot about it that that should appeal to enthusiasts, but I just wonder whether it'll be similar to my old audi s3, bonkers fast on the road in almost any conditions, but terminally dull. I have no idea how a car that fast could be so dull.
but I just wonder whether it’ll be similar to my old audi s3, bonkers fast on the road in almost any conditions, but terminally dull.
Nothing can be as dull as an Audi.
I’ve not driven one but all the press people who drive it appear to have genuine smiles on their faces.
That Yaris GR looks great fun - and surprisingly affordable on finance according to the targeted ads popping up in my Facebook feed! Wether it's fun at everyday road speeds is a different matter, may feel too refined?
I'm making do with this Type-R for the time being - I bought it on a whim at the beginning of December for just over £3k as a stop-gap car but I'm really liking it and may keep it for a good while longer. Feels fun and 'skippy' even at slow speeds, and that VTEC engine is great! 🙂
I also like it because it is pretty basic - but I've made the dangerous step of lurking on Type-R forums now and an HKS Racing Air Intake may make it's way onto the car. 😬
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and surprisingly affordable on finance according to the targeted ads popping up in my Facebook feed!
Depends on what you call affordable!
Headline of £300 per month + £8,000 deposit- no thanks who wants to Chuck 8k away!
Getting the deposit down to a more reasonable level approx £2k - payments up to £538pm!
Have you ever been in a Lancia Delta
Unit next to us does sign writing, vinyl wraps etc. They had a Delta in, the full fat version. It was up for sale for £80k but the owner would throw in the spare set of wheels for that.
The interior wasn't out of the standard road version, there's a bazillion gauges and they're all cranked over so the needles are in your eyeline. It's basic, but not the same interior as your grandad Yaris sort of basic. More, bits of webbing where the door handles used to be basic.
Love the idea of the GR Yaris: very much my sort of car although I still reckon more than necessary for road use. But still far beyond financial reality for me - currently driving a rusty 15 year old Vauxhall/Aussie coupe 🙂
But if I was spending £30k on a new car that'd be up there along with the gawdawful-looking Civic Type R. evo magazine placed the GR Yaris 4th in their Car Of The Year ranking, just ahead of a Ferrari F8 Tributo and only beaten by the Lambo Huracan, McLaren 765LT and BMW M2 CS. Not bad.
Harrys garage test of the Yaris
The fun of any vehicle like this is track days - you can’t drive them quickly on public roads in any way that is safe to other road users - and it’s not a particularly good track car
