Toyota GR Yaris Gets Optional 8-Speed Auto, Rally Inspired Interior And Vertical Handbrake

The Tokyo Auto Salon kicked off today, and Toyota took the opportunity to unveil the facelifted version of the GR Yaris, which has been one of the most talked-about and pined-after performance cars of the past decade. Updates to the forbidden (to the U.S.) GR model include a styling overhaul, more power, improved ergonomics, an ‘80s-style rally inspired interior and an optional 8-speed automatic transmission, among other cool bits.

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With the updated GR Yaris, Toyota is placing an even bigger emphasis on its connections to motorsport, as well as how the Toyota Gazoo Racing teams directly influence vehicle development. The GR Yaris is used in a number of different motorsport series, from near-stock to highly modified rally cars, and these latest updates were created from a “Thanks for breaking it” approach:

As a symbol of TGR car-making, the GR Yaris was born through making ever-better motorsports-bred cars. TGR has continued to compete in various motorsports using the GR Yaris since the model’s launch in September 2020. That is because problems that occur in the extreme environments of rallies and other races provide opportunities to evolve the GR Yaris into an ever-better car. It has been implementing “driver-first car-making” through repeated “breaking and fixing” in extreme environments and reflecting feedback from professional race drivers and evaluation drivers, as well as from Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman and Master Driver Akio Toyoda, a.k.a. Morizo. This time, under the slogan of “Thanks for breaking it” directed at the drivers who pushed the vehicle to its limits, TGR reflected drivers’ opinions not only in the vehicle’s power unit but also in its body, interior, exterior, and elsewhere to comprehensively enhance vehicle performance. TGR honed the GR Yaris through constant enhancements, thoroughly pursuing the cause of problems by analyzing driving data, reviewing steering feel, and examining what kind of scratches and dirt were on broken parts.

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Toyota says the GR Yaris’ engine upgrades are “aiming to improve competitiveness in motorsport,” but it seems to me like it just gave the Yaris’s turbocharged 1.6-liter 3-cylinder engine the GR Corolla’s more powerful tune. The GR Yaris now makes 300 horsepower (up from 268) and 295 pound-feet of torque (up from 273), matching the Corolla in horsepower and besting it by 22 lb-ft.

Photo: Toyota

The biggest news is the optional single-clutch 8-speed Gazoo Racing Direct automatic transmission, which was introduced because of “Morizo’s desire to provide the fun of driving to as many people as possible and to expand the scope of motorsports.” Toyota says the automatic was developed by its WRC rally team, including in the Japanese Rally Championship and on snow-covered roads in Finland. Compared to the 6-speed manual the automatic only adds 44 extra pounds. It has close gear ratios that are optimal for the engine’s power band, and heat-resistant friction material in the clutch and special tuning to enable “world-class gear-shifting speeds.” The automatic also has some fun new software:

The automatic transmission control software used has been optimized for sporty driving. While conventional gear shifting relies on sensing vehicle behavior, such as deceleration g-force, speed, etc., the optimized software also delicately senses the way the driver steps on the brakes and operates the accelerator. By doing so, it anticipates when gear shifting is necessary even before changes in vehicle behavior occur, realizing gear selection that reflects the driver’s intentions and, thus, leading to gear selection that is similar to how professional drivers shift gears.

In addition to the automatic, the GR Yaris has some other great performance upgrades. Toyota increased the spot welds by 13 percent and added 24 percent more structural adhesive, which made the body more rigid, improving handling and ride quality. There are now three bolts fastening the shock absorbers to the body instead of one, further increasing responsiveness. Automatic cars get a standard transmission fluid cooler, and a “cooling package” is now offered that adds a cool air intake, an intercooler sprayer and a sub-radiator. The GR Yaris now has three different drive modes — Eco, Normal and Sport — as well as a GPS-enabled Circuit mode for track driving that enables anti-lag control, maximizes fan output and raises the car’s top speed limiter.

A new front bumper has larger intakes, tweaked aero elements for better cooling and steel grille mesh, and Toyota says the lower edges of the bumper can now be separated for easier repair in the event of damage occurred while rallying. The diffuser has also been redesigned, the LED headlights now have integrated foglights, and there’s a light bar running across the hatch.

Photo: Toyota

Inside is where the updated GR Yaris gets really cool. The dashboard has been completely redesigned and is now unique to the GR model, with Toyota saying race car drivers helped Toyota “achieve an ideal sports car cockpit.” The center screen is now canted 15 degrees toward the driver and is placed in a rectangular plastic surround that encapsulates the gauge cluster, climate controls and the rest of the driver’s zone. The whole thing reminds me of my favorite 1980s rally cars and ‘90s Japanese sports cars; it’s equally awesome and kinda strange. The gauge cluster is now a 12.3-inch screen with racing-inspired graphics, with other tweaks directly derived by racers’ feedback:

Featured new is a professional race driver-inspired 12.3-inch full-color TFT gauge display with a focus on visibility and the vehicle information necessary for sporty driving. In vehicles with the GAZOO Racing Direct Automatic Transmission, in addition to an automatic transmission oil temperature display, a visual warning has been added to the gear position display in the gauge display to augment the conventional sound-only alarm for better alerting the driver that downshifting is not possible due to overly high rpms. This change reflects requests from drivers who used a prototype vehicle in the Japanese Rally Championship and whose comments included calls for easy-to-understand warnings even during competitions in which helmets are worn.

Photo: Toyota

Toyota says the new interior design maximizes visibility, and different switches and controls were repositioned for ease of use. The driving position has been lowered by almost an inch, with the steering wheel adjusted accordingly. To further increase visibility, the rearview mirror has been moved up higher and the gauge cluster’s upper edge is almost two inches lower. The shift lever for the automatic is at the same height as the manual’s, and you pull to upshift and push to downshift like you would with a race car’s sequential transmission.

If you’re a real rally nerd, this next bit is for you. Auto-equipped cars get a handbrake that’s geared for rallying and gymkhana, but Toyota is also releasing an optional vertical handbrake. Available as a factory-installed part for the hardcore RC trim level, instead of being close to the driver’s elbow behind the shifter, the vertical handbrake is positioned right next to the shifter, close to the steering wheel. This enables quicker operation, and the taller vertical angle makes it easier to use.

Photo: Toyota

Sales of the updated GR Yaris will start this spring in Japan, and availability in Europe and other markets like Mexico will likely follow shortly thereafter. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that some of these enhancements will make their way to the GR Corolla we get in the U.S.