yaris
yaris

Oh, what a feeling — 200 ‘killer wasp’ Yaris

Riley Riley

There’ll be a few punters eyeing their bank balance in coming weeks, with news Toyota opens the order books on it’s killer 200kW GR Yaris next week.

And what will be spurring them on is the big, juicy carrot that the first 1000 examples will be offered for a mouth-watering $39,950 driveaway.

Due to arrive in November, it’s part of what Toyota describes as its emerging GR performance brand.

Toyota’s Sean Hanley said the sub-$40,000 on-road price will make GR Yaris the most affordable pure performance car on the market.

“Our no-holds-barred strategy will ensure GR Yaris appeals to an even greater number of fans as a genuine sports car that lives up to Toyota’s promise of making ever-better cars that are fun to drive,” he said.

Mr Hanley revealed a limited-edition GR Yaris Rallye will also be coming in the first half of next year, with upgrades that make it an even more focused, high-speed performance package designed for circuit racing.

Limited to 250 examples, it will include circuit-tuned suspension, Torsen limited-slip differentials on the front and rear axles, 18-inch BBS forged alloy wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres and red brake callipers.

“GR Yaris is the first all-Toyota sports car developed in more than 20 years – the car our global president Akio Toyoda dreamed of making,” he said.

“It was born from our success in the heat of motorsport – developed by Toyota Gazoo Racing in collaboration with Tommi Mäkinen Racing, our title-winning World Rally Championship (WRC) team.

“This partnership has brought motorsport design and technology directly to GR Yaris, which is our first homologation model for WRC competition since the end of production of the Celica GT-Four in 1999.

“You can expect the lessons we’ve learnt and the agility spearheaded by this ‘born from WRC’ approach to be incorporated into the development of future Toyota models.”

yaris
200kW all-wheel drive GR Yaris

With a 200kW and 370Nm of torque, 1.6-litre three cylinder turbo, all-wheel drive and a power-to-weight ratio of 156kW per tonne,  GR Yaris accelerates from 0-100km/h in 5.2 seconds.

It is designed to go head to head with the likes of Honda’s Civic Type R, VW Golf R and Renault Megane RS — all with a price-tag of $50,000 plus.

After the first 1000 cars have been sold, the price will revert to $49,500 plus on road costs.

Orders can be placed through Toyota dealers, starting from midday AEST on Wednesday, 23 September.

Power is delivered by a new compact and lightweight 200kW/370Nm 1.6-litre three-cylinder engine that features a single-scroll ball-bearing turbo.

Motorsport technologies designed for maximum performance include multi-oil jet piston cooling, large-diameter exhaust valves and a part-machined intake port.

The DOHC 12-valve engine is mated to an intelligent six-speed manual gearbox, turbocharged engine through a slick six-speed manual gearbox, engineered to accommodate high torque levels.

Performance brakes are 356mm x 28mm ventilated front discs with four-pot callipers and 297mm x 18mm ventilated rear discs with two-pot callipers. The system has been engineered to cope with rigorous demands of high-speed track driving.

Standard equipment includes a comprehensive Toyota Safety Sense package, auto air-conditioning, keyless smart entry and start, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and 8-speaker JBL sound system.

GR Yaris is also fitted with a rear spoiler, sports seats with suede and leather accents, aluminium pedals and dual exhaust tips.

 

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