One of this year’s most anticipated performance hatchbacks, the Toyota GR Yaris, is set to be launched in South Africa this year. To whet our appetites Toyota SA is releasing a series of videos showing prominent racing drivers putting the new hatch through its paces on various race circuits.
The first of these puts us in the driver’s seat with Toyota GTC touring car driver Micheal van Rooyen at the Aldo Scribante circuit in Gqeberha, which is known for its off-camber kinks and high-speed sweeps.
“The speed that you can carry with this car is just incredible,” Van Rooyen enthused, after commenting on how similar the GR Yaris feels to a race car, and how it gives drivers the confidence to brake really late.
Of course, the Toyota GR Yaris was essentially designed to be something of a rally car for the road. Created to homologate Toyota’s next WRC contender, the chassis looks nothing like the one you’ll find under your regular Yaris. It’s got an all-wheel drive system that can send up to 70 percent of the torque to the back wheels and there’s a completely redesigned suspension system that replaces the rear torsion beam with a multi-link set-up.
To save weight, many of the body components, including the doors, bonnet and tailgate are made from aluminium.
Power comes from a 1,6-litre three-cylinder turbopetrol engine that produces 200 kW at 6 500 r/min and 370 N.m from 3 000 revs, and 0-100 km/h comes up in just 5,2 seconds, according to claims.
Pricing and final specifications for the Toyota GR Yaris will be announced closer to launch.