GR Yaris Rally: The pocket rocket just got sharper

NEED a track toy that’s also an everyday runabout? Then the updated Toyota GR Yaris Rally is just the right thing.

- Willem van de Putte

Taking feedback from owners and Toyota Gazoo Racing, the hatchback pocket rocket that accounts for 38% of all GR model sales locally, delivers more power, better handling and advanced driver-focused technology.

Automatic gearbox

It features a new eight-speed Gazoo Racing Direct Automatic Transmission that was developed for performance driving and tested under demanding tally conditions, including the Japan Rally Championship.

Toyota says it delivers rapid, intelligent gear changes that anticipate driver behaviour and adapt to the intensity of driving, and its predictive software optimises shift timing under full-throttle acceleration.

These are the same cars that we have been racing in the GR Cup this season, and from personal experience, I can tell you that it’s not an idle boast.

The box is super slick, and when you're doing 225km/h before stomping on the brakes to go into a sharp right-hander at the East London Grand Prix circuit, it blips down to the correct gear before smoothly changing up and down again around the track.

You also have the option of using the paddle shifters.

Potent three-cylinder engine