2018 Toyota Yaris GRMN At The Race Track – Video
The Yaris GRMN establishes Toyota as a key player in the European performance hatchback market, a car that is precision-engineered to provide the best possible driving experience.
Inspired by Toyota’s return to top-flight motorsport in the FIA World Rally Championship, it shares design cues with Yaris WRC – the car that has already taken TOYOTA GAZOO Racing to the winner’s podium in the team’s first year of competition.
A development team based close to the famous Nürburgring focused on giving the car superb dynamic performance, whether driven on the track, or on public roads. Its performance quality is broadcast by its lightweight 17-inch BBS alloy wheels, larger brakes with visible white callipers, central oval tailpipe and a bespoke exterior finish that displays Toyota GAZOO Racing’s white, black and red competition colours. Under the bonnet is a 1.8-litre Dual VVT-i engine that produces DIN 212 hp/156 kW and benefits from a supercharger, a feature unique among B-segment performance hatchbacks.
The successful application of the supercharged engine helps the Yaris GRMN meet its development goal of high-level performance and maximum responsiveness to the driver’s inputs. Close scrutiny to weight-saving in the car’s design helped secure a class-leading power to weight ratio of 5.35 kg per 1 hp.
Its agile handling is supported by a reinforced chassis, stiffened and lowered suspension, Sachs Performance shock absorbers and a Torsen limited-slip differential – a feature rare among B-segment hot hatches. Large, ventilated front disc brakes with four-piston callipers supplied by ADVICS provide powerful, controllable stopping performance.
The Yaris GRMN’s authentic sports car quality is witnessed in a cabin that features bespoke sports seats, designed by specialists Toyota Boshoku to provide best-in-class support and body-holding, and a small-diameter steering wheel, taken from the GT86 coupe and modified to suit the Yaris’ unique interior styling, including a rally-inspired centring line.
Not only is this the first GRMN model to be launched in Europe, it is being built in Europe too, at Toyota Motor Manufacturing France’s Valenciennes plant (TMMF). Production has been successfully integrated into the same assembly line as the standard Yaris, with each GRMN car put together by a dedicated team comprising the factory’s most experienced technicians. Its limited production – just 400 examples are being produced for European customers – will add an extra dimension of exclusivity to its appeal as a truly performance-focused car.