IMOTO: TOYOTA GR YARIS
I found myself laughing to myself, not because I was making money, but because I was happy with the fun of the Toyota GR Yaris I was driving.
You know there are cars that seem to talk to you when you drive them and make you feel what you want them to do at that moment.
The GR Yaris is one of them and it makes me wonder how Toyota managed to get so much power from a three cylinder engine.
When it first arrived in South Africa, this 1.6 liter turbo petrol engine had a power of 198kW that could take it from 0 to 100km/h in 5.5 seconds.
This time they have increased to 210kW and 400Nm torque. And the time it takes to reach 100km/h has decreased to 5.2 even though its weight has increased slightly to 1,300kg.
After all, the gearbox installed here is an 8 speed GAZOO Racing Direct Automatic Transmission that you know what it is because it changes smoothly at the right time. If I want to stick to one, I change with pedal shifters or in this gear. I know a lot of people like to hold back on changing gears in cars of this type, but I’m not complaining about this gearbox. It is also available with a 6 speed automatic.
How fast it is to get up to speed, you can hear that they don’t make any preparations at Toyota at this time that they say it takes 100km/h.
If you are not really paying attention, “Good RTIs” can always point you to the side and you are driving at an unauthorized speed because the speed is easily increased.
I don’t care if you go with Eco, Normal or Sport, it’s the same.
In corners it goes where you point it with the light steering and it helps with all-wheel traction as well as Torsen® limited-slip differentials front and rear.
Its fun is disappointed by the smallness of the 50 liter petrol tank which can keep you in the garage.
I traveled 363km and it revealed that there was still another 56km to go and it was full of dead people. At that time the consumption was not bad as it was 9.8l/100km.
The automatic gearbox made it easy to drive in traffic and the left foot rest is large.
Being a speed car, it tends to be more sensitive to bumps and is complemented by smaller wheels with 18 inch rims. I have also heard that the airfowl likes to be bigger inside because of the frameless windows.
The seats are slightly lowered so you sit closer to the road.
I liked that they included safety features such as warning when there is a car on the side, helping you stay in the lane as well as adaptive cruise control.
The way it is built, it is difficult to try to look around to see if there is a car in the blind spot.
Glancing in the mirror just shows you her big hips in the back.
Inside it accommodates four passengers although the back space is as small as the boot.
The front seats hold you as if you’re in a hug.
The touchscreen infotainment system has been made to look towards the driver and is different from other Toyota cars in the local market. It shows the background when you park, connect a mobile phone with Apple CarPlay even though it was troublesome, and play the radio.
The GR Yaris has no peers in this country because others are bigger than it, you can even compare it with the GR Corolla.
However, for its price you can get a fully equipped VW Golf GTI 8.5 with an increased power of 195kW.
Price:
GR Yaris Rally AT – R971 300
It comes with a service plan of nine services or 90,000m and a warranty of three years or 100,000km.