Toyota PH Confirms Arrival Of GR Yaris Hot Hatch

Stop whatever you’re doing right now because Toyota Motor Philippines has just confirmed via their Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippines Facebook page that the highly-anticipated Toyota GR Yaris is finally coming to the Philippines. This is definitely not a drill!

 

As of this moment, the social media post does not mention the exact date we’ll be getting the hot hatch. We also do not know what will be its features and whether it will include the optional Torsen limited-slip differential (LSD) that can theoretically send up to 100 percent of the power to the rear wheels. Whatever the case, the GR Yaris will definitely be one of the most highly-anticipated high-performance cars in the Philippines this year.

Once the Toyota GR Yaris gets sold here, we suspect that it will be priced along the lines of the Subaru WRX STI or Honda Civic Type R, which should be around P2.9 to P3.1 million.

As a recap, the Toyota GR Yaris is supposed to be a homologation model in order for Toyota to compete in the 2021 season of the FIA World Rally Championship. It is based on the Japanese and European Yaris that utilizes Toyota’s TNGA platform, which in turn is completely unrelated to the Yaris sold in our region.

However, the GR Yaris is actually closer to the rally car than the standard Yaris. As a matter of fact, the only thing that the GR Yaris shares with the standard Yaris is the headlights, taillights, wing mirrors, and sharkfin antenna. Everything else is completely bespoke to this hot hatch, including the carbon fiber roof and aluminum hood, trunk, and doors.

While the front half of the car is a modified version of the standard Yaris’ platform, the rear half actually comes from the Corolla. As a result, the rear track of the GR Yaris is much wider and it features an independent double-wishbone suspension rather than the JDM and European Yaris’ torsion beam suspension.

Under the hood of the GR Yaris is currently the most powerful production three-cylinder engine in the world. It’s an all-new 1.6-liter direct-injected and turbocharged gasoline engine that produces 261 hp and 360 Nm of torque. It is then mated to a 6-speed manual with an automatic rev-matching function. With this powertrain, the GR Yaris can sprint from zero to 100 kph in as little as 5.6 seconds, all the way to a top speed of 230 kph.

Power is sent through a bespoke GR-Four 4WD system that can vary its torque distribution. In Normal mode, the base front/rear torque distribution is 60:40. In Sport mode, the balance shifts to the rear with a 30:70 distribution. Lastly, in Track mode, the base setting is 50:50 for fast, competitive driving on circuits or special stages. Though regardless of the mode, the torque balance will automatically adjust in response to the driver’s inputs, vehicle behavior, and road or track conditions.