GR Yaris - Rush Magazine long term review.

photo_ed · Feb 3, 2024

A great Rush mag long term write up about the GR Yaris here:

Hype Machine - Toyota GR Yaris Long Term Review

Uncover the real Toyota GR Yaris in this long-term review and high-performance assessment. Cutting through the hype, Kristian Spreckley delves into its dynamic attributes and assesses the unique ownership experience of the homologation hatch. Photography by Ben Midlane. HYPE – in the age of the...

www.rushmagazine.co.uk

Well worth a read, promise I'm not biased after the mentions of some of my favourite driving roads in the country throughout the article.

Also another good point raised, is the GR Yaris a 'hot hatch' in the traditional sense or is it a 'Rally Special'? An interesting question.

marrow · Feb 3, 2024

+ the photos are very impressive

big_joe · Feb 3, 2024

I really enjoyed that article, thanks. I must say, the upcoming new version with the improvements and seat height apparently sorted out (I'm 6ft6) is really interesting me, I think I'll give it a test when it arrives.

James__H · Feb 3, 2024

Great read! And on roads I know well.
The road from Bentham to the A65 has been resurfaced, a lovely mix of long corners and elevation.

I'm curious about the F4R engined red Clio mentioned....

Here's my red rocket in the same place (a bit fisheye...)

photo_ed · Feb 4, 2024

big_joe said:
I really enjoyed that article, thanks. I must say, the upcoming new version with the improvements and seat height apparently sorted out (I'm 6ft6) is really interesting me, I think I'll give it a test when it arrives.

I read a preview in EVO and they seemed to hint that the interior is an improvement, visibility-wise etc, the pics I've seen of the dashboard look a bit odd to me though, more like something you'd find in a commercial vehicle. Also I'd heard noises that it was going to be auto gearbox only, but the EVO article mentioned a manual as well, which is a relief for those of us who still like to swap cogs the old fashioned way.

They're an interesting car though for a modern, and that has to be applauded I think.

photo_ed · Feb 4, 2024

James__H said:
Great read! And on roads I know well.
The road from Bentham to the A65 has been resurfaced, a lovely mix of long corners and elevation.

I'm curious about the F4R engined red Clio mentioned....

Here's my red rocket in the same place (a bit fisheye...)

Great roads indeed James!

And the red Clio mentioned in the piece would no doubt be @Craig196 in his Trophy methinks..

Craig196 · Feb 5, 2024

Guilty as charged! Thank you for sharing @photo_ed

Two completely different ways of taking on Bowland's narrow, bumpy roads. As a former GR owner myself, you can't go wrong with either, and whilst I'm not a fan of the aesthetics of the dashboard on the forthcoming car, I do appreciate the reasoning behind it as the "OG" has some blind spots that can irritate. Would love a go in one

big_joe · Feb 6, 2024

Craig196 said:
Guilty as charged! Thank you for sharing @photo_ed

Two completely different ways of taking on Bowland's narrow, bumpy roads. As a former GR owner myself, you can't go wrong with either, and whilst I'm not a fan of the aesthetics of the dashboard on the forthcoming car, I do appreciate the reasoning behind it as the "OG" has some blind spots that can irritate. Would love a go in one

What's your thoughts on the GR Yaris vs Clio Trophy for B roading as an owner of both ?

Craig196 · Feb 9, 2024

big_joe said:
What's your thoughts on the GR Yaris vs Clio Trophy for B roading as an owner of both ?

Short answer is the Yaris is 100x times more capable and more impressive. But the Clio is more fun, and more expressive.

Bad rhyming aside, I never felt truly 'connected' to the Yaris. Don't get me wrong, those "wow" moments Kris talks about in the review are genuine. The sheer strength of the shell, the way the suspension soaks up literally anything the road can throw at it (better even than the famous Sachs) and when pushing the limit, the way the differentials pull the car around is just magical. The brakes are ridiculous, the gearshift is lovely and it's all backed up by that confidence of a potential 10-year warranty...Objectively it truly is a difficult car to fault.

However, it's too good at being a regular Yaris for me...it's too refined, and this is the crux of the matter for me...the car only comes alive when you're travelling at Mach 1. At my age, I'm now past the point in my life where it matters to be the fastest away from the traffic lights and undefeated master of the back roads. The routine of turning off the nagging suite of modern electronic "aids" also pissed me off on every journey. Subjectively, this is where the Clio lands its haymakers.

The Trophy just has a much bigger "bandwidth". Every junction, every roundabout is an opportunity. It never shuts up. Due to the noise and vibrations, my wife genuinely believes the Clio is the more accelerative car. You're always on the throttle longer in the Clio, yet still have the sensation of massive speed. You can cock a wheel into a tight corner but know that you can gather it all back up cleanly. The Trophy simply makes me smile more. The Clio's bandwidth is literally from 0-7,200 rpm.

I think Kris' comments towards the end of the article are very pertinent. Like him, I don't see the GR Yaris as a hot hatch. As Harry Metcalfe pointed out, it has a wheelbase longer than a 992 911. Take the optical illusion of the styling away, what you really have is a modern-day Subaru Impreza Turbo 2000. It's a planted car above anything else and can carry massive speed. People expecting the Yaris to change direction like a Clio 200 and have the grip and adjustability of an Evo 6 TME will be disappointed...but given all the praise, it's what they expect to drive.

I wrote three stories about my ownership of the Yaris, from the wow factor of the test drive and early ownership, a track day outing at Croft, and then finally the justification for selling up

photo_ed · Feb 9, 2024

A great insight and summary @Craig196 , great to hear your further thoughts on the GR and also some comparison notes regarding the Trophy of course.

I'm really intrigued by this feeling that is emerging around the GR being more akin to the old-school rally specials, the homologation cars of years gone by, and your mention of the size of the wheelbase is indeed telling. I've been watching them with interest the last couple of years as a little gaggle of GR's have started to become regulars at my favourite hillclimb. Now, I'm not wanting to do the GR a disservice, but they've always looked a little unwieldy on the tight confines of this particular course, much like the Impreza's and Evo's which compete and the relatively slow times have also puzzled me somewhat ( a well prepped and driven 1960's mini is a couple of seconds quicker up the hill..). I think having now read about your driving experience of the car and the way it performs has helped put some of the question marks I had into context.

big_joe · Feb 9, 2024

Craig196 said:
Short answer is the Yaris is 100x times more capable and more impressive. But the Clio is more fun, and more expressive.

Bad rhyming aside, I never felt truly 'connected' to the Yaris. Don't get me wrong, those "wow" moments Kris talks about in the review are genuine. The sheer strength of the shell, the way the suspension soaks up literally anything the road can throw at it (better even than the famous Sachs) and when pushing the limit, the way the differentials pull the car around is just magical. The brakes are ridiculous, the gearshift is lovely and it's all backed up by that confidence of a potential 10-year warranty...Objectively it truly is a difficult car to fault.

However, it's too good at being a regular Yaris for me...it's too refined, and this is the crux of the matter for me...the car only comes alive when you're travelling at Mach 1. At my age, I'm now past the point in my life where it matters to be the fastest away from the traffic lights and undefeated master of the back roads. The routine of turning off the nagging suite of modern electronic "aids" also pissed me off on every journey. Subjectively, this is where the Clio lands its haymakers.

The Trophy just has a much bigger "bandwidth". Every junction, every roundabout is an opportunity. It never shuts up. Due to the noise and vibrations, my wife genuinely believes the Clio is the more accelerative car. You're always on the throttle longer in the Clio, yet still have the sensation of massive speed. You can cock a wheel into a tight corner but know that you can gather it all back up cleanly. The Trophy simply makes me smile more. The Clio's bandwidth is literally from 0-7,200 rpm.

I think Kris' comments towards the end of the article are very pertinent. Like him, I don't see the GR Yaris as a hot hatch. As Harry Metcalfe pointed out, it has a wheelbase longer than a 992 911. Take the optical illusion of the styling away, what you really have is a modern-day Subaru Impreza Turbo 2000. It's a planted car above anything else and can carry massive speed. People expecting the Yaris to change direction like a Clio 200 and have the grip and adjustability of an Evo 6 TME will be disappointed...but given all the praise, it's what they expect to drive.

I wrote three stories about my ownership of the Yaris, from the wow factor of the test drive and early ownership, a track day outing at Croft, and then finally the justification for selling up

View attachment 33286

Thanks for that, that kind of backs up my assumptions on them. I've had Evos and Imprezas and found them too much to really enjoy on the road without doing very silly things. If a Yaris is the same kind of deal but presumably without the raw feeling that the older rally reps had then I don't think it's for me as a fun only car.