Hotter Toyota GRMN Yaris revealed

The covers have come off a hotter version of the Toyota GR Yaris at the Tokyo Auto Salon following teasers earlier in the week.

Dubbed the Toyota GRMN Yaris as expected, it incorporates a number of upgrades developed in the heat of competition, namely the Super Taikyu racing series and Japanese Rally Championship.

Indeed, Toyota calls the hottest ever factory Yaris “a fully tuned model of the GR Yaris that has gone through rigorous refinement with professional drivers”.

No engine modifications for the 1.6-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder engine are mentioned, but the claimed 200kW/390Nm outputs represent a 20Nm peak torque increase over than the standard GR Yaris.

Making better use of this power are a close-ratio gearbox and shorter final drive, which improve acceleration.

Whereas the standard GR Yaris runs to 61/96/141/186km/h in gears one to four, the GRMN shortens this to 62/90/126/172km/h. The gears are also made of stronger material and a new clutch added to cope with competition driving.

Body rigidity is increased thanks to greater use of spot welds and structural adhesive, while weight has dropped 20kg courtesy of a carbon bonnet and rear spoiler plus the removal of the rear seats, which also allows for the fitment of a body reinforcement brace.

Other enhancements include mechanical limited-slip differentials front and rear, replacing the Torsen units of the GR Yaris Rallye, plus bucket seats, new dials, a 10mm ride height drop and 10mm width increase.

Buyers will also be able to choose from a pair of competition focused option packs, the Circuit Package and Rally Package.

The former adds dedicated 18-inch BBS wheels, adjustable Bilstein dampers, larger brakes and a bodykit, while the latter uses unique shocks, a roll bar and underbody protection designed for off-road use.

The bad news is that these enhancements won’t come cheap. Converting the quoted Japanese prices to Australian dollars results in figures of $88,372 for the GRMN Yaris, $101,196 for the Rally Package and $102,261 for the Circuit Package.

Further bad news is that Toyota’s spicier hot hatch won’t be coming to Australia, at least through official channels, with only 500 to be sold via a lottery system in its Japanese domestic market.

A Toyota Australia spokesperson told carsales: “Toyota Australia is aware of local consumers’ strong appetite for high performance vehicles and particularly hatches and will continue to bring as many exciting new products to our market as possible.”