Name: 2020 Toyota GR Yaris 1.6T in Malaysia, How Is The Rear Legroom?!
Uploaded: 2020-12-24T20:25:39
Description: 2020 Toyota GR Yaris 1.6T in Malaysia, How Is The Rear Legroom?!

Overview
Exterior
Interior
Features
Powertrain
Driving Performance
Ride Comfort
Fuel Consumption
Conclusion

Overview
Toyota GR Yaris – Overview
The Toyota GR Yaris, almost every motoring reviewer or journalist who has driven it gives it the full score. Looks great, a punchy engine and a chassis that just keeps on gripping. The fun-to-drive sensation is strong here too, making everything else from Honda, Volkswagen and Renault feel clinical.
For the Malaysian market, UMW Toyota is only offering the full package- Toyota GR Yaris with Performance Package. As the name suggests, this package comes with beefier suspension setting, a thicker front anti-roll bar, forged 18-inch BBS wheels wrapped in 225/40R18 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres and a Torsen limited-slip differential in the front and rear axles.
While it is priced at RM 286,896, there is no direct competitor to the Toyota GR Yaris in Malaysia, as the Volkswagen Golf R Mk 7.5 has long been discontinued, while the new generation is not for sale yet. The Renault Megane RS 300 is now priced at RM 326,477 while the Audi RS3 and Honda Civic Type R are not available in Malaysia. At the higher end of the scale are the BMW M135i xDrive at RM 355,646.25 and the Mercedes-AMG A35 4Matic at RM 366,785.05.
Included in the local UMW Toyota sales package for the 127 lucky customers is an Early Bird Package that will see buyers receive an exclusive helmet bag, a GR Yaris scale model and entry to a GR Yaris Driving Experience - all of which is said to be worth RM 5,000.
Exterior
Toyota GR Yaris – Exterior
The main change is the move from a five-door to a three-door hatchback body. The GR Yaris is the only model in the new Yaris range (Japan, Australia and European markets only) to use this redesign, appropriate for WRC competition where the regulations stipulate no changes may be made or aerodynamic elements added to the doors.
In order to maximise aerodynamic efficiency and performance, the roof tapers down by 95 mm compared to the regular Yaris model. The GR WRC racing team also say this droop also allows maximum downforce when a giant rear wing is eventually fitted to the racing car in 2022.
Length
3,995 mm
Width
1,805 mm
Height
1,455 mm
Wheelbase
2,560 mm
The roof panel features a new method of constructing carbon fibre panel called Carbon Sheet Moulding Compound, where short fibre sheets are forged in a die that allows faster manufacturing time and more reasonable cost.
The doors, bonnet and tailgate are lightweight aluminium which contributes to 10% of the bodyshell's weight.

Overall, the entire GR Yaris body is bespoke, as only the front and rear LED lights and side mirrors are carried over from the five-door hatchback. As mentioned earlier, the GR Yaris in Malaysia comes with forged 18-inch BBS alloy wheels wrapped in 225/40R18 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres.
Interior
Toyota GR Yaris – Interior
Dashboard
The dashboard is a simple layout, as used in the hatchback but treated with more GR-ness. Bezels are now painted in dark smoke silver and UMW Toyota has also placed the serial number at the centre of the dashboard.
One of the criticisms with the dashboard is the infotainment system. This version of the Yaris has a dashboard that was designed with an integrated free-standing touchscreen display, which is not offered to Malaysia even as a GR Yaris model. Thus, an available touchscreen display from a Toyota Vios and Yaris was used, but a huge cover is needed to properly fit the conventional DIN-unit.
These are only unsightly things you only notice in photographs, as once you sit in the driver’s seat, everything feels well laid out and built.
The entire lower console has been raised to provide the best ergonomic movement and natural feel from holding the steering and shift lever.
The Toyota GR Yaris features properly sized and positioned foot pedals for natural heel-and-toe execution and ultimately the optimum driving position to operate and feel the GR Yaris.
Instrument cluster
The Toyota GR Yaris comes with a classic analogue combination meter with a moderately sized 4.2-inch colour display in the middle.
The display does have useful readouts such as the oil pressure and oil temperature gauge plus a turbo boost meter.
The instrument cluster is also complemented by a head-up display (HUD). It is the same unit as found in the larger Toyota Camry 2.5, which focuses more on displaying the operating status of the Toyota Safety Sense systems.
Space and practicality
The 3-door hatchback Toyota GR Yaris seats four persons. As for space, the boot is a tiny 174 litres. Beneath the boot floor lies the 12-volt battery. There is no spare tyre in the Toyota GR Yaris.
Toyota says, with the 60:40-split rear seats folded down, one can still fit four rubber tyres, I guess to carry home from the tyre shop.
Features
Toyota GR Yaris – Features
Safety features
There are six airbags in the Toyota GR Yaris. Even though the GR Yaris will spend many memorable moments on windy roads and at Sepang circuit, UMW Toyota has included the Toyota Safety System.
It is updated with most of the ADAS system, like Dynamic Radar Cruise control, Lane Tracing Assist and Pre-Collision system. The reverse camera is very helpful too, as the sloping roof and tiny rear windscreen limits visibility.

One special feature in the Toyota GR Yaris is its “Expert mode” one-touch ADAS off switch. Under this Expert mode, all ADAS features are turned off in one simple step of just pressing the VSC switch rather than turning off the front radar and lane camera individually. Expert mode turns off VSC and TRC function, but brake and engine controls may be intervened depending on vehicle behaviour.
Comfort features
Standard features include smart entry and start system, an idle start-stop enhanced dual-zone air-conditioning system, auto-dimming rear-view mirror and rain-sensing automatic wipers.
The front seats feature sports seats with plenty of bolstering around the upper as well as lower body. They are wrapped with perforated Ultrasuede-synthetic leather combination and feel properly sporty.
Infotainment
The Toyota GR Yaris comes with a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone support. As the head-unit is locally fitted, is it essentially the same item found in the Toyota Vios and Yaris models due to the space available for the system.
A sporty engine sound is a key part of the GR driving experience. In the GR Yaris, the effect is heightened by a control sound directed through the sound system’s amplifier to enhance the quality of the engine note. Meanwhile, the opposite for quieter highway drives is done via the Active Noise Control. The system uses a microphone to detect noise generated by engine rotation; cancelling noise is calculated by computer and output through the car’s audio speakers
Powertrain
Toyota GR Yaris – Powertrain
Engine
The turbocharged three-cylinder engine displacing just 1.6-litres generates 261 PS at 6,500 rpm and 360 Nm of torque from 3,000 to 4,600 rpm. It is the world’s most powerful three-cylinder engine and also the smallest and lightest 1.6 turbo.
Key features in the engine include piston with multi oil-cooling jets, dual-path fresh air intake ducting with a large air filter casing, ball-bearing turbocharger and D-4S port and direct fuel injection system.

The G16E-GTS engine is bespoke just for the GR Yaris, as it does not share anything from the 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine from the regular Yaris hatchback.
Due to the high-performance nature of the turbocharged engine, Toyota recommends the usage of RON 98 petrol.
Transmission
Enthusiasts rejoice! The transmission is a six-speed manual transmission with auto-rev matching feature called iMT. The ratios are properly calibrated to ensure the most power from the operating engine range in every gear.
Chassis
The bodyshell of the Toyota GR Yaris gets a lot of spot welding than a regular Yaris hatchback, together with added lengths of structural adhesives for joint rigidity.
The front axle features MacPherson strut design while the rear features double wishbone arrangement. The steering features a sports-tuned electric power steering system.
As part of the Performance Package, the front axle and rear axles are also fitted with Torsen limited-slip differentials (LSD). This allows all 261 PS and 350 Nm to be transferred to the road as efficiently as possible without the need for electronic intervention.
Red-painted 4-piston brake calipers from Advics clamp the two-piece lightweight brake discs. They are incredibly large for a hatchback this size, measuring 356 mm. The rear brakes meanwhile are two-piston calipers paired with a 297-mm ventilated disc. Both front and rear brake discs have slits on the disc surface to enhance fade resistance.
A tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) with individual tyre pressure readout is also included.
Drivetrain
The Toyota GR Yaris not only makes headlines with its high-revving and characteristic 1.6 Turbo engine, but also the GR-Four permanent all-wheel drive system. It offers three defined torque splits between the front and rear wheels. Under normal mode, the set-up is front biased, receiving 60% of the total engine torque.
Rotate to Sport mode, and the split makes the GR Yaris a rear-biased all-wheel drive hot hatch with 70% of the torque now sent to the rear wheels. This allows the GR Yaris to have a much livelier rear, providing a more responsive front and can even coax to big drifts!
Finally, there is the Track mode, where torque is split 50-50 equally on both axles. This gives the best traction and efficiency out of corners, working even better with the front and rear Torsen LSDs.
The GR-Four system relies on a powerful electronically controlled multi-plate clutch actuated by electromagnetic solenoid. Varying the friction forces on the clutch plates results in the changing torque bias.
Driving Performance
Toyota GR Yaris – Driving Performance
Engine performance
The Toyota GR Yaris with 261 PS and 360 Nm of torque can complete the 0 to 100 km/h sprint in just 5.5 seconds. The top speed is limited to 230 km/h, as the transmission can top hit that speed without even using the 6th gear.
It weighs an incredibly low 1,280 kg, making the car feel incredibly responsive in every gear, thanks to also the peak torque being available at the middle of the engine operating range. The engine loves being revved up to 7,000 rpm and feels buttery smooth climbing up to that speed.
Transmission performance
The six-speed shift lever is one of the best manual transmission shifters we have experience with (to be honest, there aren’t many to begin with), precisely and easily slot into the selected gear.
However, driving in the urban areas, just running to the nearest restaurant for take-away, the shifting weight is a little too heavy. The Honda Civic Type R is still the king of manual shift lever and quality, as in the Honda, it feels like there is a magnet pulling and guiding the shift lever to perfectly slot into its place.
Steering and handling
The short-wheelbase allows the GR Yaris to be incredibly nimble. What is amazing is the stability too! Compact cars usually feel unstable in high-speed corners, but with the GR-Four system, and clever suspension tuning, there is never a hint of instability in the Toyota GR Yaris.
The car’s brakes are so good, providing extraordinarily strong and assuring deceleration.
The foot pedals are like what Toyota said, carefully positioned and placed for the driver to execute heel-and-toe naturally.
Ride Comfort
Toyota GR Yaris – Ride Comfort
The ride is at the harsher end of the scale, courtesy of the Performance Pack’s sportier damper and coil spring setting.
Being non-adaptive units unlike in the Honda and Volkswagen hatchbacks, the ride comfort is the worst but only in comparison. In isolation, given the amount of grip and performance the GR Yaris has, it is liveable even in Klang Valley’s worst road surfaces.
Toyota also recommends a surprisingly low pressure setting of just 220 kPa, similar to your regular Vios and Yaris model.
Fuel Consumption
Toyota GR Yaris – Fuel Economy
The fuel consumption of the Toyota GR Yaris is rated at 7.6 litres per 100 km (13.1 km/L). While not specifically mentioned, Toyota recommends a fuel octane rating of RON 98.
Interestingly, the Toyota GR Yaris whilst is a hot hatchback and has very strict low-weight targets, it comes with a large 50-litre fuel tank, even larger than one in a Honda Civic Type R.
Conclusion
Toyota GR Yaris – Conclusion
Toyota says they need to build a minimum of 25,000 units for homologation for their new WRC rally campaign. Based on everyone’s interest in the GR Yaris, we do not see the company having difficulties meeting that target. Even UMW Toyota cleared its allocation faster than they expected.
The Toyota GR Yaris truly is the best vehicle of this generation. It drives and handles perfectly, and the hard work Toyota has put into tuning the chassis and powertrain reveals itself just after five minutes in the car.

The only reason one would say no to the Toyota GR Yaris is the size. It certainly is close to being a weekend car rather than the main car you drive daily. There is hardly any boot space at its pricing level, with many cars adding a lot of practicality into the value equation.