The Toyota GR Yaris is a reborn Lancer Evolution, WRC car by Tommi Makinen for the streets

Toyota co-developed the GR Yaris with the help of Tommi Makinen Racing, with the goal of transforming the Yaris into a street-legal rally car.

The all-new GR Yaris is the culmination of the knowledge Toyota gained from competing in the World Rally Championship (WRC), and it shows.

Underneath the pretty 3-door hatchback’s sheet metal is the same TNGA-B platform as the regular Yaris, albeit reworked to feature a GR Sports 4WD system and a fancy double-wishbone rear suspension set-up.

The GR Sports 4WD system also comes with a 4WD mode switch that allows drivers to toggle between several modes – Normal, Sport, Track – with the difference being the distribution of torque to the front and rear wheels.

Then there’s the powertrain – the GR Yaris features a brand-new G16E-GTS 1.6-litre 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that does a whopping 272 PS and 370 Nm.

Never mind the predecessor Yaris GRMN (212 PS, 250 Nm), the all-new GR Yaris is now the most powerful subcompact hatchback, beating the Ford Fiesta ST (200 PS, 290 Nm) and Volkswagen Polo GTI (200 PS, 320 Nm).

A customary 6-speed manual is the sole transmission option, fitted with iMT (Intelligent Manual Transmission) that allows for seamless rev-matching.

0-100 km/h numbers were not provided by Toyota, but they did mention that the all-new GR Yaris boasts a power-to-weight ratio of 4.706 kg/PS, beating the Fiesta ST (6.5 kg/PS) and Polo GTI (6.78 kg/PS).

The interior is just as special as the exterior - you get body-hugging bucket seats, various GR emblems scattered throughout, and a sportier meter cluster.

Toyota will be building the all-new GT Yaris at its Motomachi plant – the very same plant that produced the legendary Lexus LFA.

Two variants of the all-new GR Yaris are available at launch, the RZ and RZ High Performance. Prices start from an eye-watering JPY 3.96 million (~RM 148k), all the way up to JPY 4.56 million (~RM 170k) for the RZ High Performance.

For the sake of reference, the Honda Civic Type R (itself one segment above the GR Yaris), is priced at JPY 4.5 million (~RM 167k). 

Now, who said good things come cheap?