Toyota
GR Yaris
Most modern cars feel much the same, and it’s been a long time since I
drove something that was not what I expected. I recently had a short
test drive in the Toyota GR Yaris, and it most certainly was not what I
was expecting. It is one of the most characterful cars I have driven in
years, worth every penny of the asking price. Even driving it out of the
car park it felt different, the steering feel alone was like a track car
and the gearchange was as precise as a rifle bolt. I let it warm up for
a few miles along a camera controlled dual carriageway, where the
steering felt fidgety and prone to tramlining, the suspension was stiff
though not crashy, probably because the bodyshell is extremely rigid.
I turned off onto a quiet country road and gave it a touch of throttle
… holy smoke, it instantly transformed into a wee monster. Despite
being box fresh, power was everywhere, it picked up speed alarmingly
quickly and after I had braked for corners I could almost feel the car
tut tutting at me for being such a pussy, as clearly it would have taken
them at twice the speed I had used. Meanwhile I was trying to come to
terms with the unusual feel of the steering, which had an almost digital
feel, slightly heavy, and fond of tramlining. Most modern cars are easy
peasy to drive, but the GR Yaris certainly is not. It demands that you
drive it properly, with skill, and I suspect it will not suffer fools
gladly either. I should add that the car had the Circuit Pack, and I
would be very keen to try the more basic version, which I suspect might
make a better daily driver.
I only had 30 minutes and about 20 miles, way too little to come to
terms with it, but even that was enough to let me get a glimpse of quite
what this astonishing car would be capable of. Sadly I was just starting
to get to grips with it when my time was up.
And therein lies both the promise and the problem. With some miles under
your belt this is a car which could cover ground at an astonishing pace,
as one might expect from a car designed essentially as a WRC contender.
But to do so you would have to be operating at speeds well outwith our
miserable speed limits, and potentially taking risks more suited to
competition driving. Driving back down the camera infested main road the
Yaris was competent, comfortable and quiet, but it felt like a big cat
on a leash that really wanted to roar and run.
I handed it back with very mixed feelings indeed. On the one hand I was
hugely impressed with the engineering that gave it such vigour and
speed, and my gut instinct was to order one on the spot. Sadly though I
have been here before, and I know how frustrating it is to own a fast
car on todays roads, so I walked away. I’d love one as a very
occasional toy, but it is simply too hardcore to replace any of my
current fleet. A memorable half hour for sure!
Sequel,
24 hours later
Having just read the 5
star review of the GR Yaris published in Autocar, which I quite agree
with, it makes me wonder if I did the right thing by not placing an
order for one.
I took my VW Up GTI
out to buy the magazine and it cheerfully reminded me what a great
little car it is too. It has a sweetness about the drive that the
hardcore Yaris lacks, and while it cannot come close to the blistering
pace of the Yaris, it feels adequately poky for real world use. And it
does 50 mpg and was half the price, and has barely depreciated since I
bought it.
Methinks I made the right decision
after all.
All words and photos copyright to John R Hunter
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