Toyota: GR Yaris delivers a brawny 261 hp
SMALL, BUT OHO Toyota's GR Yaris rally homologation model also enters the race in a road-going version. The small car is equipped with all-wheel drive and a powerful three-cylinder turbo engine with a displacement of 1.6 liters. The rally small car was developed by the professionals of Toyota Gazoo Racing. Starting with a project by the Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) motorsport division, which developed the front-wheel-drive [...]
The rally small car was developed by the professionals of Toyota Gazoo Racing.
Starting with a project by the Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) motorsport division, which fitted the front-wheel-drive predecessor with a 213-hp supercharged engine from the Lotus Exige, this is now followed by the completely new development of a small rally car. It is manufactured on a special line at the Motomachi plant. The platform and engine are completely new, as are the suspension, aerodynamic styling and GR-Four permanent all-wheel drive.
Vehicle for sporty driving
The power dwarf is designed as a vehicle for sporty driving on the road, but also for use on race tracks. According to Toyota, it developed the GR Yaris on the basis of experience gained in rallying, for which it will serve as a homologation model.
This makes it the direct successor to the Celica GT-Four, which flew around the tracks with rally legend Carlos Sainz in 1991 and saw its last run in 1999.
Connection of two platforms
To enable the drive over all four wheels in the first place, Toyota has combined two platforms. The front section is based on the GA-B platform from the compact car class, the rear section on the GA-C platform from the compacts. McPherson struts are used at the front, while a double wishbone axle does the work at the rear. The track has also been widened.
The small rally sports car is braked at the front axle by four-piston fixed calipers with slotted discs measuring 365 millimeters.
Weight distribution and center of gravity
The roofline is lowered by 91 millimeters - compared with the new-generation Yaris - and the doors are frameless. The new 1.6-liter turbocharged engine is moved further toward the center of the vehicle and the battery is located in the trunk for better weight distribution and a lower center of gravity.
Up to 100 km/h in 5.5 seconds
The three-cylinder turbocharged engine with over 250 hp is a world first in the small car segment. With piston crown cooling, a multi-oil nozzle, larger exhaust valves and a machined intake port, the twelve-valve engine is said to deliver an astonishing 360 Newton meters to the wheels.
The six-speed manual transmission converts the power up to the limited top speed. Weighing just 1280 kilograms, the all-wheel-drive sports car accelerates from a standstill to 100 km/h in 5.5 seconds.
System with two torsen differentials
A newly developed and flexible all-wheel drive system, the GR-Four, is responsible for traction. Theoretically, any distribution is possible, from pure front-wheel drive to pure rear-wheel drive. The system can be supplemented by two Torsen differentials, which distribute the power once again between the wheels of an axle.
A circuit pack is available on request
Toyota thus gives its customers the necessary stuff for rallying. As standard, the distribution of the all-wheel drive system will be 60:40, 30:70 or 50:50 depending on the driving program. The torque distribution reacts automatically to the currently prevailing conditions.
As an option, Toyota offers a so-called Circuit Pack for circuits and rallying, which includes a sharper-tuned suspension, forged 18-inch alloy wheels and two Torsen differentials for the front and rear axles.
The GR Yaris is scheduled to go on sale to customers in the second half of the year. Prices and equipment for Switzerland have not yet been determined.
