How good is the Toyota GR Yaris?

[Lankan]

Cheers, and congratulations to you too, You obviously have a great taste in cars Mine is not due until November which is ages away, but have a couple of cars to sell to make way for it so isn’t as much of a pain as it could have been. I think I have read and watched more about the GRY than I have on any car so I’m hoping it will live up to the hype. The idea behind it is to have a car that can act as the local run around for the wife and I 12 months a year while also being fun for a blast in the winter when the V6 and R33 are tucked up... and of course the odd Trackday will be booked. I did ponder reasonably hard as I literally never ever buy a new car as I hate depreciation (the only new car I bought was when Vauxhall knocked £12k off the VXR8 and were selling them brand new for £23k in 2009 - sold it 4 years later for £19k, probably worth £23k again today). Then I thought “life’s too short” and I hope like the V6 and R33 it will be a keeper. I look forward to reading about your experiences with the GRY... my next hard decision is which number plate to buy as you early birds have nabbed all the best ones so thinking something ended WRC

Indeed, I too conducted so much more research into the GRY, partly because I got wind of it in December 2019 (and saw videos of prototypes being driven around Estoril early Jan 2020) and the 2021 WRC car being tested, that I had pretty much made up my mind that I am going to have one.

Being a Japanese car. have you looked at getting the underside protected? This is the prime reason I have resisted the urge to drive it this winter until I get that sorted, and lockdown is not helping. The GRY is certainly going to be a long-term hold, if not a keeper, so need to ensure that it gets the required TLC to keep it that way.

Yeah, will post up my thoughts once I get to drive in anger - have all but forgotten the 3 hours spent on two test drives just before before lockdown.

I guess the long wait has begun...

 

[Kett]

https://www.tegiwaimports.com/genuine-t ... jOQrqNqJYg

Ouch!

Makes Cromodoras look a veritable bargain!

Best refit some aftermarket cheapies?

 

[Lankan]

https://www.tegiwaimports.com/genuine-toyota-bbs-forged-10-spoke-circuit-pack-18-x-8j-alloy-wheel-yaris-gr.html?fbclid=IwAR1CIBZT11ilygasHQY6k7HEa4ZVDgczc36Qt0YTLt8T3ac1VjOQrqNqJYg

Ouch!

Makes Cromodoras look a veritable bargain!

Best refit some aftermarket cheapies?

Yep, hence the reason I am looking to change to a set of OZ Alleggerita HLTs and mothball the OEM wheels - similar weight.

 

[Chris V6 255]

Looks awesome on turini’s

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Lankan]

They do look good but are too heavy when compared to the OEM BBS Forged wheels, which weigh around 8kg per wheel/quote]

 

[Lankan]

The GR Yaris has sold out!

As of yesterday, one cannot place an order online, and only unused dealer allocations or cancelled orders are available.

Definitely sold out in Spain, as evident by an email received by someone based there; "We have sold as many as Toyota wanted because we are not able to enter new orders"

 

[Kett]

That’s great news. Totally deserved - it’s a superb product.

There seemed to be strong media, social media and AI marketing presence
- which was becoming a little nauseous. There now seems to be a plethora of aftermarket parts availability, which again is becoming tiresome.

On a personal note, I figured that I occasionally use my sat nav as a rally co-driver (for predicting bends etc on cross country jaunts).

I think my preferred GR4 would marry both convenience & circuit packs together! At the moment, I’m enjoying those benefits in a near capable Golf R - hence I found it difficult to pull the trigger.

 

[Lankan]

For those of you who are/were interested in th elittle GR Yaris, the review I was waiting for most was Chris H driving a GRY Circuit Pack, which will be aired on Top Gear on Easter Sunday, but here is a short clip: Chris Harris drifts the Toyota GR Yaris: a rally car for the road | Top Gear

 

[Splitpin]

Hi chaps so today was fun, myself and a couple of pals picked up our GR Yaris

Non of us had test driven.....

This car defies the laws of physics it’s epic.

Orders are still being taken in the UK currently with the waiting list just over 13 months, I love it so much I’m tempted to order another.

 

[Kett]

Epic!

 

[Lankan]

Hi chaps so today was fun, myself and a couple of pals picked up our GR Yaris

Non of us had test driven.....

This car defies the laws of physics it’s epic.

Orders are still being taken in the UK currently with the waiting list just over 13 months, I love it so much I’m tempted to order another.

Superb! :approve:

IMO the GRY has managed to achieve a significant milestone in engineering for a hatchback. Everything is just so right. Thoroughly enjoying mine, but a few hundred miles to go before it is fully broken in. Then the fun will begin - already planned a few outings, now that both the bodyshell and underbody have been protected. The next stop is Center Gravity, but not until July (the earliest available slot) to have the geometry checked and adjusted to eliminate the dead spot at 12 O'clock. That is it!

Wonderful car and one I have been waiting for for quite a while...

 

[Lankan]

My GRY CP has now been broken in (finally!) - 735 enjoyable miles completed...I cannot imagine it took me over 5 months to do that, but that is another story in its own right! :rollseyes:

Anyway, off to the Lake District later this week to put the GRY to a real test. Hopefully, I will be able to catch up with ex-Vee owner and pitch the GRY against his newly acquired Lotus Evora 400. Really looking forward to meeting up with Phill (@phillv6) and having a good run out on those wonderful roads. :approve:

I will never forget the trip to the Lake District that we undertook as a club in 2015 - simply unforgettable! :salut: Phill was one of the organisers...

PS: if anyone is skeptical about the GRY's capabilities, do watch this: Walter Röhrl in the GR Yaris (English subtitles are now available).

 

[martinr82]

Congrats on the purchase Dulan. I nearly chopped in my RS3 for one, but its even less practical than the RS3, simply by size and bells and whistles. Plus.......... 5 cylinder just does it for me.

 

[MrBlueSky]

Been reading your commentary on the GRY with interest. Sounds like it's meeting expectations as fun and very useable which is pretty rare in some modern cars. Was seriously considering one but then got distracted by the same thing as Phill and have gone down the Evora 410 route. Hopefully still a little practical with the rear seats and also crucially a Vee Six.
If you catch up with Phill, say hi. I remember we had a great day in the Vee's on the Border Tour about 5 yrs ago which took in an old airfield that Simon had arranged for us to rag around. Took out one of my tyres.
Interested to hear his thoughts on the Evora. I'll perhaps catch him over on the Lotus forum.
Keep posting your news on the GRY !! and here's a gratuitous shot of my new Vee

 

[Lankan]

Congrats on the purchase Dulan. I nearly chopped in my RS3 for one, but its even less practical than the RS3, simply by size and bells and whistles. Plus.......... 5 cylinder just does it for me.

Thanks, Martin. You are right, the GRY is not really a practical car (once the rear seats were down the rear of our GRY was jam-packed with luggage for a week away), and, if I am really blunt, nor should it be a daily driver for one would get bored pottering about in it, especially around the suburbs of London, or any of the other bigger cities. Its magic will be lost. I have just got back from a fab trip out to the Lake District in the GRY taking in the B6277, B5289, Kirstone and Honiston (passes), and many other such roads...and it was absolutely fab. That is when the GRY comes alive and into its own...

Been reading your commentary on the GRY with interest. Sounds like it's meeting expectations as fun and very useable which is pretty rare in some modern cars. Was seriously considering one but then got distracted by the same thing as Phill and have gone down the Evora 410 route. Hopefully still a little practical with the rear seats and also crucially a Vee Six.
If you catch up with Phill, say hi. I remember we had a great day in the Vee's on the Border Tour about 5 yrs ago which took in an old airfield that Simon had arranged for us to rag around. Took out one of my tyres.
Interested to hear his thoughts on the Evora. I'll perhaps catch him over on the Lotus forum.
Keep posting your news on the GRY !! and here's a gratuitous shot of my new Vee

David, congratulations! The Evora is a fabulous tool. I did meet up with Phill on the last day of our stay, which was on our on way home, so no drive out since the GRY was loaded up to the hilt. The drive we planned for the day before didn't happen, but Phill took me out in his Evora 400, and that was a fantastic experience - very similar performance to my Exige S RGB, but the Evora is way more refined, and a heck of a lot easier to get into, and out of, due to the Evora having much narrower side sills. Power delivery was linear, and the steering and brakes were simply superb, as one would expect.

Here is a pic of Phill's Evora 400:

 

[Lukeypoodle]

The GR Yaris has sold out!

As of yesterday, one cannot place an order online, and only unused dealer allocations or cancelled orders are available.

Definitely sold out in Spain, as evident by an email received by someone based there; "We have sold as many as Toyota wanted because we are not able to enter new orders"

Saw Howards in Weston have one a 21 plate on the forecourt yesterday if anyone is desperate to find one.

 

[MrBlueSky]

David, congratulations! The Evora is a fabulous tool. I did meet up with Phill on the last day of our stay, which was on our on way home, so no drive out since the GRY was loaded up to the hilt. The drive we planned for the day before didn't happen, but Phill took me out in his Evora 400, and that was a fantastic experience - very similar performance to my Exige S RGB, but the Evora is way more refined, and a heck of a lot easier to get into, and out of, due to the Evora having much narrower side sills. Power delivery was linear, and the steering and brakes were simply superb, as one would expect.

Here is a pic of Phill's Evora 400:

[/quote]

That's a lovely blue Phill has. Trying to replace his Iliad Vee? I always fancied a Mars red Vee so perhaps our Renault ID colour preferences are subliminally etched in our more recent choices ?
Interesting to hear your comparisons & differences with the Exige. Helps me justify to myself that I've gone for the practical option. Even had my wife, two kids and dog in it yesterday for a run over to see my Dad.
I digress.. don't mean to hijack this thread.

Perhaps I need to wait a few months before suggesting to my wife that we swap our daily Clio 200 for a GRY, assuming we could find one at list or below. Looks like they have been a runaway sales success.

 

[Splitpin]

So my first GR is up for sale if anyone wants to jump the waiting list!

I ordered white before I had even seen a GR and now my red one is coming soon!

 

[MrBlueSky]

So my first GR is up for sale if anyone wants to jump the waiting list!

I ordered white before I had even seen a GR and now my red one is coming soon!

Sounds like you have made wise and timely purchasing decisions.

 

[Splitpin]

Now sold!