Since the beginning of 2020, the Toyota GR Yaris is making headlines in the global auto arena. It first made its debut at the Toyota Auto Salon, however, back then it was fully camouflaged with a striking red-white-black cover. It was followed by the car’s launch in Japan, Europe, Australia, and the recent being in, Thailand.

Now the big question is, when is it coming to Malaysia? We think soon, especially after seeing Toyota Malaysia’s recent social media posts where a racing helmet is shown prominently. The image posted on December 14 showed a helmet alongside a baby and it read ‘meet our newborn’, the date and time were also specified as 17.12.2020 and 7.30 PM. Combining all the hints together, we feel Toyota is hinting towards the GR Yaris.

So, now our job is to tell you what all the Toyota hot hatch, the GR Yaris has on offer and what makes it so popular that all its units sold out in Australia in just a week. So, let’s get started -

 

What powers the Toyota GR Yaris?

Under the GR Yaris hood lies a 1.6-litre three-cylinder engine that churns out a maximum power of 272 PS along with a peak torque of 370 Nm. Yes, we know, such figures by a three-pot unit is in fact astounding. The power to weight ratio here reads 4.706 kg/PS.

One interesting fact about this mill is that it is in fact the lightest and most powerful production 1.6L mill. And in the GR Yaris it is coupled with a six-speed manual gearbox. The power is sent to all four wheels via a GR-Four AWD system and taking care of the shuffling is a Torsen mechanical self-locking differential, one at each end.

Further aiding the driver in the process are three driving modes - Normal, Sport, and Track. Also, part of the kit is MacPherson struts at the front and double wishbones at the rear. On the braking front, there are four-piston front stoppers and two-piston rear callipers.

Toyota GR Yaris exterior highlights

At the front, it gets a massive rectangular lower grille that sends air into the powerplant, intercooler, and radiator. On the side are lightweight 18-inch bbs 10-spoke wheels wrapped in Michelin pilot sport 4S tyres vertical air intakes that cool the brakes. And at the rear, you’ll find twin round exhaust pipes and a large lower diffuser. Part of the standard is expected to be LED lights all over (headlight, DRLs, fog lamps, and tail lights).

 

Toyota GR Yaris interior highlights

The interior of the GR Yaris delivers a cozy yet sporty look and feel. On the dashboard rests a 4.2-inch multi-info display with a screen that shows the working of the all-wheel-drive system. Also, present are sports seats with cushion padding, a three-spoke GR steering wheel, and sport pedals.

Taking care of driver and passenger’s comfort will be a dual-zone automatic air-con system, keyless entry, a head-up display, auto-dimming rearview mirror, and a 7-inch touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

Overall the Toyota GR Yaris looks like an appealing car that has the right looks, performance figures, and features. We hope it’s the one joining the Toyota Malaysia lineup this evening. Stay tuned with Zigwheels Malaysia for the latest auto sector updates.

Also Read: Toyota Says no to GR Yaris Cross