Novice The New Little Monster: Toyota GR Yaris

He’s here. Small, loud, and relentlessly tenacious. The new Toyota GR Yaris is now officially part of our fleet. And yes, we don’t have peaceful intentions for it. You don’t need to be an expert to see this isn’t your average city car. Even in factory form, the GR Yaris is the perfect blend of aggression, sound, and razor-sharp precision. But because we’re us, we’ve already rolled up our sleeves.

What is GR, anyway?

If you haven’t heard of GR yet, it’s not short for some new set of supplements. It stands for Gazoo Racing, which, in Toyota terms, basically means: the wildest version of what we can do with a Yaris before the bosses get nervous. Limited to just 500 units, hand-built, reinforced throughout, and powered by an engine you’d happily take in a proper sports coupe.

Key specs:

• 1.6 turbo, 3-cylinder (yes, 3… but each one barks like it’s rabid!)

• 261 hp, 6-speed manual gearbox

• GR-FOUR all-wheel drive: it literally slingshots you out of corners

• 0-100 km/h in just over 5 seconds

• And yes… it weighs barely more than a ton

First up, the exhaust…

Because every good story starts with a great sound, that’s where we began. The stock exhaust? We respect it, but it’s a bit too well-behaved. Now, the GR breathes easier and sounds like it’s having a bad day.

The note is fuller, angrier, and yes, it makes passers-by turn their heads with a hint of concern. And this is only the beginning.

White wheels? Yes, because style matters.

If we’re driving a brutal Japanese rocket, it has to look the part too. Classic dark wheels? No thanks. We went the other way, with a bold white contrast. Why? Because we’re not here to blend in.

If it’s going to be loud, it might as well look like it rolled straight out of a ’90s daydream. Pure rally aesthetic.

What’s next? Psst… a surprise.

Would we tell you what else we’ve got planned? Of course not.

Let’s just say this GR will be making a lot of noise by the end of summer, and not just because of the exhaust.

The takeaway? Before you can even say “turbo lag”, it’ll be gone.