The new Toyota Yaris GRMN hot hatch has cemented itself as one of our favourite cars from this year’s Geneva Motor Show, and it turns out it might be even hotter than we first thought.
When it was first unveiled, Toyota claimed that the Yaris GRMN would have in and around the 205bhp mark, and it would seem obvious that it would rival the likes of the ubiquitous Fiesta ST.
At the Geneva Motor Show however, Toyota’s senior engineers told us that the car is actually, in fact, a more direct rival for cars like the Renaultsport Clio, Peugeot 208 GTi and the MINI JCW.
In other words, you can expect Toyota’s first proper pocket rocket in a decade to make anywhere up to 220bhp or even more from its supercharged 1.8-litre petrol engine.
Just one glance at the specs should tell you that this WRC-inspired hatch is gunning for best in class too, with a reinforced chassis and Nurburgring-developed suspension that sits 30mm than the standard Yaris.
Its dampers have been custom engineered by Sachs, it’s got a working rally-style rear wing to keep its small wheelbase stable at high speeds and it even gets a Torsen limited-slip diff between the front wheels.
The brakes? Larger and more powerful than those of the standard car, while the wheels are 17-inchers made by BBS. Alcantara sports seats, a racy-style steering wheel with a centre marker and aluminium pedals complete the package.
All of the power gets transmitted through a six-speed manual gearbox, while it’s believed that the GRMN will come with a ‘Track mode’ similar to the GT86 coupe for skiddy giggles and such.
Due to the fact that the Yaris is so light, Toyota says that the hot version will have the best acceleration times in its class, so expect 0-62mph in a shade over the six second mark.
Sound good? Sounds great to us. There is bad news, though. Unfortunately, production of the Yaris GRMN will be strictly limited with only 1,000 or so sold in Europe.
Prices have yet to be confirmed but you can expect the cost to reflect its exclusive nature. Order books open towards the end of this year, and the car will go on sale early 2018.
