Meet the spicy little Toyota hatchback you can’t have in America
When you ask American Toyota fans what model they wish we could have here, they likely start by mentioning the Hilux. However, there’s a pissed-off little Toyota hot hatchback that we don’t get on this side of the Atlantic with the potential to make American car enthusiasts giddy. But unless you’re planning a trip abroad, you’re unlikely to see one anytime soon.
The UK and Aussie markets have a weaponized little Toyota hatchback that we don’t get on this side of the pond
The GAZOO Racing moniker is here in the United States. We get the GR Supra (at least for another year). We also have the GR86 and GR Corolla, the latter of which is spinning up UK-based production just to cater to stateside demand. But there’s another GR arrow in the Japanese brand’s quiver: the GR Yaris.
Like so many homologation specials, the GR Yaris has its origins in rally racing. Toyota wanted to take its little three-door hot hatchback to the World Rally Championship (WRC). But to do it, the brand had to build at least 25,000 road-going versions of the race cars. Boom, the growly, angry little GR Yaris was born.
The little 1.6L turbocharged inline-three-cylinder engine produces an impressive 276 bhp and 288 lb-ft of torque. While that’s less than you’ll find in the GR Corolla’s version of the same mill, the GR Yaris is the smaller and lighter of the two Toyota hot hatchbacks.
Here’s the rub, though: we can’t have it. The closest car in Toyota’s lineup to the GR Yaris is the GR Corolla. But by the numbers, the two simply aren’t the same. The GR Yaris rides on the Yaris’s roughly 100-inch chassis. The muscular Corolla hatch, on the other hand, stretches things out to 103.9 inches. Toyota’s GR Yaris keeps things lighter, too. Around 430 lbs lighter.
Unfortunately, even with the cool rally backstory and small, three-door appeal won’t land the GR Yaris in US showrooms anytime soon. Frankly, the United States hasn’t had a production Yaris since 2020, so a performance model seems out of the question. And with the departure of the GR Supra after its Porsche-priced A90 “Final Edition” next year, the GR family is getting that much smaller for American buyers.
