The high-performance Toyota Yaris that enthusiasts often call the “Yaris Gazoo” reached showrooms as the Toyota GR Yaris. Gazoo Racing is Toyota’s motorsport division, and the “GR” badge now marks its road cars. Unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon on 10 January 2020, the GR Yaris is a three-door homologation special built to satisfy World Rally Championship rules, not a trim level added to the regular Yaris.
From Gazoo Racing to the GR Yaris
The current five-door Yaris was developed only as a five-door body, because three-door hatchbacks had fallen out of favor. Toyota’s rally team, run with Tommi Mäkinen Racing, felt a three-door shell was necessary for competition. Toyota therefore built the GR Yaris as a separate model on a mix of platforms: the front half uses the GA-B architecture of the standard Yaris, while the rear adopts the wider GA-C layout from the Corolla. Production began in September 2020 on a dedicated line at Toyota’s Motomachi plant, where the cars were assembled by master craftspeople.
Homologation and the Rally Connection
World Rally Championship cars must be based on a production bodyshell, and manufacturers have to build a minimum number of road cars to qualify. The GR Yaris exists to meet that requirement, which is why it keeps the three-door body, the wide track and the double-wishbone rear suspension of a competition car. Chief engineer Naohiko Saito has said the production version accommodated roughly 90 percent of the requests made by the rally team. Development testing took place on snow, gravel and public roads with both Toyota and external drivers.
Engine and Performance
The GR Yaris is powered by the G16E-GTS, a 1.6-liter turbocharged and direct-injected three-cylinder engine. Toyota quoted a maximum output of 200 kW (272 PS, or about 268 hp) and 370 Nm of torque, which the company said was the highest output for a three-cylinder production engine at the time. Output varies slightly by market because of emissions regulations, ranging from about 257 hp to 268 hp. A six-speed manual transmission with automatic rev-matching was the only gearbox at launch.
Performance claims matched the rally brief. Toyota quoted 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in the 5.2 to 5.5-second range and an electronically limited top speed of 230 km/h (143 mph). The engine’s broad torque spread lets it pull cleanly from low revs, a deliberate choice for a road car that also had to cope with loose surfaces.
GR-Four All-Wheel Drive
Power reaches all four wheels through the GR-Four system, which uses a multi-plate clutch to vary the front-to-rear torque split. Drivers can select preset distribution modes, and the system moves torque between axles continuously rather than at fixed steps. A double-wishbone rear suspension replaced the torsion-beam setup of the standard Yaris to cope with the increased torque, and larger brakes were fitted to match the extra performance.
Exterior and Dimensions
To save weight, the hood, trunk lid and door panels are aluminum, and the roof is carbon fiber-reinforced plastic. The body measures 3,995 mm (157.3 in) long, 1,805 mm (71.1 in) wide and 1,455 mm (57.3 in) tall, on a 2,560 mm (100.8 in) wheelbase. Curb weight runs from about 1,110 kg to 1,280 kg (2,447 to 2,822 lb). The wide, flared arches and short overhangs come directly from the rally program, and the low, tapered roofline improves aerodynamics.
Interior
The cabin is driver-focused, with deeply bolstered sport seats, a low-set driving position and a manual handbrake on early cars. Equipment included a digital instrument cluster and an infotainment screen with smartphone connectivity. Rear-seat space and cargo volume are modest, reflecting the three-door body and the prioritization of structural rigidity over passenger packaging.
Price and Release
Toyota opened online pre-orders in Japan on 10 January 2020 for two special editions. The RZ “First Edition” was priced at 3.96 million yen including tax, and the RZ “High-performance First Edition” at 4.56 million yen. The latter added BBS forged aluminum wheels in matte black. General sales were planned to start in the summer of 2020. Because demand outstripped early supply, wait lists formed in several markets.
Where It Was Sold
The GR Yaris was marketed in Japan, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Mexico, Argentina, Taiwan and the Middle East. It was not offered in the United States or Canada; those markets received the larger five-door GR Corolla for 2023 instead. Japan also got an entry-level GR Yaris RS with a naturally aspirated 1.5-liter engine and front-wheel drive. Buyers comparing it with the regular hatchback can read the 2019 Toyota Yaris Hatchback Review, and those interested in the standard range can check the 2019 Toyota Yaris Specs, Interior and Release Date.
Updates and Limited Editions
Production continued after launch, and the model was updated over time. A 2024 revision added an eight-speed automatic transmission marketed as GR-DAT and raised output in some versions toward 300 PS. Toyota also built low-volume special editions, including the GRMN Yaris in Japan. These later cars extended the power range rather than changing the basic recipe of a compact, all-wheel-drive turbo hatch.
What It Replaced and Rivaled
Before the GR Yaris, Toyota’s quickest small car in some markets was the limited-run Yaris GRMN, which previewed the idea of a rally-inspired hatch. The GR Yaris took that concept much further by moving to all-wheel drive and a purpose-built three-cylinder engine. It competed against established hot hatches such as the Ford Fiesta ST and Volkswagen Polo GTI, but its rally-derived all-wheel-drive layout set it apart from those front-drive rivals.
