Toyota’s roadgoing race cars, aka GR’s have been updated for 2025, and along with telling us all about them, they thought it would be best to let us test them out too. Racing around Hampton Downs Motorsport park in the latest GR’s – we couldn’t be happier.
To recap, thanks to feedback from WRC drivers, feedback from Super Taiki series in Japan, and from all sorts of motor sport events into things that they like about the GR product as it is, and things that they would like to improve, and Toyota (and Morizo – Akio Toyoda’s driving alter ego) took their advice.
For example, the GR Corolla has been given some engine tweaks (and an extra 30Nm), an introduction of a VERY smart ‘AI’ eight speed direct shift automatic transmission. There’s been some enhancements to the driving dynamics, a little bit around the cooling package, and some small cosmetic changes as well.
Next, the GR Yaris, your WRC car for the road. Admittedly, most of the feedback that has gone into the improvement and changes in this vehicle has been for people who use it on gravel, but it works just fine on tarmac too.
Again the engine has been fettled with (now the same as the GR Corolla), there’s the addition of eight speed automatic transmission, improved suspension/handling, and an updated clutch in the manual option. There’s some cabin changes, a less ‘cluttered’ interior and a lower seating position and some exterior cosmetic stuff as well.
Lastly, the GR 86 Hakone edition. This is essentially a limited edition GT with cosmetic refinements that ‘86 fans will crawl over broken glass for. Named after the infamous Hakone turnpike (aka drifters dream road), the Hakone gets a special ridge green paint job, bronze painted alloys, uprated furniture trim and a unique gear knob.
Enough of that, let’s get behind the wheel. The day was split into a variety of ‘exercises’ to let us get to know the vehicles, a competitive slalom test and then a lot of racetrack laps to drive the updated Toyota’s with an emphasis on GRrrrr.
We got to drive ALL the models, including the GR Corolla, both the manual and auto GR Yaris and the GR 86 Hakone (so there’s only 15 available in NZ).
Before we started, we were given a seating tutorial for the ‘lower’ GR Yaris. To summarise, drop the seat down to the lowest position (this helps keep your vision up). Seat back straight for support. Kink in your knees and elbows when brakes and steering wheel turns are at their fullest, and hands at 3 and 9.
Prior to our first exercise (a 2 corner turn at speed), we were treated to a drag race display between the manual and auto GR Yaris. The Auto was the quickest off the mark, but by the end of the straight they were essentially neck and neck.
As for the cornering, brake and ‘turn-in’ markers were set and the rest was up to us. Jumping from car to car was really enlightening, with the GR Corolla offering the most poise, the GR Yaris offering a greater sense of nimbleness and the GR 86 being a tad more frisky. I’m ashamed to say that my first run in the manual GR Yaris was a disaster. I was way too excited and let’s just say that the ‘scent of clutch plate’ was enjoyed by all (well maybe not the Toyota engineers). Anyway, the takeaway was that the handling has been improved a lot with very firm cornering.
Next was highspeed lane changing, essentially a sprint to 80km/h, an aggressively sharp right hand turn, immediately followed by an equally sharp left hand turn and ALL WITHOUT BRAKING!
Our rides were the GR Yaris Auto (thankfully for all) and the GR 86 Hakone. The latter did what was expected and shook its tail feathers with glee, while the GR Yaris went from wow (with traction ESC on) to WOW with it off – either way, it was a thrill and oddly, remarkably controlled (while not being).
Next the slalom competition, with the GR Corolla and GR Yaris. A timed return run, zig-zagging through cones, with an abrupt ‘garage’ stop. Both GR’s danced well between the cones ‘remember to keep the vision up’, however, the GR Yaris was the slightly more nimble, resulting in the marginally better times. Alas I ended up third for the day, but in my defence, I lost out by milliseconds to a lighter ‘salad muncher’ and at the mercy of a manual stopwatch – I really do need to lose weight. Yes a few cones will not be going home to their loved ones, but thankfully the front bumper on the GR Yaris is compartmentalised so they only have to repair part of the bumper.
The penultimate part of the day was ‘follow the leader’ laps around the track, with 150+kph top speeds and overtakes giving us the chance to see all the cars from all the angles. I’m pleased to say that I got my manual mojo back and the view of the larger exhaust tips and lower mesh rear bumper on the GR Yaris was the winner of the day.
What the laps showed us was just how good these improvements are, and believe me, the ‘older’ models were damn good already. To be perfectly frank, aside from the cosmetics and snappier gearing, many people wouldn’t be able to embrace the true effects of the upgrades, as they really kick in when you’re at the raggedy edge of talent (well certainly mine), but both the GR Yaris and Corolla feel like they have matured a little, with the extra torque giving them a deeper voice so to speak.
Lastly the hot laps, where a racing driver (with a little more skill than me), shows you what the cars are really capable (ragged edge). I hopped in the GR Yaris and boy it’s good in the hands of people that know what they’re doing.
As for my overall ‘best car on the track’, it’s tough, I would say that the winner would be the GR Corolla, but the more entertaining (aside from the expectedly more loose ‘86) was the GR Yaris – and I assume it would be even better on the gravel.
All in all, these are daily drivers that are REALLY track ready, and the addition of an exceptionally good new auto box, makes a manual even more redundant – even for ‘oldskoolers’ like me.
