Toyota GR Yaris (2020 - 2024) – performance and 0-60 time
On-paper figures don’t relay this car’s cross-country pace
The punchy engine and four-wheel drive together enable the GR Yaris to reach 62mph from rest in just 5.5sec. Top speed is an electronically limited 142mph. When viewed purely in isolation, the three-pot engine’s vital stats don’t look that spectacular, even if the GR Yaris is admirably light (1280-1310kg, depending on specification) given the amount of technical content crammed into its small body. And if your only experience of a three-cylinder engine is a 1-litre Ford EcoBoost unit, you may be wondering if a triple can really cut it at this level.
Any such concerns are banished the moment you get the GR Yaris moving. Its engine is gutsy low down, but then really enjoys revving, and the subsequent surge of power throws the little car along at an amusingly rapid pace.
In reality it feels much stronger than the figures suggest; with the benefit of complete traction not a single one of those turbocharged horses is wasted, and the performance is further boosted by some nicely stacked gear ratios that aren’t too long.
