Similar name, but significantly different cars
Toyota presented its performance lineup in September 2017 with a three-tier hierarchy by positioning the all-show-without-extra-go GR Sport at the bottom of the food chain, followed by the midrange GR, and the flagship GRMN. You would expect the GRMN Yaris to win in a drag race, but that’s not the case. We’re talking about two generations of the supermini.
Despite sharing the same name, there are significant differences between them. While the old model was front-wheel driven, the new one sends power to both wheels. The GR Yaris has better traction on a damp surface like what you would find in the rainy UK.
GRMN has a slight advantage over the GR, as it is approximately 145 kg (320 pounds) lighter than GR. There are vastly different engines, one being a supercharged, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and the other being a turbocharged, 1.6-liter three pot. The smaller engine has more horsepower and torque.
Carwow matched up two hot Yaris flavors for a drag race, followed by a few rolling races and two brake testing. The GRMN was a great car, but it couldn’t beat the GR. The quarter-mile drag race was 1.1 seconds slower than the GR, with the sprint taking 14.7 seconds. The results were similar in the rolling races at 30 mph and 50 mph. There was no way for the GRMN or Yaris to catch up.
The brake test at 70 mph was a significant difference. The GR had significantly larger brakes, which allowed it to come to a complete stop much faster than the GRMN.
Now, we are beginning to wonder if Toyota plans to make a GRMN-spec Yaris based upon the new generation of its subcompact hatchback. It would feel slower than the older one. A aggressiver GR Yaris was spotted at the Nurburgring late last year, so a new GRMN may just be possible.