2021 Toyota GR Yaris v GR Supra: Dragparison

It’s time for another one of fun-filled dragparisons. If you didn’t know, a dragparison is where we do a comparison of two or more cars at a drag strip.

In this case, the cars aren’t really related and we’re also not at a drag strip – but the premise is still there. We will do some performance comparisons between two cars to see how close they are.

While they may seem like two completely random cars, they do have a connection.

This is the complete Toyota GR (Gazoo Racing) range at the moment. There’s the all-new 2021 Toyota GR Yaris and the 2020 Toyota GR Supra (this one is actually my car and is the pre-2021 update).

There are Toyota GR Sport models, like the newly launched Toyota GR Sport C-HR, but for this we’ll focus on the two full-fat models you see here.

We need to give a massive shout out to the legends at Tuners Edge for loaning us their GR Yaris for this test.

Toyota GR Yaris v GR Supra tests

In our Dragparison video, we’ll do the following comparison tests

• Performance specification comparison: what’s the difference between the Toyota GR Yaris and Toyota GR Supra?
• Sound test: sure, they share similar badges but how different do they sound?
• Acceleration tests: can the Toyota GR Yaris and GR Supra match their respective performance claims?
• Drag race: how much faster is the turbocharged six-cylinder GR Supra compared to the turbocharged three-cylinder GR Yaris?

For clarity, in all our tests both cars were warmed up so the engines and components were at operating temperature.

Normally we’d use an unprepped drag strip that is flat and straight. This time, we could only secure the back straight of a race track for this test.

The race track banks uphill slightly for the 0-100km/h tests and then goes downhill for the remainder of the run to the end of the 1/4 mile.

Toyota GR Yaris engine specifications

The Toyota GR Yaris uses the world’s most powerful production three-cylinder engine. Sure, there’s a more powerful three-cylinder engine coming from Koenigsegg with the four-door Gemera, but until that car goes on sale and is produced Toyota takes the crown.

It’s a 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine producing 200kW of power and 370Nm of torque. At almost 30psi of turbocharger pressure, it’s a pretty serious set of kit.

It sends torque to the ground through a six-speed manual transmission and an all-wheel drive system. The all-wheel drive setup can theoretically send up to 100 per cent of torque to either the front or rear axle, but during regular driving it has set torque splits.

The set torque splits are 60:40 (front:rear) in Normal mode, 30:70 in Sport mode and 50:50 in Track mode.

Toyota claims a 0-100km/h time of 5.2 seconds, which is pretty quick for a little three-cylinder hatch.

You can read our review of the 2021 Toyota GR Yaris here.

Toyota GR Supra engine specifications

The 2020 Toyota GR Supra is actually more a BMW than a Toyota. It’s powered by a 3.0-litre turbocharged petrol inline-six producing 250kW of power and 500Nm of torque. This engine carries the BMW B58 codename.

It sends that torque through an eight-speed automatic transmission that exclusively services the rear wheels through an electronic-locking rear differential.

Unlike the GR Yaris, it just has two drive modes – Normal and Sport. The Sport mode can be customised to increase suspension firmness, but for the most part it sharpens throttle response, increases crackle through the exhaust, and holds gears for longer.

The Supra has since been updated and the 2021 model increases power to 285kW with torque remaining at 500Nm. Toyota claims a 0-100km/h time of 4.3 seconds for the car you see here, and 4.1 seconds for the updated model.

You can read our review of the 2020 Toyota Supra here.

GR Yaris v GR Supra performance figures

Verdict

I still love my car, but the GR Yaris is one exceptional machine.

It’s a quick little car, fun to drive, and great value for money when you consider what it’s capable of doing.

Once you’re comfortable launching it from high rpms, the times are pretty consistent and it drives the same way each time. It feels like it’s built for durability and will be more than happy to accept some additional grunt from tuners once they get their hands on them.

It’s let down by a lack of exhaust noise, but for the most part it doesn’t really put a foot wrong.

Once the Supra gets moving it has a very punchy mid-range and it sounds fantastic in Sport mode.

It proved consistently difficult to launch each time – from erupting into wheel spin to torque limiting first and second gears. It doesn’t have a dependable and useful launch control system.

Either way, while this wasn’t a comparison of the two cars, I can confidently say you’re going to have a stack of fun regardless of which one you choose.

Let us know in the comments section below which other vehicles you’d like to see involved in our Dragparison series.