Toyota has given its pint-sized GR Yaris hot hatch a torque boost in Japan.
An upgrade to the car in Japan, which includes the new GR Yaris Performance Software 2.0, liberates an extra 20Nm from the 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine.
Peak torque is up from 370Nm to 390Nm like in the GRMN, while peak power remains at 200kW. The upgrade costs existing GR Yaris owners the equivalent of around $1500 in Japan, but hasn’t been locked in for Australia.
Toyota hasn’t confirmed if the upgrade improves on the standard car’s claimed 5.2-second sprint to 100km/h.
The upgrade also allows owners to have “specially trained GR consultants” adjust the accelerator, all-wheel drive system, and steering tune to meet their driving style. A whopping 27 combinations are offered, and the service is priced at the equivalent of around $100.
CarExpert has contacted Toyota Australia to see if the upgrade will be offered locally.
The status of the GR Yaris for Australian buyers remains unclear. The car was taken off sale in the middle of 2021 on the back of huge demand from local buyers, and Toyota hasn’t provided an update on when it’ll be available again.
At the time, the company said it hoped to “announce a recommencement of order taking for this much loved vehicle soon”.
Although the smallest GR product is facing an uncertain future locally, its bigger GR Corolla brother is locked and loaded for Australia.
GR Corolla 
Both the regular GR Corolla and the two-seat Morizo Edition have been confirmed for our market, with first arrivals of the former scheduled for the back end of 2022.
When it touches down, it’ll join the GR Supra and upcoming GR86 in the local performance range.
The GR Corolla packs a 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine – that’s right, a 1.6 – with 220kW of power and 370Nm of torque. That’s some serious punch from such a small power plant.
