Toyota Yaris GR4 4x4 Rally going into production.....

As I said for me it was most apparent, coming from something very low and very stiff compared to most road cars, how much it moved around and how much I felt it. The driving position is high and that won't help and the seat is not very fitted or supportive but again my reference point was coming out of a car with full bucket seats and very low slung driving position.

I drove the car for maybe 30-40 minutes, so can only be first impressions (for me) but I know when I pitched into a large motorway island the roll was the first thing that struck me and it was very apparent to me. As I said it stuck well and it wasn't suggesting a lack of grip or traction, but to me, with my reference point it felt soft which again is to be expected based on the rally car background. By comparison I did not feel the same in the Civic Type R for a more relevant reference point.
 
Nasher said:
If you make a car corner completely flat it won't grip as well in the wet.
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It’s the feeling I got as a not unseasoned driver of cars over many years. I think it’s a cracking car if that is what you want, Toyota did mainly a good job, but for me it left me feeling underwhelmed from a very brief drive. The Civic was the reverse interestingly.

The biggest issue was the driving position and frankly rubbish seat (compared to what it could have offered). I have always hated high up seating (the Polo was high up, the R8 high up compared to a 911 and the Exige I borrowed it was the first thing I noticed sitting in it) but you get use to it after time and is all opinion. But it did roll more than I expected and that is a fact because I know what I expected and it was more :cry:

You pay your money and you make your choice. What I think is irrelevant but nonetheless a valid personal experience and feeling and not influenced by anyone else’s POV. I think I typed it about 1 hour after getting out of the car so fresh in my mind.
 
Nasher said:
If you make a car corner completely flat it won't grip as well in the wet.
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Completely depends on camber, usually roll creates a flatter contact patch to promote grip. If you cant load up the tyre to allow that they hey can be rubbish in the wet. My S2000 was a bit like that on 2.5deg of rear camber, fantastic in the dry but as you say it didnt roll enough in the wet to grip as hard

But for sure too stiff is a problem on rough stuff and with the yaris having rally roots its no surprise to be setup to absorb bumps. As gibbo says they are B road weapons due to that.
 
Exceptional damping is key to making a fast all conditions road car. No questions A to B on a bumpy road the Yaris will be incredible for that reason it’s well set up for that job. Great traction, compliant but precise ride and small confines will make it was quick as anything on the right road and quicker than most. My GT3 was epic on smooth surfaces, my GTR the same, but when it gets bumpy the GT3 was all over the shop and the GTR shares some of that, even on the softer settings. I think on the tight confines of a bumpy road you’d be quicker more easily in a Yaris.

Taking movement our of suspension and lowing cars so often makes them worse road cars when done badly. To add I think my R8 was brilliant at this, Audi got it right on the damping of the V10+ Mk1
 
Hi there

I think the whole point of the GR is that Toyota made a homologation special, or however you spell it and a car with its intended purpose being rallying which can mean tarmac, gravel, wet, snow, bumpy type surfaces the car has to be able to work well in all those conditions which also generally sum up a British road and our weather perfectly.

Its not been designed to be a race/track car, albeit the wording "circuit pack" can be seen as miss leading. The none circuit pack car is a soft car, with fantastic damping and ride quality, but equally lots of lean. The Circuit Pack car does not turn into a harsh car, the dampening is still very good, the fact these cars weigh so little helps of course too, but I believe the Circuit Pack cars just have slightly revised dampers/springs, thicker anti-roll bars and of course the very important torsen differentials.

I feel Toyota made a car that was all about feel or at least the best they could do in this modern age, so its all about mechanical grip and feel, yes it does have electronics but the torsen differentials are mechanical and very feel some, the suspension is all passive/fixed so again aids how you can feel the car but its a car you can use.

Seating position yep its high, if you want that low strung seating position then buy a sports car, this is not a sports car, its a hot hatch and pretty much all of them feel like your sat high compared to a proper sports/super car, but I actually take no dislike this, but having owned a Type R, Clio 172 and Abarth the latter two had very high seating positions and I was never bothered by it, so the Yaris is fine for me.

As to seat itself, I think its superb, driven the car now for like 4-6hrs straight and my back never aches and I always feel comfortable and cool, the bolstering is tame but as the material is cloth type I don't slide or move around in the seat.

I think as a B road blaster which seems to be exactly what Toyota designed the car to be in all weather conditions it is pretty much unbeatable.
If you want a full out track car I think the Yaris is maybe a bad place to start, Honda do that better out the box or just buy a sports car. I am sure if you further uprate those anti-roll bars, fit coilovers and turn them upto 11, add sticky wider rubber and increase the power then the Yaris would no doubt be an insane track car.

I think Toyota probably poorly named the UK version "Circuit Pack" as in different countries such as Australia the car is actually called the "Rally Version" which seems far more appropriate. Maybe Toyota should have used the word Rally here instead as one would expect a circuit pack car to have stickier rubber and even firmer suspension and be flatter, so maybe's Toyota's naming is a little miss leading or confusing to some.

If I was tracking the car, I'd get some 245-265 section cup 2 tyres on it with wider wheels to suit, coilover suspension, thicker roll bars and push the power to 300-350 levels and I suspect it would then be a devastating track car for its power class.

I see a lot of people with super car stables who have got these and some owners absolutely love them and are keeping them, particular a lot of GT3 owners and I also see quite a few who say the car is not as expected and are selling, or maybe their intentions was to flip the car all along.
 
Gibbo said:
Hi there
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I would agree entirely with this sentiment. I absolutely love driving the Yaris, and I too have no issue with the seating position (6ft3 and a bit) and find it plenty supportive. I actually like the fact you can hear the diffs too. Feels special, almost actually like "rally" in that sense. 30 years ago, This car was on the wall in my bedroom as a kid, albeit wearing a Subaru / Mitsubishi body. Big wheels, massive brakes, huge arches, low roof line. I think Toyota grabbed the demographic perfectly with this car. I've only done 125 miles in mine since ownership, and given the other daily's I have now and have had in the past, there's something really cool about the Yaris.
 
Saw a red one today in the flesh, makes me want one more - though I’d still go white I think.

Need to book a test drive and see whether my imagination of how good it will be matches reality.
 
Most performance road cars are way stiffer than is good for them because that’s what consumers have been brought up to think they need. You only need to watch how much BTCC cars pitch and roll when warming the brakes/tyres on a green flag lap to realise that there’s nothing wrong with a bit of well controlled compliance.

I suspect the Yaris is simply a case of engineers winning out over marketing for once resulting in a car which is actually well set up but which sits outside the norm of what those brought up on a diet of Teutonic suspension are used to.
 
Saw/heard one of these today. Was sat outside the court buildings getting a bit of fresh air and heard it coming from a mile away. Don't know if it was modded or not, but for such a small car it sounded immense.
 
Malevolence said:
Saw/heard one of these today. Was sat outside the court buildings getting a bit of fresh air and heard it coming from a mile away. Don't know if it was modded or not, but for such a small car it sounded immense.
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Modded they are pretty silent stock but with an unsilenced exhaust they can be rather loud.
 
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