Louth Motors: The Yaris GR Sport Hybrid - an under the radar gem

A little back story. I’ve had a test drive in the Toyota Highland rescheduled three times now due to unforeseen circumstances.

The latest was the need for the press car to attend the Ploughing Championships. I will get to drive it soon but to lessen my disappointment Toyota replaced the Highlander with a test in the Yaris GR Sport.

For sure I was a bit disappointed especially since I’d previously driven a Yaris and got to spend a fabulous time with the GR Yaris, a real tour de force and the go to hot hatch these days that’s universally praised. I wondered what joy the GR sport could offer that was in any way enticing?

Well, only one of the best driving tests I have had this year. This 106bhp hybrid pocket rocket was a delight and joy to drive on every trip. It gave me a huge appetite for the petrol-only Yaris GR Sport with 121bhp, more about that later, to see how much more sporty that is.

The GR is different from other Yarises, is that a word?, with internal and external GR badges, sports seats and a smattering of sporty red stitching of course.

There are bi-tone colours as well with either a black or white roof. Red or white with a black roof would be my preference.

The car just looks like how you’d expect a fast small car to look and has all the right grilles and spoilers and looks, to me, the best of the crop. The all black bottomless front grill seems at home best here and even looks better than the super GR Yaris.

The dash is all digital and being a hybrid you get a few drive modes from normal, to sport and eco.

The steering wheel feels straight from a more full blooded sports car with the precise amount of thickness to signal business. There’s also an EV only mode that kills the petrol engine for emission free driving at speeds up to 60km/hr when used in an urban setting, but not for that far.

The front and rear suspension were both reprofiled for a sportier ride but the engines remain unchanged. Which mystifies me because from memory the last time I drove the Yaris I’d never have described it as sporty. And yet it clearly feels like it is.

Its zippy and responsive and whilst mine was a CVT boxed version the lag between engine noise and performance wasn’t a downer The Yaris looks are familiar now for a model introduced a few years ago but the tweaks done on the GR Sport make the already muscular looking Yaris that bit more beefier. It looks and feels the part.

The Yaris interior is Ok. It’s not at the level of its competitors like the Fabia / Ibiza and FIesta but it has a solidity and no nonsense feel to it that you just know it’ll work and last forever.

The driver controls are effortless to use and I can see why the Yaris is a very popular learner car. I was puzzled by the fact that the 4 electric windows have no symbol on them denoting their albeit obvious use but I can't recall seeing nothing on any of the 4 switches before. Separate climate controls that are non-touch are provided as well as a radio tune and volume button.

The infotainment system that sits up high on the dash has all the things you’d expect and converts all cars to the same functionality when you select Apple / Android car play.

There’s a big start/stop pushbutton with GR decals with the promise of exuberant sportiness. I can also see the appeal of this car for couples when the kids are no longer around being sufficient for needs, frugal, and cheap to run.

With the GR Sport they get some additional fun even if they might not necessarily be buying it for that purpose but if they test drive it I reckon they’d be swayed to buy. That extra fun is a 0-100km/hr time that’s 5 seconds faster than the base model at 9.7s.

The motorway is not the preferred destination for the Yaris GR Sport. I’d always be opting for a road with character and turns to enjoy the fun on offer. The steering feels just right and I was hugely surprised by the lack of understeer in the car. It sounded like it was about to give up but it doesn't and holds on very ably.

The fun came at the expense of a fuel return of 5.6l/100kms in my case which really isn't that bad but not near the 3.9-4.3/100kms Toyota claim and anyway, who can really achieve manufacturers figures in the real world? And the lower return is because for nearly every trip I wanted to enjoy the full 102bhp available.

The Yaris is a super-mini/small car with 5 seats. That does not translate into 5 adults and 4, two in the front and two in the back, is the optimum amount and it will still be cozy enough.

The boot capacity is quoted at 286 litres which is adequate and easily expanded by folding the rear seats.

Toyota is having a sales bonanza in Ireland with five of the top ten best-selling models all being Toyotas and being the No.1 selling brand. It’s easy to see why with top quality products that are easy on the eye with legendary reliability. It’s awfully reassuring that their cars are now coming with the fun factor and the GR Sport is an exemplary example.

There is also, I feel, an opportunistic quirk in Toyota’s pricing in that the 1.5l 121bhp petrol version of the Yaris GR Sport for €28,910 costs less than the lower powered hybrid version at €30,170 so Toyota have added a sleeper bargain to their stable of cars and that one might well be the one to drive before deciding. I’m certainly keen to do so.

The Yaris GR Sport is one of those cars that is a lot better than the sum of its parts and feels just right from the moment you sit in and then drive it.

It’s everyday enjoyable and fun and in these fun-free times the perfect antidote to our cloudy world. I even think I wouldn't be compromising buying this and not the €30k extra GR Yaris. Sacrilege yes, but nevertheless true. I love it.