By Otsile Kadiege

The hotly-anticipated Toyota GR Yaris’ local pricing and specification has been revealed on the Japanese automaker’s local website.

Exterior design

We recently had an up close look at the new Toyota GR Yaris and were blown away by its low and wide stance as well as the pocket rocket’s aggressive looking front-bumper and LED headlights with auto high-beam for the GR Yaris Rally. The eye-catching GR Yaris is 3995 mm long, has a wheelbase of 2560 mm, a height of 1455 mm and a ground clearance of 124 mm. The frameless three-door hatchback sports 18-inch alloy wheels and features a rear spoiler and a carbon fibre reinforced polymer roof.

The GR Yaris is available in four standard colours, namely Fierce Red, Glacier White, Platinum White Pearl and Lunar Black.

Interior design and technology

Inside, the GR Yaris has chunky GR badged sport seats and a 3-spoke multifunction steering wheel. It also comes with a host of convenience features like Head-up Display, Adaptive High Speed Cruise Control and a touch display with Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay.

Safety features and driver support systems

Safety and driver assistance systems for the GR Yaris include Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Hill Assist Control (HAC), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Lane Trace Assist and Active Noise Control for the GR Yaris Rally.

Performance

Powering the Toyota GR Yaris is a compact and lightweight turbocharged 1.6 litre 3-cylinder engine developing 198 kW and 360 Nm. It’s paired to a 6-speed manual transmission and is fitted with a sophisticated all-wheel drive system allowing the potent hatchback to sprint from 0-100 km/h in 5.5 seconds. It has a top speed of 230 km/h.

Pricing

Pricing for the Toyota GR Yaris is as follows:

Toyota GR Yaris – R606,600

Toyota GR Yaris Rally – R715,600