Taking a wee spin in some mad little Toyota hatches

The starting point to any performance model is weight — little of it. It was Lotus founder Colin Chapman who believed firmly in this ethos, famously saying he added ‘lightness’ to his cars. Watch races from 1960s between Mini Coopers and larger cars to marvel at the quality of having little weight.

I recently spent a short time with the Toyota GR Yaris, in the week that the local subsidiary announced it would introduce the new GR Corolla. The GR Yaris certainly isn’t the first hot hatch from the Japanese brand.  

 Toyota Yaris GR Four-Rally 

The tidy little GR is powered by a turbocharged three-cylinder 1.6l petrol motor. It outputs 198kW and 360Nm — staggering numbers frankly — and feeds a four-wheel drive system through a six-speed manual transmission.  

It was developed on know-how collected from the stages of the World Rally Championship. It has regular essentials: air con, Bluetooth and electrically adjustable windows, while sophistication is had through a head-up display unit to keep the speed in check.  

The performance is a 0-100km/h sprint in 5.6 seconds and a 230km/h top speed. It has stronger brakes, stickier tyres and a sports exhaust. The true perk is that below 4,000rpm it can be operated within the remit of a regular Yaris city car. Press on beyond that mark and a giant-slaying little Frankenstein pops out.  

In 2022 the company introduced a pokier and limited-edition Yaris GRMN. This one’s 20kg lighter, thanks to also losing the back seat and upgraded with a mechanical limited-slip differential, an even closer ratio gearbox,  a suspension lowered by 10mm, and more personalisation options.

Yaris GRMN

In 2017 Toyota put the first fires under a Yaris model with the GRMN model of that vintage. In Toyota lingo, the GRMNs are the harder-core versions of the GR range. This model was limited to 400 units, with the bulk of that consigned for Europe distribution.

Power was from a 1.8l four-cylinder petrol engine with an Eaton supercharger strapped on to produce 156kW and 250Nm. A Torsen limited-slip differential was standard for the epic grip it introduced. Zero to 100km/h was rated at 6.3 seconds with an electronically limited top speed of 230km/h.

The model was not sold in SA, but a few units were brought in for the automotive media and other stakeholders to taste what was to come with a GR-badged Toyota.  

Aygo Crazy 

Back in 2008, at the British International Motor Show, Toyota revealed the Aygo Crazy concept vehicle. Essentially a modified and lightened Aygo City car, Toyota shoehorned a turbocharged 147kW and 240Nm Toyota four-cylinder 1.8 VVT-i unit from the MR2 roadster where the luggage sits. It could sprint from 0-100km/h in 5.7 seconds and on to a top speed of just over 200km/h. 

Apart from the extreme body kit, the Aygo Crazy was also equipped with the suspension from the MR2 roadster and adjustable dampers. Could you buy it? No, but we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of it when it came to SA for a special exhibition run at the 2011 Simola Hillclimb.

Aston Martin Cygnet V8

Despite the iconic Aston Martin badge, the pint-sized Aston Martin Cygnet is a Toyota IQ — a model marketed only in Japan and Europe. In a 2008 collaboration, under emissions duress, the British company had commissioned Toyota to build the Cygnet. While the Cygnet’s three-seat skeleton and innards were Toyota, the design inside and out was pure Aston.  

The Cygnet also adopted the Toyota 1.3l engine with 72kW and 125Nm mated to a six-speed manual transmission or a CVT gearbox. Performance was distinctly un-Aston-like; 11.8 seconds to 100km/h and top speed of 171km/h.  

Its out-of-character design didn’t sit well with a customer, who in 2021 approached Q by Aston Martin — the company’s skunk works department — seeking and willing to bankroll the correction of this deviant. He wanted a Cygnet with real Aston power, so they weaponised it with a 4.7l V8 from the marque. One unit was ever built.

Toyota IQ GRMN 

Shortly after the Aston Martin Cygnet went on sale, Toyota showcased the IQ GRMN at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Salon. Only 100 of these were produced exclusively for the Japanese market powered by the same 1.3l engine but tuned and mated to a little supercharger for 73kW managed through a six-speed manual transmission.

As the first product to wear the trending Gazoo Racing brooch, the IQ GRMN had upgraded brakes, revised suspension exhaust and rode on 16-inch Rays forged alloy wheels.