Subota Boy

New member here - picking up my 2020 Pro in black next week.  Been after a GT86 for quite some time and finally took the leap this week with an offer I couldn’t refuse.  This looks like a fantastic forum so already looking forward to learning lots and helping wherever and whenever I can.  For once I want the weekend to go really fast!!!!

Wrong car I know, but I had an Exedy stage 1 fitted to my Impreza ( with a lightened flywheel) and it was a vast improvement over OEM. 

While out to Sainsburys

The Bilstein B8 dampers were installed today, to accompany my existing H&R Super Sport springs.  If you wanted to do the whole shebang, you could buy the Bilstein B12 kit, which consists of B8s with Eibach lowering springs.  At the same time, lower arm Superpro poly bushes front and rear were installed, as well as Superpro lower control arms, adjustable toe controls and Whiteline anti-roll bar drop links front and rear.  It also got a full laser alignment.  By the way, I ordered the Bilsteins last October and they only just arrived this week.  Be prepared for a long wait.
Abbey did the usual superb job and threw two technicians at it, so it was all completed by early afternoon.
Ride quality is firm but fluid.  You certainly know that you're no longer on stock dampers, but at the same time it remains supple and always in control.  There is no bounce, especially over large undulations.  There is certainly no crashing or harshness.  It's just firm.  But that leads to...
Roadholding.  Goodness me, this is different!  In the damp conditions driving home, and off motorway as much as I could, the level of grip and control around bends and coming off corners and roundabouts is on a different planet.  Being able to put down a goodly amount of supercharger power and not have it scrabbling for grip is amazing.  No, I didn't sneak a set of 255s on the wheels, they're still 235 PS4s.  However, I am not used to being able to give it so much pedal so early coming off a corner.  It really is a new kind of fun.
Was it worth it?  I think so, as the investment in a good boosted setup is wasted if you don't pay as much attention to the chassis, and stopping, as it needs.

Our hybrid for family use. Took a while to get used to the hybrid idea, but it is really not a bad drivers car.  Sensitive steering, great roadholding, low COG etc, and sport mode can be great fun.  MPG is not as good as you might think, averaging mid 50s mpg.
It would not replace the GT though! 

20191207_160242 by Richard Beale, on Flickr
 
Been there done that. Mine is for tax reasons more than anything.
Long story short is the infrastructure is no where near there to support it yet, and I think it would be a struggle to get it sorted in just ten years.
Any questions fire away.

Well done Toyota Yaris !  1st, 2nd, 4th on the Monte Carlo Rally!!  Great start to the 2021 WRC.

In an update of mapping the tuning box, good progress has been made. Nervous me has had plenty of reassurances from Richard and Gary has checked the fuelling which is nice and rich on full boost at the top end. I have also received information from trusted sources that the stock bottom end will take 500bhp and been advised that I'm barely tickling it at 305bhp. This is good news. I have had some revisions done to the map, to wind back the boost a bit at 3000rpm and make it a bit more linear. The guy at DTUK has been excellent with taking a lot of time to discuss and revise and checking in with me every day this week, when I've been in the car. This has helped and the car is absolutely flying now. The boost increase is 0.2 bar/2.9psi, so it's nothing too crazy. 
Really enjoyed the EVO article too.
 

Great article in Feb issue of EVO mag!  GR Yaris versus 22b and Quattro Sport. GRY acquits itself well against these rally-bred giants. I had not realised that a 22B commands £150-200k, and a Quattro £500k. Makes the GRY appear great value to get that kind of buzz today.

Great article in Feb issue of EVO mag!  GR Yaris versus 22b and Quattro Sport. GRY acquits itself well against these rally-bred giants. I had not realised that a 22B commands £150-200k, and a Quattro £500k. Makes the GRY appear great value to get that kind of buzz today.

Well, if you can round those cars up, we'll give it a go!
I think you'd need better conditions to give a GT86 a chance though, even if it is supercharged, but yes, would be very interesting to see. I guess the FK8 and GR Yaris are the closest in performance, at least on paper, though I admit, I love the diversity of these two cars. They have similar performance but get the job done in very different ways. The Civic is a precision tool, whereas the Yaris just monsters whatever you throw at it, it is just so devastatingly competent. I've just taken my car up the Cat and Fiddle in wet, cold and greasy conditions. The speed which you can carry is immense and the traction is just astonishing. I honestly doubt that anything else could have kept up in those conditions. It's every inch the rally car.

Cross-posting from other forum...
Picked up the car today. Recall done, plus full service, spark plugs and a new clutch. Cant say the engine feels or sounds any different, perhaps a tad smoother.
New clutch feels good - same pedal weight, but engages a bit better now. I was convinced on the way home that something was wrong with it, but it was just a consequence of having just climbed out of the courtesy Yaris. They also tightened the handbrake a bit, which was handy. It had been a little slack since I did the rear bearings and I intended to take a look at it at some point, so that's one job I don't have to bother with now
No problems so far. I'll be driving up to my parents at Christmas, which is a couple of hundred miles, so that should highlight any issues.

I had a call from the dealer I purchsed my GT86 from to say they had a demo car. But as delivery is now june 2021 told him I'd wait to see what the next 86 is like.
He informed me that it was getting the 2,0 engine from the Supra

I loved our car the moment I saw it, and love it more after each modification.  Had it nearly six years and don't expect to sell it until I can't get in it anymore (being an OAP).  If you buy one of these just to keep it for a few years and move on to something else you will likely take a hit.  I will never get back the money for the modifications undertaken, and never expected to, but the joy of this expensive hobby comes at a cost that I am willing to pay. 
The enjoyment I get from just going for a drive in this car is difficult to express in monetary terms.  😊

@KobayashiMaru good review. It's got a 50L tank btw, same as a GT86. it think it is a bit more thirsty than the GT though, but more power requires more fuel. I'm averaging about 21.5mpg But once I have done a 1000 miles, I'll be sitting on the motorway at 60 with the radar cruise on lane trace assist and I'm sure I'll get some back. 
It is hugely competent isn't it? I've done a 100 mile drive down the A49 to Whitchurch and back at 7am this morning. I was surprised at how I quickly became so confident in the car. Those 4S tyres really are amazing, but the tautness of the chassis really helps and the damping is very good. I ran in track mode first thing when it was still raining and did notice the front diff locking and a bit of understeer as I exited a roundabout. I then went to Sport mode and that sorted that issue. I got the car into a lovely flow over some crests and nice fast bends down the A49 and I must admit, I was really starting to flow. What I am loving is that the harder you push the car, the more it delivers. That I was grinning from ear to ear, told me all I wanted to know. 
I really doubt anything would stay with one of these down a sodden B road in darkest December.

Toyota GR Yaris - 25 Minute Test Drive Review
Hello Everyone,
Here is my quick review of the GR Yaris, based on a 25minute test drive. Which was conducted on the outskirts of Birmingham, so mostly consisted of city roads and dual carriageway, with lots of pot holes. Because of this I was unable to push the car handling and cornering ability. For reference the weather was dry but the roads were wet from lots of rain the night before.
Short Version:
The car is good and well rounded. It has excellent power delivery from the 3 cylinder engine. Lacking exhaust sound but you can make turbo noises, exhaust would be first mod. Stiff but compliant suspension, not crashy. Comfortable but seat is too high and letter box effect in the center of the windscreen. Fairly priced considering the technology. Overall: 7/10
Long Version:
Exterior
My initial thoughts on seeing the Yaris in the showroom are, it's small, looks well built, the front end is very aggressive with the large grill and cooling vent, the side has massive wide arches which really add to the character of the car. The most disappointing part of the car is definitely the rear end as it's lacking any kind of style. The wheels are made by BBS Japan and forged, they actually have the specification markings on the inner bead, as in it literally says 18x8.5 +45 (might not be exactly this), BBS Japan, Made in Japan, etc. A nice touch for those who like this kind of detail or looking for the info on the wheel specs. The Brakes are massive and fill the 18" wheels nicely, they are a two piece design with a bolted hat and rotor, so should make getting replacements relatively in-expensive. The showroom car was in solid white, this is a nice and clean colour and showed the cars details very well. I compared it to a Pearl White regular Yaris that was next to it, the Pearl was nice but I don't think it'd work on the GR.
The test car was a Scarlet Flare red GR Yaris with Circuit Pack. I didn't find the colour that exciting when initally looking at it, however I passed the car on the way home whilst it was on another test drive and it did looks good on the road. I'm not sure what my preferred colour choice would be based on the options available. Owning a WR Blue BRZ my ideal colour would be blue again if it was available.
Interior
The interior has a modern feel and is well put together and looks very nice, there are some cheap plastics and the dash cluster is very plain, think of it like a 90's STi cluster. It really looks odd compared to the rest of the dash, as that has a nice modern look. I definitely think a digital dash would have been better, if a regular Yaris can have this why can't the GR? At-least it should be an option. However upon driving the main central digital display was nice and clear, easy to read and understand. It's display output can be adjusted by using the controls on the left side of the steering wheel, you can see the current speed, mpg, turbo pressure, tyre pressure, power output to each wheel and adjust the various systems of the car, i.e. the lane assist or emergency braking. For the test drive I left the display on current speed. The steering wheel also had controls for the radar cruise control, audio and phone system. 
The seats were very nice and comfortable, but as reported by a number of people they sit very high, apparently there is up-to 60mm of hight adjustment, but even on the lowest setting this was too high for me. Also the main infotainment screen and rear view mirror take up a lot of wind screen space, giving a letter box feel to the center of the windscreen. If the seat was an 1" lower this wouldn't be an issue for myself. However before my test drive I was talking with another customer who was also interested in the GR, he was probably over 6 foot, we discussed this issue and I can definitely see it being more of a problem for him and the taller drivers. After about 5 minutes in the car the seating position felt natural and I was used to the letter box effect and could happily accept this compromise. I didn't try the back seat space, but I had a quite look in the boot and it's tiny so bare this in mind if you need some storage space.
Test drive:
Power Delivery - As I'm sure most of you are aware the GR Yaris has a 260hp, 3 cylinder, 1.6L engine, and it's powerful more than I expected from a 3 cylinder. My only previous experience of a 3 cylinder engine is a 1.0L in a VW Up, the Yaris is nothing like that. The delivery is nice and smooth with a good amount of torque. There is little to no turbo lag and it's happy to be revved out. Although peak power is in the middle of the rev range. I might have given the clutch a hard time on the first pull major pull away, upon joining a dual carriageway from a roundabout as I wasn't expecting it to pull as well as it did. The power makes it very easy to reach the speed limit and go beyond it. As for the clutch other than me getting used to it (mainly getting used to driving a car that actually has some power), the pedal was good and firm and didn't require a lot of effort to press.
Suspension - The car as mentioned previous had the circuit pack fitted, this has stiffer suspension than the standard/convenience pack cars. You could definitely tell it was stiff, but it wasn't bone jarring / teeth rattling like some other cars (Fiesta ST). It is well damped which is what makes a massive difference when it comes to suspension, so much so I'd say it has better dampers than the Tein Flex A's on my BRZ, as it was very compliant on the rutted roads, with no torque steer when putting the power down. However I'd probably look at changing the suspension to a set of coilovers fairly quickly after purchase of the car, as I'd like a bit more refinement from them, perhaps the standard suspension would be more akin to my ideal setup. Although with coilovers the balance could be fine tuned.
Chassis - The chassis felt solid and didn't have any sort of body flex, I could tell during the limited corning that the body was nice and flat with little roll. As for the steering, it was perfectly acceptable and you could tell which directions the wheels were pointing, ideally I'd like to see how the steering behaved when on track to get a better feel for it. However it does lack feedback compared to the 86/BRZ, to be fair to the Yaris though I've not tested another car with the same steering feedback as the 86/BRZ, even my Mazda MX5 MK1 didn't feel as precise.
Brakes / Wheels & Tyres - The circuit pack cars are fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres as standard. On the wet roads the car had plenty of grip and traction and I never once thought I could use more grip, unfortunately I didn't really get chance to try changing the AWD drive modes to see if this would have made any difference to the traction levels. It would be interesting to see how the car reacts on the PS4S in proper wintry conditions. The brakes as standard are massive, even so they work amazing from cold without issue. However like the steering, the feedback from the brake pedal wasn't as exact as my modified BRZ's, it does have a nice consistent feel and not over servoed like a VW's.
Noise - The car was quiet inside, there is definitely less road noise than compared with my own BRZ which has added sound deadening. However the worst part of the car is the exhaust sound or lack of sound, I put the windows down for the last 5 minutes of the drive and you could barely hear the car even when static revving it. This is highly disappointing and whilst a 3 cylinder isn't exactly a screaming V8 I would have expected some noise, after all it is based on a rally car. I'd definitely recommend ordering an exhaust system to go on the car immediately. I guess this is why the car has the artificial engine sound through the speakers. The only positive from the quiet exhaust is that you can hear the turbo, which is fun when flooring it and lifting off then hearing the turbo vent to atmosphere.
Final Thoughts:
Overall it's a good car and fairly priced when you consider all the performance technology it features, with the 0% finance currently available it makes the car a very tempting proposition. However it's not as involving as the 86/BRZ and lacks that extra feel of precision. It's therefore not a car I'd look at replacing my BRZ with. I am tempted to order one as a second car due to it's features and uniqueness which I hope will mean it holds value quite well. If I was to score it out of 10, I'd probably say a 7 is fair based on my 25minute test drive.
I'm looking forward to reading @Lauren's inital review to see if any of my thoughts match her's. 
Thanks for reading.
Will
p.s. If your thinking of ordering, the current expected delivery date is June 2021.

So the GR Yaris comes fourth in the Evo Car of the Year competition, at a basic price of £30k.  The winner, BMW M2CS basic is £75k.  The other two that scored above the Yaris were the Lambo Huracan at £164k and the McLaren 765LT at basic of £280k. Just on price alone would seem to make the Yaris fantastic value for money!
 
Well done Toyota!

So the GR Yaris comes fourth in the Evo Car of the Year competition, at a basic price of £30k.  The winner, BMW M2CS basic is £75k.  The other two that scored above the Yaris were the Lambo Huracan at £164k and the McLaren 765LT at basic of £280k. Just on price alone would seem to make the Yaris fantastic value for money!
 
Well done Toyota!

Martin l will still pop along to see you all, it just won't be in a GT86

I loved our car the moment I saw it, and love it more after each modification.  Had it nearly six years and don't expect to sell it until I can't get in it anymore (being an OAP).  If you buy one of these just to keep it for a few years and move on to something else you will likely take a hit.  I will never get back the money for the modifications undertaken, and never expected to, but the joy of this expensive hobby comes at a cost that I am willing to pay. 
The enjoyment I get from just going for a drive in this car is difficult to express in monetary terms.  😊

While I hope for a good day tomorrow (Saturday) to get the brake work completed, I've booked some more work and a 50k service with Abbey Motorsport.
Next on the list of goodies will be a full set of Bilstein B8 dampers, SuperPro lower arms, SuperPro front/rear bushes, Whiteline ARB front and rear drop links, HawkEye alignment. 
That should tighten up handling while still retaining driver comfort with the H&R Super Sport springs.  I certainly don't want it any lower.  I do a daily commute of 80 miles and don't track the car, so it's a case of the best real-world road performance and comfort for me.  That will be pretty much it for mods, I'm pleased with the way it's coming along.

Got my 86 when I was sixty.  You are a mere youngster!!  Enjoy!!!

Me too!

That's a stunning photo of your car Keith