2026 GR Yaris : For those who want the Evo / Impreza experience today

Between the late 90’s to mid 2000s there was a mad era for Japanese performance cars. The rise of the rally bred 4WD turbo sedans. Initially you had contributions from Mazda, Nissan, heck even Isuzu and of course Toyota. But the era ultimately belonged to Mitsubishi and Subaru with the Lancer Evolution and Impreza WRX lines.

Countless reviews worldwide saw wilder and wilder iterations going up faster, more powerful and more expensive cars only for these two to either match or in some case embarrass the competition. Over time thought emissions and tech dethroned them thanks to the likes of the Golf R or the A45 AMG. While the new cars were faster there was a certain rawness that was lost along the way. That was unique to that era of cars, which the newer replacement never brought to the driver. Until now.

Who is the GR Yaris for?

Someone who wants a 4 wheel toy. Its got a tight rear seat, our crew could not wait to get out of that place. The boot is oddly shaped and does not provide enough storage space. Then theres the hilariously small fuel tank. Paired with the fuel consumption of this car, you will stop at almost all the fuel stations on your trip. 
Having said that, this is a namesake Yaris, that was designed with the two halfs of two different Toyota platform. With one goal in mind. To provide the most competitive platform to be homologated for the World Rally Championship. There are no other products that share this platform except this car.

Drop in a potent 3 cylinder turbocharged 1.6 litre engine, putting out 300bhp and 400Nm, mated to a super short gearbox (3000rpm for 120kph), and a multiplate clutch centre diff AWD system, and tie it all together with the help of one Tommi Makinen (please look him up on any AI search tool, thank us later), you have the recipe for this car.

This car is strictly for someone who wants to have fun. No practical duality here, no good highway manners or NVH either. Its loud, raw, and unapologetic. The only thing it offers is a certain kind of driving experience.

What kind of driving experience does the GR Yaris offer?

The frantic type. The gears are super short and close. Theres tonnes of grip. Tight corners, quick direction changes, these are its habitats. This car is more at home on roads with relentless tight turns and low average speeds. Thats where you can fully utilise the generous 400Nm using the 4WD system.

Its loud, you hear all the road noises, its stiff, but thats part of the experience. Even for track driving, this would be good for Dato Sagor rather than Sepang. That does not mean it wont be fun out on the world famous F1 circuit, it will still kill it there.

When we drove from PJ to Ipoh via Kelantan during our drive event in

But unlike the refined polished performance of modern super hatches, this is raw and unadulterated, with the overwhelming AWD grip dominating the driving experience. Just like how the AWD rally sedans of the bygone era used to be.

What else comes with the car?

Mechanically the 2026 Malaysian spec cars comes ticked with most spec. Theres a water spray for the intercooler, Torsen mechanical LSD’s front and rear, 18 inch BBS forged rims, and a 12.3 inch TFT instrument cluster. The cluster really completes the rally car experience. We were not too interested with the 7 inch infotainment system but ooh look a button to spray water for the intercooler!

The intercooler now comes with the word GR-FOUR engrained on it. Which also stays true to the rally bred monsters of the bygone era. The steering wheel and the gearknob are particularly nice to the touch. That gearshift feel though really bring it home, with a butch meaty solid feel. Its been quite some time before we experience a good manual shift in a new car like the GR’s.

Theres also 3 modes for the AWD system, which is normal (60:40 split), Gravel (53:47) and Track, which can shuffle power between the default to 30:70 in specific conditions. Based on our experience during our drive, you will be doing some very crazy speeds before the power shifts like that. All these goodies are yours for RM315,992.80. Which may seem like alot for a 300bhp manual Japanese hatch. Until you remember the Evo X SST was sold for almost the same price back in 2008.

In Conclusion

So for what it suppose to caters, with most of the options ticked, the price can be argued as ‘aggressive’, especially being offered as an official import by the dealership with full factory warranty for 5 years / unlimited mileage. But more importantly, its essentially a turbocharged time capsule that keeps a very specific experience bottled up, which brings us back to a nostalgic era. If you like this kind of experience, this car is certainly for you. Did we also mention the exhaust pops and backfires straight out of the box….?