If you’re not a Toyota dealer did you read of the new GR Yaris late last year with a bit of envy? A bit of a snarl? After all, if you believe the reviews, it’s almost like the new Yaris is going to solve world famine and look great in an LBD while it’s doing it. They were, to say the least, a bit over the top.
And now we’re re-visiting it all over again because even now the reviews are rolling in about just how great this car is. Oh, and it’s just been voted Car of the Year by a bunch of motoring journalists.
It always had a lot to live up to. And Toyota dealers are going to struggle to get their mitts on enough of them to satisfy demand.
Late last year, it got Five Stars from What Car? and Top Gear mag, having awarded it Hot Hatch of the Year, said it’s the best Toyota they have ever driven, adding: “It’s a genuinely exciting car this, a hot hatch with a real purpose in life. After all, when was the last time we had a proper rally homologation special, something we can all aspire to? Not since the Imprezas and Evos of the 90s. This, then, is a once in a generation special. And the best news of all is that Toyota has smashed it out of the park.”
Autocar has brought all this back into focus this week with its own road test ( Toyota GR Yaris Review (2021) | Autocar )and has again lavished the GR Yaris with praise: “One of those rare cars that seems to be destined for greatness right from the get-go. Of all the high-end automotive exotica that emerged in 2020, none generated quite the same level of collective salivation as this steroidal, and comparatively affordable, Japanese pocket rocket.”
So go, Toyota dealers, fill your boots. Looks like you really have got a winner on your hands and fair play to you.
We’re not jealous …