The Toyota Yaris is not a car one would typically associate as being neither fun nor fast. It’s a good commuter car. But then again, is there more to it than we previously assumed? Last year, at the Tokyo Auto Salon, Toyota showed off its Yaris Turbo Concept developed with the automaker’s motorsports tuner Gazoo Racing. Today we bring you the production version, the Yaris GRMN Turbo. Power comes from a 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-four that spits out 150 horsepower and 152 lb-ft of torque, mated to a five-speed manual.
Official acceleration numbers weren’t revealed, but considering the car tips the scale at just 2,359 lbs, performance has got to be pretty damn quick. Gazoo also slapped on a higher performance braking system, a sport-tuned suspension, and 17-inch wheels. To distinguish it further from the base version, it features new front and rear bumpers, rocker panel moldings, a rear diffuser, LED lights and a roof spoiler. The interior receives sport seats, new instrument gauges, aluminum pedals and even a three-spoke steering wheel complete with red stitching. Just 200 examples will be built, but there’s a catch: it’s for Japan only where it’s being sold for the USD equivalent of about $28,000.
