0:11
This is what driving's about. I think we all know what we do with one last tank of fuel
0:23
It could be an MC20 in the Pennines, or you could take a GT3RS to Silverston and just go completely
0:29
nuts. But here in Finland, in the new Gen 2 G.R. Yaris, I think I found driving heaven
0:40
I'm not sure it gets much better than this. This place is really special. These ice circuits near Yavaskola have been used as training
0:52
rounds for some of the best drivers on the planet. Calorovampara grew up around here and
0:58
A guy called Sebastian Vettel has been known to visit once or twice
1:02
As for the car, well you should probably know all about this thing already
1:07
We drove a prototype Gen 2 G.I. Harris on track last year and the signs are very good
1:13
It feels like a real step on in all the areas that matter
1:17
So for a start, you can see out of this car now because we've got a new dashboard
1:22
The rearview mirror is now mounted a bit taller. It's hard to talk when you're trying to put down 276 horsepower on snow
1:32
We'll give it a go. Oh, but I could do this absolutely all day
1:41
And that the thing the GR on the road it all about grip it all about just putting that power down in any conditions
1:51
But here, the thing is just alive. Lock stops. And we've got different modes for the four-wheel drive system in this new car
2:03
So we're currently in gravel mode. So that's 53% front and 47 rear
2:09
47 rear on the torque split and it works amazingly well. Honestly, if you think track days are fun, you've got to try this
2:19
Oh my god. This is what driving's about. This car, it works superbly in these conditions
2:29
You can just play with it on the throttle and much more on the road
2:33
You can feel the natural balance and it feels like it's just come completely alive
2:39
What we're looking at here is way more than your average facelift
2:46
All the important bits of the GR have been redesigned to make it faster, more durable and more fun
2:53
The 1.6 litre three pot now has stronger pistons and better cooling
2:56
and power is up from 257 brake horsepower to 276. To make use of every last drop of power, spring rates are up by 28% at the front and 10% at the rear
3:08
and you get a beefier front roll bar too. Some of the bodywork is new as well
3:15
At the front there's a steel mesh to protect the radiator and big events to cool the brakes
3:20
The bumper is even split up into sections to make it cheaper to repair if you bump into a snowbank Toyota really cares about this stuff and it put the G Yaris through hell to find and figs any weaknesses Just look at this
3:35
That's former WRC driver Yari Mati Latvila thrashing a GR on gravel until the rear end
3:42
was literally bent out of shape. You'll be happy to know that the new car also has a stiffer body shell
3:49
I actually don't think there's a better way to learn car control than this
3:53
Because in the standard car on the road, you have to be driving so hard to feel anything
3:58
because it's so capable. There's so much traction all the time. But now you can really feel the chassis working
4:05
You can get the four-wheel drive working. Dance it on the throttle. I know it's a road car
4:12
It's not, they call it a rally homologation special, and it is
4:17
But when you take it out here, you do feel that this has rallying in its blood
4:22
It really does. And that's the thing, you do make mistakes because you have no grip
4:26
If you go in a bit too hot, it will punish you
4:32
And you have to sort of relearn what you know. If you're used to circuit driving in this car to get more rotation, you just stamp on the throttle mid-corner
4:40
If you're off the throttle, you just get understeer, which is really the opposite of what happens on a circuit
4:48
So you relearn that. But once you do, once you get accustomed to what this thing is like
4:52
You can just dance with the thing. We had a go in the old car just before jumping into the new one and the changes really
5:02
have made a huge difference. The driving position is now miles better, the engine has more punch and there's less weight
5:09
transfer to manage thanks to a beefier front roll bar and stiffer springs You might have noticed that I not changing gear Well I am but I using paddles on the wheel because this is an automatic
5:20
GI-Aris. It gets an 8-speed tall converter that can change gear in 300 milliseconds, but on this track
5:27
you don't really go beyond third, so a proper test will come later
5:32
So we're not getting a really good impression of what this gearbox is like, because we're
5:38
just in the lower gears really. trying to light the thing up. But I can tell you, this cabin, when I first saw it in pictures
5:48
I wasn't too fussed. It almost looked like a prototype, but now it's got a sort of motorsport vibe to it
5:54
which I quite like. This makes me almost wish that you could access more of this balance on the road
6:05
Because the G.R., like I said, is all about grip and traction. all-weatherability. I want one on skinny tires that can do this. Obviously not to quite these
6:16
angles but just to feel it moving around a bit on the road. But if you have the means, you need
6:25
to get out to Finland. I want to move here and do this every day. There's nothing quite like it
