Toyota GR Yaris

The 2020 Toyota GR Yaris belongs to a very specific moment in the 600-car catalogue, a point when a 4-seater hatchback could still be shaped around unusual engineering choices rather than simply following convention. Its place in the collection is defined by one standout detail: just 3 of the 600 cars combine an inline-3 engine layout with AWD. That rare pairing sits at the centre of what makes this Toyota worth examining.

The numbers reveal a car that is not chasing the catalogue’s outright extremes. With 257 bhp, the GR Yaris ranks 536th of 600 for power, while its 230 km/h top speed places it 560th. Yet the 0-100 km/h time of 5.2 seconds ranks 483rd, faster than 117 cars in the catalogue. The meaning is clear: this is a car whose appeal is not built around dominating individual statistics, but around how its specifications work together. A turbocharged 1.6-litre inline-3 producing 360 Nm, paired with AWD, creates a distinct formula among the cars available to collectors.

The GR Yaris also occupies unusual territory in the wider catalogue because of its size and mechanical arrangement. Only 6 of the 600 cars use an inline-3 engine layout, and only 5 are turbocharged inline-3 cars. Toyota contributes 7 cars to the catalogue, while 48 cars come from Japan, placing this model within a smaller group defined by its origin and configuration. At a used price of £35,000, it ranks 500th of 600 for price, meaning it sits above 100 cars in cost, with a cost of £136 per bhp.

That balance creates the GR Yaris’s character within a dream garage. It does not compete for the highest power figure or the highest speed ranking, and it does not ask to be judged on those terms. Instead, it represents a 2020 approach to a hot hatchback, using a turbocharged inline-3, AWD, and a 5.2-second acceleration figure to make a compact 4-seater stand apart. Choosing this Toyota means accepting less power than many catalogue options and a lower top speed, in exchange for owning one of the few cars where an inline-3 engine and AWD come together in the same package. It is the kind of choice that gives a collection a precise mechanical character rather than simply adding another fast car.