In-depth reviews

Toyota GR Yaris review - Practicality, comfort and boot space

Despite being a point-to-point weapon, the GR Yaris still offers useful practical features

Overall Auto Express Rating

4.5 out of 5

Practicality, comfort and boot space Rating

3.0 out of 5

Find your Toyota Yaris
Offers from our trusted partners on this car and its predecessors...
Or are you looking to sell your car?
Advertisement

A three-door hot hatch designed with track use in mind isn’t going to be on the shortlist of a growing family, but once inside the Toyota GR Yaris you’ll find it offers just about acceptable room for a performance supermini.

Toyota has recognised that some customers might want a few creature comforts to take the edge off living with a rally-inspired machine on a day-to-day basis. All GR cars include dual-zone climate control and adaptive cruise control, while speccing the Convenience Pack adds a head-up display, front and rear parking sensors and a voice recognition function for the infotainment system.

The ride never moves away from being on the firm side, but we think the trade-off for improved feel, handling and responsiveness is definitely worth it.

Size

The GR Yaris is 3,995mm long and 1,805mm wide, which makes it 73mm shorter than a three-door Ford Fiesta ST and also a little wider. For comparison at the other end of the scale, a Civic Type R is 562mm longer than the GR and 72mm wider.

Leg room, head room & passenger space

A three-door design obviously makes it a little more tricky for rear passengers to enter and exit the car and headroom is certainly on the tight side. Only two seats are available in the rear compared to three in the standard Yaris model. Up front things are better, but with a lot of dark trim around the cabin some might feel it a little enclosed and slightly claustrophobic.

Boot

Boot capacity for the GR Yaris is down to 174 litres, compared to the standard model’s 286 litres. This is mainly due to the battery being stored in the rear and packaging of the bespoke suspension and four-wheel-drive set-up.

Most Popular

‘Forget leasing a car, a cut-price van should be your next everyday vehicle’
Opinion - Fiat Scudo
Opinion

‘Forget leasing a car, a cut-price van should be your next everyday vehicle’

With some huge savings to be had, Mike Rutherford thinks a van could be the perfect vehicle
3 Dec 2023
Deal of the Day: Spacious Skoda Superb is a peerless estate for £223 a month
Skoda Superb Estate - front tracking
News

Deal of the Day: Spacious Skoda Superb is a peerless estate for £223 a month

The Superb is one of our favourite estates and our Deal of the Day for Monday 4 December
4 Dec 2023
New Renault 5: price, specs, launch and on sale dates
Renault 5 EV concept at 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed
News

New Renault 5: price, specs, launch and on sale dates

Renault’s reborn Renault 5 will start from €25,000 in Europe, suggesting a circa-£30k price in the UK. It's due on sale in the summer of 2024. Here's …
1 Dec 2023