Why the Toyota GR Yaris Is a True Unicorn

At a time when people in Portugal can’t stop talking about unicorns, I’m not going to be yet another voice discussing Farfetch. Instead, I want to talk about the Toyota GR Yaris. It’s so rare it almost feels like it shouldn’t exist at all. Thankfully, it does. Enjoy it while you still can.

In the startup world, “unicorns” are companies valued at more than one billion dollars. But I’m not here to talk about money. I’m here to talk about the scarcity the term implies - the same scarcity that, at its core, defines the mythical creature.

And make no mistake: a homologation special like the GR Yaris is not going to happen again. It won’t. To my great disappointment. Even this one arrived out of its time, and if it weren’t for Akio Toyoda’s passion for cars - Toyota’s president - it probably would never have been born.

These opening lines should already have made it clear just how special I think the Toyota GR Yaris is. But if you’re still not convinced, feel free to settle any doubts with this video:

Courage… but not only

To talk about the GR Yaris is to talk about courage. It would have been so easy to find an excuse not to launch a sports car like this. But Toyota refuses to go down that route and has done everything it can to keep the flame of driver’s cars alive - cars built for people who genuinely love driving.

Just look at the three models the Japanese brand has recently released with the Gazoo Racing stamp: GR Yaris, GR Supra and GR 86. I’m not even bringing the GR Corolla into the conversation because (unfortunately) it isn’t sold in Europe. One glance at that list is enough to see that very few brands are doing as much as Toyota to keep true “driving machines” alive.

So yes, I’ll say it again: bringing a model like the GR Yaris to market took courage. But it took far more than that - it demanded ingenuity and real substance. It isn’t enough to create an old-school car with rally DNA and wrap it in modern technology. It has to deliver on the road - or on gravel, if you prefer - everything it promises. And the GR Yaris delivers, time and time again.

Above all (and everyone)

Compact, powerful, playful and so capable, the Toyota GR Yaris exceeds every expectation. It’s the textbook definition of a pocket-rocket and the best “small performance car” you can buy today. I have absolutely no doubt.

It isn’t the fastest or the most powerful. But it has what so many rivals lack: it’s intuitive, it communicates, and it makes us feel special. The numbers don’t do it justice. Not even close.

The gearbox has short ratios and keeps you working. The steering is quick and easy to read. And that small 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine is a genuine work of art. It was tuned specifically for this Toyota GR Yaris and it’s brilliant in every respect.

Even though it’s packed with technology, what impresses me most about the GR Yaris is how effortlessly everything happens. This is a car built to be driven. On the limit. Whenever the road allows.

It’s true that it can also cope with city life. Despite being hardcore, it comes with all the comforts we no longer want to live without: air conditioning, an infotainment system, and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility. But until you find “that road”, with “those bends”, the GR Yaris always feels slightly held back.

But, my friend, when that road finally appears, everything clicks and the Toyota GR Yaris is practically perfect. And you don’t need a performance driving course to understand it. Not at all. A bit of nerve and a healthy dose of confidence in the work done by Gazoo Racing’s engineers is enough.

An endangered species

As smitten as I am with this model, I can’t help feeling a certain sadness knowing the recipe won’t be repeated. Because the Toyota GR Yaris is exactly what many of us feared we would never see again.

There’s no shortage of marketing exercises out there. But the substance doesn’t always follow. With this GR Yaris, it’s entirely different: it not only lives up to the talk - it actually does more than it promises.

I’ll end this piece by recalling a line Guilherme used in an article he wrote here at Razão Automóvel, about another driver’s car, the Mazda MX-5: “Life is too short to drive boring cars”. The GR Yaris reminds us it’s impossible to disagree.

So I’ll finish where I began: the Toyota GR Yaris is rare. It’s a true unicorn. Appreciate it while there’s still time. One day, we’ll all miss it.