Toyota's New Special Edition GR Yaris Has a Donut Mode
Almost a year to the day, Toyota announced two GR Yaris "concepts" at the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon. They were the GR Yaris RZ Kalle Rovanpera and Sebastien Ogier Editions, wearing special appearance packages and tuned with bespoke drive modes befitting the WRC drivers for which they're named. The concepts came with a promise that, eventually, folks could buy one. That time has finally come.
In the year that's passed since the debut, the GR Yaris received a big facelift. So the new models look a bit different. The core elements are the same though; Ogier's car is finished in a dark shade called Matte Stealth Gray, which helps accentuate the blue brake calipers behind those sharp 18-inch BBS wheels. A special rally spoiler made from carbon fiber reinforced plastic adorns the hatch, and you'll find a few decals honoring Ogier's WRC success and his home country of France. Rovanpera's car is brighter, wearing a version of his three-tone racing livery with special logos and WRC accolades. The rear wing is identical to that on the GRMN Yaris.
Moving inside, both cars have special badging and contrast stitching unique to each edition. You'll also find exclusive full TFT gauge displays that show specific drive modes for each car. But the modes are far different than the gravel and track settings you'd find on a normal GR Yaris.
The Ogier Edition gains Morzio Mode, which Toyota describes as "restraint (direct connection) maximally applied to the front and rear wheels during acceleration and relaxed only as necessary during braking." You also get SEB Mode, named for Ogier and tuned to send more power to the rear wheels versus the front.
As for the colorful Rovanpera Edition, it gains a colorfully named Donut Mode which ensures "slide control during drifting." That sounds like a drift mode to us. There's also the KALLE Mode, which incorporates a different rear differential for "aggressively swinging out the vehicle's rear when entering a curve and pulling forward the vehicle's front using the accelerator." That also sounds like a drift mode to us, but one with a bit more emphasis on getting very sideways.
Obviously, these special editions won't head to America, as the GR Yaris isn't sold here. Toyota will build just 200 total – 100 each – and you'll have to participate in a lottery starting in the spring for the chance to buy one. So the odds of seeing them anywhere will be very slim. Should you be chosen, you'll get the car and some neat VIP perks like meeting the drivers. There's no mention of price, though we suspect these cars will be a bit more expensive than your average GR Yaris.
