Toyota has revealed an upgraded GR Yaris hot hatch that’s due in Australia early in 2025 with more power, updated technology, a new dashboard layout and – for the first time – an optional eight-speed automatic transmission. Due to commence production for Australia in late 2024, the 2025 Toyota GR Yaris also builds on the current GR Yaris with new exterior styling and promises even more fun from behind the wheel but this time to a wider audience.
At the centre of the 2025 Toyota GR Yaris upgrade is a new optional eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission that was developed in circuit and rally racing in Japan. It has reportedly been calibrated to function “similarly to how professional drivers select gears” and uses its heat-resistant friction material for “world-class shifting speeds”.
According to Toyota, it can anticipate a gear change before changes in vehicle behaviour occur to improve performance. The gearbox also features a fluid cooler, while Japanese variants can be ordered with a cooling package, which includes a cool air intake, a sub-radiator and an intercooler water sprayer.
The 2025 Toyota GR Yaris will also be more powerful than the model it replaces, making 224kW of power and 400Nm of torque, which is a nice boost on the current model’s 200kW/370Nm outputs. The upgrade comes from the 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine’s upgraded internals, a revised exhaust, a new intake air pressure sensor and new lightweight pistons.
Elsewhere in the GR Yaris upgrade, while the brakes are untouched, the chassis has been stiffened with 13 per cent more spot welding points and 24 per cent more structural adhesive. The suspension springs have also been revised for sharper handling. With the automatic gearbox, the GR Yaris’ weight has only climbed by 20kg to 1,300kg in total.
Toyota has also revised the GR Yaris’ drive modes, and added a new circuit mode for track driving. The three main driving modes – normal, gravel and track – have replaced the previous normal, sport and track and offer revised power split. Normal has 60:40 front to rear, sport is 30:70 front to rear and track is 50:50. There are also sport, normal and eco modes to vary the steering weight, throttle response, gearbox behaviour, air-conditioning and digital instrument cluster view.
In addition, the new circuit mode activates an anti-lag system that is claimed to provide “controlled turbo lag reduction to improve acceleration response during re-acceleration”, while also increases the speed limited, maximising cooling of the engine water temperature and a shift light on the dashboard.
On the outside, the 2025 Toyota GR Yaris has brought a number of small changes for a new look. The front bumper has been restyled with larger air intakes for better cooling, while the tailights have been restyled with new lighting on the bootlid and the upper brake light has been moved from the rear spoiler to the rear window to make it easier to fit aftermarket spoilers.
The inside has seen a more drastic change with a new dashboard layout that now incorporates a 15-degree angling towards the driver for easier use, while the driving position has been lowered by 25mm, the rear mirror has been raised and the upper edge of the dashboard has been lowered by 50mm in an effort to make the new model easier to see out of. A new 12.3-inch digital driver’s display is also now fitted, with GR-specific menus like transmission oil temperature.
The updated 2025 Toyota GR Yaris will go on sale locally in early 2025, with local pricing and specifications to be confirmed before then. Stay tuned to DiscoverAuto for the latest automotive news and reviews.
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