Toyota not interested in GR-spec Yaris Cross

Wednesday, 4 November 2020

Toyota has confirmed it isn’t going to build a hot-cross Yaris to fight Ford’s Puma ST.

The sales and marketing head of Toyota Australia confirmed the bad news to CarAdvice: “No plans that I'm aware of for a GR Yaris Cross… we’re very happy to be bringing the GR Yaris (to) the market in the next month, but nothing that I'm aware of in terms of the Yaris Cross in that space.”

The official reason is that the high-power 1.6-litre triple found in the GR Yaris is too much for the Yaris Cross. There’s also the fact the GR Yaris hatchback rides on an all-new platform, created joining the front end of the standard Yaris’ GA-B architecture with the rear of the GA-C platform used by the Prius. Sounds strange but it’s true.

The epic GR Yaris won’t spawn a crossover variant, Toyota has confirmed.

Toyota said this is to do with the complex all-wheel drive system. In order to accommodate the differential/clutch pack pairing and boost the torque capabilities of the GR Yaris’ rear end, the GA-C’s double wishbone suspension layout was needed. The MacPherson strut layout at the front of the standard Yaris is retained.

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While it might be possible for Toyota to plop the Yaris Cross body on the GR Yaris bones, it seems such a car isn’t high on the carmakers list at the moment. However, Toyota has pledged to expand its GR line-up, so there’s still a chance we could see the hotter crossover.

Rumour has it Toyota is also working on a GR Corolla, as well as continuing development of the current Supra and its forthcoming hypercar, the GR Super Sport.

In the meantime, the GR Yaris retails in New Zealand for $54,990. The high-ride Yaris Cross starts with the entry-level 1.5-litre petrol GX priced at $29,990 and the GX Hybrid will be $33,990. The flagship Yaris Cross Limited Hybrid is priced at $38,990.