Hot hatch head to head

Limited edition brings Toyota into hot hatch fray. Is it a match for Peugeot thriller?

20 209bhp Toyota Yaris GRMN meets 205bhp Peugeot 208 GTI

BRITAIN has always been a haven for hot hatchbacks. Buyers here love the blend of hardcore performance and usability these models deliver – and none is arguably more hardcore than the new Toyota Yaris GRMN.

Small, sporty cars like this are perfect for twisty British roads, and this limited-run hot hatch offers vital specs that highlight this. Never one to follow the crowd, Toyota does things its own way with the GRMN, but even so the car is matched by the Peugeot 208 GTI by Peugeot Sport when it comes to its focused set-up and the performance on offer.

One area where they don’t quite match is price; the Yaris is expensive. The question is whether it’s worth the money.