SOMETHING SPECIAL

These are odd days for motoring. The unusual is becoming usual. Jaguar is making silent cars, Ferrari is doing SUVS, and Range Rover is making ‘coupés’ for the best part of a quarter of a million quid.

Luckily, not all of motoring’s good stereotypes are being left behind. The hot supermini is making a return–and we’re not talking about a 115bhp VW Up GTI either. We’re talking about 209bhp in a tiny Toyota with a Torsen differential and topquality suspension.

The Toyota Yaris Gazoo Racing Meisters of Nürburgring – or to yo ta yar is gr mn, for sort of short–is notch eap.Inf act, at £26,295 it’s exactly double the cost of an entry-level Yaris. But by the looks of it, price isn’t going to be an obstacle to ownership. Just about every one of the 80 cars destined for the UK already has a name against it.

Gazoo Racing is Toyota’s inhouse performance division. The GRMN’S supercharged 1.8-litre2zr-feenginehasonly a passing connection to Japan, however. The basic unit is built on Deeside by Toyota, passed to Lotus for modding, and then sent to valenci en ne son the border of France and Belgium for insertion into the sachs passively-s us pen de dY ariss hell.

And the finished product is a cracker. That 209bhp peak power lurks way up at 6500rpm, encouraging the driver to explore the wonder fully linear delivery up to that point to the joyous accompaniment of a madly-hissing intake and suitably angry exhaust note.

Now, it has to be said that the GRMN’S chassis performance on British roads doesn’t quite match the excitement of the engine. The driving position is too high, the steering wheel isn’ t adjustable enough, and the body sits tall. On top of that, the low-speed ride is tough enough to turn operation of the infotainment screen into a test of skill.

Once it’s up to some sort of speed, though, the suspension begins to work and the GRMN begins to feel like a gen-one Ford Focus RS. Sometimes, inherent instability can be fun as long as it’s underlaid by inherent composure, and in that regard this little Yaris trumps even the rear-driven GT86 in the life-affirmation stakes. You can uncouple the back end either by making use of the standard limited-slip differential or by tramping on the firm, high-bite brakes. You’ll encounter torque steer, and there isn’t a sense of total predictability about the front end, but you’ll enjoy the challenge of making it all come together.

If you’re bothered about fuel economy, a daily driving mix of sanity and madness is likely to result in old-school m pg figures in the mid-20s.

This Yaris looks like being the first in a wave of Europe-bound Gr mn specials. the market for limited-number firecrackers still seems to be there because, as noted, the GRMN is all but sold out. Snuffling around Toyota’s UK dealer network might unearth some build slot crumbs, and we reckon it would be well worth your effort.

Our favourite hot supermini, the sweetly-chassised Mini Cooper S Works 210, will seem like the height of driving sophistication compared to the shou ty, bouncy gr mn. the same can probably be said for the new Ford Fiesta ST, when it comes out at a likely asking price of under £20,000. but everydayrefinement isn’ t really top of the list in ca sr like the gr mn. Or it shouldn’t be, anyway.

Toyota’s pricing strategy seemed bold at the time of the car’s announcement, but now it looks spot on. If you’re one of those who have already taken the plunge, we’ll admit to more than a tinge of jealousy.