We have already watched countless supercars and other high-end machines unleashed at the Nurburgring, oftentimes from the driver’s perspective; but what about lesser models, such as the Toyota Yaris GRMN?
Introduced as a more track-focused alternative to the small hot hatches such as the Ford Fiesta ST, Volkswagen Polo GTI and Renault Clio RS, the Yaris GRMN was set loose at the track by SportAuto with pro racing driver Christian Gebhardt at the helm.
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With the speedometer often pointing north of 200+ km/h (124+ mph), the hot Yaris eventually ran the course in 8 minutes and 44.66 seconds. Mind you, this wasn’t a factory attempt, in which automakers prepare meticulously for a long time and take every variable into consideration, including the outside temperature and wind speed, but rather an exciting lap in a small hatch that used to cost €30,000 ($33,734) in Germany when it was on sale.
Limited to 400 units in Europe, the Yaris GRMN was actually fine-tuned at the Nurburgring, so perhaps its lap time shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise. Compared to the usual models, it has a tweaked chassis, ventilated brake discs, Torsen limited-slip differential and exclusive body work. Inside, the racing seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel sourced from the GT86, aluminum pedals and other special touches highlight its sporty nature.
The Yaris GRMN is powered by a 1.8-liter supercharged engine that pumps out 212 PS (209 hp / 156 kW) and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque and is coupled to a six-speed manual transmission that channels the output to the front wheels. It has a 230 km/h (143 mph) top speed and the ability to accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.3 seconds, although we suspect it was the ‘Ring-refined chassis more than anything else that enabled it to feel right at home at the Nordschleife.