Unlike Rally1, with its bespoke spaceframe machines, Rally2 is a customer category with a price cap and strict rules ensuring that cars are based on production examples – so the developments on the road-going GR Yaris really help make this version competitive.
The shells are taken directly from the Yaris production line before being strengthened and the 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbo engine is based on the example from the road car. It has proven popular: the rally team has sold 50 already, and if you order one now, it will be 2025 before it gets built.
Back to the ice. Having honed my skills somewhat in a first-gen GR Yaris, it is time to try the new one, with both the manual and new automatic gearbox. Cedric has already had a brief chance to drive it and is wide-eyed with enthusiasm, highlighting the extra power and torque, and the improved driving position.
Perhaps more surprisingly, he is also a big fan of the auto ’box, praising its ability to pick the right gear for any situation.
These are still prototypes, which we have already sampled – but not like this. Behind the wheel, it is easy to understand why Cedric is so impressed.
While ice driving isn’t a high-speed pursuit (we never left second gear in the manual), the extra torque gives the updated GR Yaris notably more pace, and the steering is definitely sharper and more direct. The driving position feels that bit more natural, and it feels even more comfortable when sliding.