Toyota GR Yaris gets performance upgrade in Japan 

Two years after its debut in 2020, Toyota has given the Japanese-spec GR Yaris a performance update. It is now capable of making 390 Nm of torque, which is 20 Nm more than the previous output of the 1.6-liter turbo inline-3 engine powering the Japanese market model. 

The Japanese-spec Toyota GR Yaris

As to how the additional torque was achieved, this was done by releasing the GR Yaris Performance 2.0 Software. But while its torque output was improved via the software update, the Japanese GR Yaris still retains its 268-horsepower rating.  

Peak torque with the new software is also achieved within the same torque range before the upgrade. Specifically, the enhanced 1.6-liter engine’s 390 Nm of twisting force is still squeezed out from 3,200 rpm to 4,000 rpm. 

What’s great about this particular update is that current owners of the Toyota-made hatch can actually install the said software on their units. But to do so, one has to fork out the equivalent of around Php 58,500 at current exchange rates. This sounds a bit expensive, but gaining 20 Nm from that amount might be worth it for those who are serious about performance.  

For an extra Php 5,600 (again at current exchange rates), one can also acquire the aid of “specially trained GR consultants.” These folks will then help you tune your GR Yaris’ all-wheel-drive system, steering system, and accelerator.  

This is likely needed since the additional 20 Nm of torque will have a noticeable impact on the car. But if one wants, a tune can also be personalized to suit your preferred driving style. 

The update primarily concerns performance, and the interior of the GR Yaris in Japan remains unchanged

As we’ve mentioned above, the software update was released for the Japanese-spec Toyota GR Yaris. Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) in turn, is yet to mention anything about bringing it in for the local market. 

Do remember also that the Philippine-spec GR Yaris can currently make up to 257 horsepower and 360 Nm of torque. That’s slightly less even than the pre-updated Japanese-spec GR Yaris.  

The new output figures for the Japanese-spec GR Yaris also puts it on par with the special edition GRMN Yaris which could also make 390 Nm of torque. Figuratively, this does leave our version of the GR Yaris in the dust when performance is concerned. 

But in the case that TMP does bring in this new software update for the GR Yaris, will current owners fork out additional dough on top of the costs of their rally-bred rides?  

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