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Litchfield Toyota GR Yaris review

4 years ago

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Writer:

Dan Prosser | Ti co-founder

Date:

12 April 2021

For the time being, Litchfield’s power upgrade package for the Toyota GR Yaris consists of little more than a plug-and-play ECU tuning box (£600). It lifts power from 257bhp to 300, with a useful step up in torque as well. The really big power increases will come once the ECU itself has been cracked and new intake and exhaust systems developed. But in a car this size, isn’t 300bhp plenty? After driving Litchfield’s uprated GR Yaris (it has two, in fact), I couldn’t imagine wanting more.

Litchfield Toyota GR Yaris

But you can bet there’ll be plenty of owners who will. The tweaked engine pulls appreciably harder through the mid-range and up towards the redline, and it never feels moody the way some boosted engines can. The upgrades I’m really interested in, however, lie elsewhere. Soon Litchfield will have its own seat rails ready to go, which will drop the front chairs by around an inch and a half. Taller GR Yaris drivers will rejoice.

Yet I’m more excited by this car’s new suspension arrangement. Litchfield has worked with Nitron to develop a coilover kit (£2600) that drops the ride height by a sizeable 40mm while also settling the ride quality (Litchfield’s cars have the optional Circuit Pack with the firmer springs). You can adjust the new dampers through 25 clicks for bump and rebound, meaning you can have a fluid ride one moment and the rock solid platform of a racing car the next.

Litchfield Toyota

Set-up somewhere down the middle the Toyota still feels taut and busy, but it now has the sophisticated damping of a Porsche GT car. You really feel that when it lands into a compression, or when the body is kept in check over a sharp crest. Like the best performance cars, this one blends body control and compliance over bumps expertly. New suspension doesn’t make the GR Yaris more fun at sensible speeds, but a brilliant car is now better still at maximum attack.

Litchfield Toyota GR Yaris
Engine: 1618cc, 3-cyls, turbo
Transmission: 6-speed manual, 4WD
Power: 299bhp @ 6895rpm
Torque: 284lb ft @ 4765rpm
Weight: 1280kg
Power-to-weight: 234bhp/tonne
0-62mph: 5.3 seconds (estimated)
Top speed: 143mph
Fuel economy: n/a
Price: see text
Ti rating 9/10
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