AWD vs FWD vs RWD. Take your pick.
By now, I think we've already established that the Toyota GR Yaris is a quick tiny machine. We've seen the rally-bred hot hatch smoke several other high-performance nameplates in drag races, most notably so against the Honda Civic Type R on both wet and dry surfaces.
But how does the little hatch perform on a race track? More importantly, how does it compare against other small performance machines when driven hard around corners in a time-attack fashion?
Gallery: 2020 Toyota GR Yaris
To test this, Mat Watson Cars (yes, Carwow's Mat Watson) uploaded a track battle between the three different yet similar cars. It's the Toyota GR Yaris proving its track pedigree against the Ford Fiesta ST and BMW M2 CS. It's America versus Japan versus Germany for this 11-minute video, and it's enough to give you an idea of how the little three-banger Toyota places in terms of track prowess.
But before you watch the video, let's put down the number here for black and white comparison. The GR Yaris is powered by a 1.6-liter three-pot engine that makes 257 horsepower (192 kilowatts) and 266 pound-feet (360 Newton-meters) of torque, pulling all of 2,822 pounds (1,280 kilograms) weight. Those numbers are sent to all four wheels via a 6-speed manual transmission.
The Ford Fiesta ST, on the other hand, makes 197 hp (147 kW) and 214 lb-ft (290 Nm) from its 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine, sent to the front wheels via a 6-speed manual on this lap time comparison. It weighs less than the GR Yaris at under 2,600 pounds.
Germany's contender, the BMW M2 CS, is the most powerful of the bunch with its 3.0-liter mill churning out 444 hp (331 kW) and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) of twists, sent to the rear wheels through a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. It's significantly the heaviest, though, tipping the scales beyond 3,500 pounds.
You've seen the numbers, now watch them battle it out on the track. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Source: Mat Watson Cars (YouTube)
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