In many ways, the Toyota GR Yaris represents a return to the golden age of Japanese performance cars, and one of those ways is a programme of continuous tweaks and improvements throughout the car’s life. Think of how Skyline GT-Rs would evolve quickly from original to V-Spec to V-Spec II, and you get the idea.
In that time-honored tradition, Toyota has rolled out a number of small but meaningful improvements for the 2026 model year GR Yaris which it calls the Type 26. This, it turns out, was the mystery model Toyota was teasing a few days ago. Unfortunately, that whole ‘golden age of the Japanese performance car’ thing is also replicated in the GR Yaris not being available in North America, with these changes currently confined to the Japanese market.
Reinventing the Wheel
Toyota
Debuting on the Type 26 GR Yaris is a brand new design of steering wheel, and though it looks like a scattergun approach to covering it in switches and buttons, there’s a reason behind it. It’s in response to feedback that the controls on the previous, more conventional steering wheel were too easy to accidentally operate during hard cornering.
To solve it, Toyota let its racing drivers loose with a series of prototype steering wheels, which has resulted in this funky new look, designed to offer a comfortable grip for drivers without risking them accidentally cranking the stereo volume up to max while negotiating a set of switchbacks. The controls themselves have been repositioned to be easily operable on the fly.
Marginal Gains
Toyota
Elsewhere, Toyota has tweaked the GR Yaris’ electric power steering setup to make it work more smoothly with rally or high-performance circuit tires, and under high-load cornering. We’ll let Toyota’s press release do the talking: “optimized torsion-bar rigidity within the torque sensor and modified control software have expanded the steering torque detection range, enabling optimal assistance even when cornering under extremely high loads.” This is seriously nerdy stuff, people.
Speaking of more aggressive tires, the range-topping RZ High Performance version of the GR Yaris now comes shod in extra-grippy Bridgestone Potenza Race rubber as standard, with the aim of improving high-speed control.
More of the Same
Toyota
That’s about it for changes to the Type 26, aside from a slight reshuffling of options packages. We had a hunch that Toyota’s shadowy teaser might have been pointing to something major like the debut of the long-awaited G20E four-cylinder turbo engine, but the all-wheel drive GR Yaris rumbles on with the same 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder it’s had since launch, and that’s fitted to the GR Corolla. It can still be optioned with the Aero Performance Package launched last year, too.
As before, it makes 300 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, and can be paired with a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic. Toyota hasn’t provided any performance figures, but there’s no reason to expect any changes to the circa 5.2-second 0-60 mph run or the 143 mph top speed.
What has been provided is pricing, with the car kicking off at ¥3,617,000 – around $22,700 – and the one you want, the bells-and-whistles RZ High Performance with the Aero Performance Package, costing ¥5,532,000 – about $34,700. Orders open in Japan on April 6, but as for North America? It’ll keep having to make do with the GR Corolla which, in fairness, is a pretty good consolation prize.
