Now, I think we’ve already established that the Toyota GR Yaris is a tiny, fast machine. We saw the hot hatch created in rally smoking several other high performance nameplates in drag racing, most notably against the Honda Civic Type R on wet and dry surfaces.
But how does the small hatch perform on a race track? More importantly, how does it compare to other low-performance machines when driven hard around corners in a time attack style?
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To test this, Mat Watson Cars (Yes, CarwowMat Watson) sent a track battle between the three different but 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 in this 11-minute video, and it’s enough to give you an idea of how the small Toyota trio position themselves in terms of prowess on the track.
But before watching the video, let’s put the number here for comparison in black and white. The GR Yaris is powered by a 1.6-liter three-pot engine that produces 257 horsepower (192 kilowatts) and 266 pound-feet (360 Newton-meters) of torque, pulling everything with 2,822 pounds (1,280 kg) in weight. These numbers are sent to the four wheels via a 6-speed manual transmission.
The Ford Fiesta ST, on the other hand, produces 197 hp (147 kW) and 214 lb-ft (290 Nm) with its 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine, sent to the front wheels using a 6-speed manual in this comparison of back time. It weighs less than GR Yaris, under 2,600 pounds.
Germany’s competitor, the BMW M2 CS, is the most powerful in the group, with its 3.0-liter mill producing 444 hp (331 kW) and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) of torque, sent to the rear wheels by middle of a 7-speed double clutch gearbox. It is significantly the heaviest, however, tipping the scale beyond 3,500 pounds.
You saw the numbers, now watch them battle on the track. Let us know your opinion in the comments section below.