2025 Toyota GR Yaris gets sharper with new aero kit and performance upgrades

The Toyota GR Yaris may be five years old, but Toyota isn’t done sharpening its pint-sized performance weapon. After receiving a facelift in early 2024, the rally-inspired hot hatch is back for 2025 with a fresh set of upgrades—most notably, a new aero package and meaningful mechanical tweaks that enhance both track prowess and daily usability.

Leading the updates is a six-piece aerodynamic body kit, designed to improve high-speed stability and downforce. The standout component is a large, adjustable rear wing—engineered for track use—which helps keep the car planted during high-speed driving and under hard braking.

Other functional additions include:

A vented hood with a central air duct, inspired by the GRMN limited edition model. It’s now made from aluminum instead of carbon fiber.
New air ducts behind the front wheels to improve stability during cornering.
Rear bumper outlets designed to reduce aerodynamic drag.
A front spoiler lip and a redesigned fuel tank undercover—borrowed from the GR Yaris race car in Japan’s Super Taikyu endurance series.

Toyota also addressed cooling for the 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine, ensuring better heat management during spirited driving. While the power output remains unchanged, the enhancements improve reliability and sustained performance.

Meanwhile, the eight-speed automatic transmission—first introduced in the 2024 facelift—has been further refined. It now delivers quicker gear changes and more responsive shifts, particularly when the car is in Sport mode and operated manually.

Chassis and handling improvements include:

Widened bolts for increased structural rigidity.
Retuned electric power steering for improved feedback.
Revised shock absorbers for better ride and handling balance.
A larger footrest for automatic-equipped models.
A vertical parking brake, now standard across all variants.

In Japan, Toyota Safety Sense is now standard across the GR Yaris range, offering enhanced driver assistance and safety features even on the base model.

The 2025 GR Yaris is priced from ¥3,560,000, which converts to approximately RM113,500 for the base manual variant. The range-topping model with the automatic transmission goes up to ¥5,330,000—around RM170,000 based on current exchange rates.

At this stage, Toyota hasn’t confirmed if these new updates will be available outside of Japan. However, given the GR Yaris’s popularity among driving enthusiasts worldwide, there’s hope that at least some of the new kit could make its way to international markets in the near future.

Until then, the 2025 GR Yaris shows that even after five years, Toyota’s rally-bred hot hatch is still evolving—with serious attention to detail and performance.