Peugeot has a long history of sporty cars. Almost every model had a GTi-version,
think of the 205, 309, and even the 604 had a GTi-version.
Even though they weren't all successful cars, but Peugeot and sportiness is a logical combination.
Then Toyota. They once had Celica's, Supra's,
they were foot-deep into the rallysport, and at one time,
they had a Formula 1-team. Nowadays they're mostly building sensible hybrids...
instead of hardcore sports cars. Admittedly, they still have the GT86 and participate in the WRC with the Yaris,
but you know what I'm getting at.
And Toyota realizes that, not least by the big boss himself.
A true car enthusiast, and he likes the environmentally friendly,
politically correct hybrids as much as the next guy, but can we still have some fun when we're driving cars?
Absolutely, and that's how this Yaris GRMN came to pass.
A car which has been developed fully at the Nürburgring, where Toyota has a development centre.
That's where Toyota-engineers were allowed to choose anything they liked...
from the Toyota- and Lexus-shelves, to build their ultimate Yaris.
GRMN is kind of a strange abbreviation, but "GR" stands for Gazoo Racing,
which is Toyota's autosport-branch... Gazoo Racing Masters of the Nürburgring; "MN".
You can find the GR-logo in the steering wheel, or on the bootlid,
and behind that, it looks like they've sticked on the letters "MN".
It still looks a little amateuristic, but the intentions are clear.
I'm at Circuit Zandvoort to compare this super-Yaris with the 208 GTi, the other car from the comparison,
and let's start with the engine. It's a supercharged 1.8-litre engine,
instead of a turbocharged engine. Toyota once loaned this engine to Lotus,
and it has now come back from Lotus, only with a supercharger mounted on it.
It produces 212 horsepower and 250 Nm of torque, and the fun thing about a supercharger is,
compared with a turbo, you've got immediate throttle response.
The moment you put your foot down, you're gone. No turbo lag or anything.
That's incredibly fun. The throttle is really direct,
and it feels at home in the higher revs. It's a very good start to be an incredibly fun hot hatch.
It sounds incredibly good, you can hear the supercharger howling,
and that's incredibly exciting and catchy, because when you the higher you rev...
5.000... 6.000... 6.500...
It's growling like a maniac, and the exhausts, which is a customized system,
they really go like hell. So the higher you rev with this Yaris,
the more fun it gets.
It's connected to a manual 6-speed gearbox, like it's supposed to be in a hot hatch.
Doing the shifting yourself. It's got a short clutch with a short stroke,
and that takes some getting used to. The gear lever itself and the shifting altogether,
that's okay. It isn't the best in its class,
but the drivetrain itself is actually pretty good.
Of course, the chassis has received some updates as well. It now has different dampers, different springs,
a bigger anti-roll bar, and last but not least; a mechanical LSD between the front wheels.
In a car like this, you absolutely need that as well.
212 horsepower on those front wheels without an LSD? It would go every single way.
But now, if you put your foot down when exiting a corner...
It catches on so incredibly nicely. The car really pulls itself out of the corner.
If it goes into the corner and you lift your foot, it dives to the inside of the corner as well.
Of course, the chassis is hard, sturdy, like it's supposed to be on a hot hatch,
but it isn't too hard. It's not like it's extremely uncomfortable,
you can still drive it on public roads.
When it comes to the steering, it's very precise.
It isn't incredibly direct, but there's a lot of feedback in the system.
It has the steering wheel of the GT86, which you may have noticed.
What's kind of unfortunate however, and it's the same thing...
the engineers encountered when they were developing this, is the seating position.
The seat I'm in right now; a very good and sporty seat on itself,
it offers a lot of support and all but it's been positioned quite high, and I can't lower it.
If you combine that with a steering wheel which isn't axially adjustable enough, which means I can't move the steering wheel close enough,
that gives it a seating position which is a tad off. I'm either too close to the steering wheel,
which means I'll get in trouble with my legs, but when I put my seat further backwards,
I feel like I'm too far away from the steering wheel.
So that's a point of improvement for the next Yaris.
Right then, the Peugeot 208 GTi by Peugeot Sport.
Its life began in 2014 already, when it was launched as 30th Edition of the 208,
which was because of the birthday of the 205 GTi.
This 208 GTi might never become as iconic as the 205 GTi, but in the meantime,
this car can be seen as the best, or one of the best cars in the hot hatch-segment.
So what stands out if you compare this 208 with Yaris I was just in.
Well, let's start with the exterior. The way the car looks.
If you look at this 208, you see quite a feisty little car.
It's got a good colour scheme, and it looks good from the in- and outside.
If you look around you, it literally breathes sportivity.
Of course, it's a matter of taste, but if you look at the Yaris...
It's white, which doesn't help, it's got stickers which look like they're from Halfords,
it just doesn't look incredibly cool, and that's the opinion of lots of people I show this car to.
I ask them what they really think of this car, and a lot of thing say 'it's a funny car, but it kind of reminds me of a toy car'.
And that isn't a compliment. The same goes for the inside,
because except for the steering wheel, the sportiness is hard to find.
Again, it's all a matter of taste. Let's talk about the car itself.
I'm behind the steering wheel, or rather an incredibly small steering wheel,
and that's a known flaw of the 208. It's still annoying because I can't see the dials,
and I'm not the only one. In this case, it's a tad less annoying,
because the small steering wheel directly gives you feedback from the front wheels, so in this case, it kind of feels like a bonus.
It's fitted with sporty seats as well, but these can be lowered.
The seating position is good in here, because the steering wheel can be moved towards me,
and I'm comfortable in here.
Then, the engine. I just got out of a supercharged 1.8-litre,
and this is a turbocharged 1.6-litre. The well-known e-THP by Peugeot.
It produces 208 horsepower and 275 Nm of torque, and the funny thing is that the maximum amount of power is available at 6.800 RPM.
The exact amount of revs the Yaris needs to produce its full power.
However, the experience is totally different. This has a turbo,
so there's a small delay before the throttle responds. In the lower revs, there isn't a lot going on,
and it feels more at home in the mid-range. It'll keep going until the red line,
which starts at... Let me take a peek...
Well, it starts at around 6.500 RPM.
The engine is incredibly pleasant to drive, it really pulls the car forward.
It's a very different experience than the supercharger,
because that's howling and it feels more alive, especially combined with that exhaust banging and growling about.
There's much more to experience in the Yaris, and in this 208...
It's almost just as fast, but it's very different.
It feels calmer, and even though the exhaust produces quite a note,
but it isn't spectacular or anything.
The chassis then. It's really, really good on this 208.
It's just like with the Yaris; it's sturdy, but it's not too much.
There's still some comfort in there. It has a mechanical LSD as well,
and that also means that when I'm going through the same corner, exiting it flat out,
and instead of wobbling straight through, it pulls to the side you want it to go in a very smooth manner.
And that's something Peugeot has done very well, just like Toyota.
Shifting gear also feels nicer than in the Toyota.
It's a gearbox with small strokes which is a tad smoother, with a slightly longer clutch...
But the fireworks? They never come.
Lastly, a final remark about the tires. The eagle-eyed viewer might've already seen it,
or even heard it, but under this 208...
I mean the sun is shining, it's incredibly hot, but there are still winter tyres on this 208.
A small miscommunication.
And that's unfortunate, because driving on a track with winter tires,
that's not what you want. Anyway, that's the way it is so we're dealing with it.
Do know, I've gotten to know this car pretty good now,
I mean I've driven here with normal tires, and it's so much better on them.
So the winter tires do spoil the driving pleasure, but when you fit it with normal tires,
it will be incredible.
If this Yaris GRMN appeals to you and you want one, that's too bad.
Toyota has build 400 of these, and they're all sold out.
Five of them were sent to Dutch dealers, €46.000 a pop.
Indeed, €46.000.
That's mostly because of the CO2-taxes, which is relatively high.
The emissions of this supercharged 1.8-litre are high, and that means you're done in the Netherlands.
The 208 GTi is €13.000 cheaper, and that got me thinking.
If the Yaris wasn't sold out, would it be worth that €46.000?
If I'm honest; no. For a lot less,
you can get a 208 GTi, a Clio RS, the new Ford Fiesta ST is on its way,
and they're very good cars as well, at least just as good.
However, for Toyota this is kind of a first try. With this, they show us what they can do if they can go all the way.
That gives hope, because if they're able to apply this concept on the next Yaris...
or even some higher segments, Ford, Renault and Peugeot and other hot hatch-manufacturers,
have a new rival. And that's nothing but good news for us car enthusiasts...