The folks at Carwow brought the Yaris GRMN to the drag strip to take on the new GR Yaris. But, little did anyone know that the GR is playing on a different field altogether. This came as quite a shocker because you would consider the flagship GRMN, which stands for Gazoo Racing Meisters of Nurburgring, to be the better one on a drag strip. I mean, it literally has “Meisters of Nurburgring” in its name. But, that was not the case here.

Gazoo Racing In A Nutshell

Back in 2017, Toyota came up with three new badges for its performance lineup presented under ‘Gazoo Racing’, which is the automaker’s performance arm. There’s the GR Sport, GR, and the flagship, GRMN. A lot of models like the 86, the Supra, the Yaris, and the Corolla, amongst others, have gone to the GR facility for a reinvigorated persona. Pumped with turbos and superchargers and increased power outputs, the GR-ed cars even looked quite different from their standard counterparts.

What Happened On The Drag Strip?

Let’s get the specs out of the way first. This, by the way, is the same engine setup seen in the Lotus Elise as well. Power is sent to the front wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. It comes with a limited-slip differential, too. The Yaris GRMN weighs 2,500 pounds.

As for the GR Yaris, it is powered by a smaller 1.6-liter, three-cylinder turbocharged engine. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox and comes with front and rear limited-slip diffs. Power is routed to the ground via all four wheels, courtesy of the four-wheel-drive system. This makes the car over 300 pounds heavier than the GRMN, weighing in at 2,822 pounds.

The two hot hatches participated in a quarter-mile race, a couple of rolling races, and a brake test. Needless to say, the GR Yaris obliterated and steam-rolled the Yaris GRMN. To give you a perspective, the GRMN was 1.1 seconds slower than the GR! What the drivers noted here is that the GR doesn’t have turbo lag whatsoever and it picks up very well in the first and second gear. Perhaps, that’s why the rolling race started in the third gear was a little closer than the rolling race started in the second gear.

Conclusion

All the impressions you had about the Yaris GRMN being the top dog will perhaps be shattered after you watch this video. The GR Yaris is a class apart and a much better drag racer. Despite having a 1.2-inch lowered ride height over the standard Yaris and stuff like Sachs dampers, increased spring rate, thicker front anti-roll bar, new strut brace, and of course, a supercharger, it was no match for the GR Yaris.

What do you have to say about the GR Yaris’ clean victory over the Yaris GRMN? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.