Toyota GR Yaris (GXPA16): GR-Four torque split modes

Toyota GR Yaris: mechanical breakdown

A GR Yaris, 41 seconds

Caption: GR Yaris, nothing more. No modifications, events or driving are named for the 41 seconds, so there is little to add beyond the car itself. It is a GXPA16 with the G16E-GTS, a 1,618 cc turbocharged inline-three, which fires every 240 degrees of crank rotation.

GR-Four torque split modes

Behind the 257 hp and 360 Nm sits the GR-Four all-wheel-drive system, with three selectable front-to-rear splits. Normal is 60:40, so the front axle takes the larger share. Sport reverses that to 30:70, the only mode that sends most of the torque rearward. Track sits between them at 50:50, an even division. The engine output stays the same in all three; only the proportion delivered to each axle changes. That makes the mode selector the main way the driver alters how the car puts its power down, without touching the engine or the gearbox.

Remaps, downpipes and intercoolers

Most owners start with an ECU remap. It adds large power and torque gains on the stock turbo, and the price is higher engine stress and possible warranty problems. That weighs more given the reports of cylinder 3 failures and high oil consumption on early cars, particularly with track use. A downpipe and exhaust give a louder sound and support higher-boost tunes, with emissions and noise legality concerns and drone as the cost. Heat soak cuts power on track in hot conditions, which is why an upgraded intercooler is popular. Its trade-off is cost, plus more turbo lag if the core is oversized.