Toyota GR Yaris (GXPA16) Rally2 at Memorial Abel Puig

Toyota GR Yaris: mechanical breakdown

A Rally2 GR Yaris at Abel Puig

Fourteen seconds of a Toyota Yaris GR Rally2, captioned as filmed at the 7th Memorial Abel Puig. The road car behind the name runs the G16E-GTS, a 1.6-litre turbo three-cylinder, and that engine layout is what the rest of this page is built around.

GR-Four torque splits and engine management

GR-Four lets the driver choose how drive is shared between axles: 60:40 in Normal, 30:70 in Sport, 50:50 in Track. Sport moves the bias rearward, so the car rotates more on throttle and the front tires carry less of the 360 Nm the G16E-GTS produces. Track evens the split for equal-axle traction at the limit. These maps are electronic choices layered over a 257 hp engine, so one powertrain behaves differently in each mode. At 1,280 kg kerb weight, the change in split is felt quickly in turn-in and in how the car puts power down.

Why owners remap and cool the G16E-GTS

Remapping comes first. An ECU remap brings large gains in power and torque on the stock turbo, at the price of higher engine stress and possible warranty problems. That matters with reports of cylinder 3 failures and high oil consumption on early cars, especially under track use. An upgraded intercooler usually follows, since heat soak in hot conditions cuts power; lower intake temperatures keep output consistent, though an oversized core adds turbo lag. A downpipe and exhaust make the three-cylinder louder and support higher-boost tunes. The trade-offs are emissions and noise legality concerns, plus drone.