2021 Toyota Yaris GR tuned to a Honda Civic Type R and Volkswagen Golf R-scaring 225kW/385Nm

Aftermarket tuning-specialists Litchfield have wasted no time in enhancing the box-fresh Toyota GR Yaris, announcing it is deep in development of various upgrades including an ECU tuning box to liberate more power and torque.

Litchfield’s research revealed their usual methods of ECU unlocking would not work for the GR Yaris, meaning ECU OBD tuning is off the table for now, but a workaround was found in a tuning box that allows boost to be lifted slightly.

Though still in the early stages and not yet ready for consumer consumption, Litchfield has managed to bump power from the 1.6-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder engine from the standard 200kW/370Nm to a sizeable 225kW/385Nm.

The firm is quick to point of that further refinement is needed to “make it smoother on the road and make the power more consistent”, but the revised engine outputs are now enough to scare even the 228kW/400Nm Honda Civic Type R, 221kW/407Nm Subaru WRX STI and 213kW/380Nm Volkswagen Golf R.

With the added oomph, expect to also see the GR Yaris’ zero-to-100km/h acceleration time drop from 5.2 seconds.

It is unclear if and when this upgrade will be available to punters, but Litchfield is also exploring other options to bring to market such as replacement plug-and-play ECUs.

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Not content with just a bump in engine outputs though, the firm is also putting the finishing touches on a new exhaust system that should liberate even more performance and improve the GR Yaris’ bark.

Other plans include a bolt-in roll cage, lowered seating position, more aggressive intake system, larger intercooler and upgraded chassis bushes, but it’s the new suspension set-up developed in conjunction with Nitron that Litchfield is most excited about.

With improved dampers and lowered springs fitted, Litchfield reckons it has managed to improve handling and dynamics without any compromises to comfort, though again, it needs more time to fine-tune the package.

It is still unclear when these upgrades will be available to the public, and at what price, but UK-based Litchfield offers upgrades for a wide variety of cars including the Alpine A110, Audi RS6 Avant, Ford Focus RS, Subaru BRZ and – probably most famously – the Nissan GT-R.

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