Toyota GR Yaris vs Audi S3

What's the difference?

You already could have argued the GR Yaris was the best car Toyota made even before its update.

The GR Yaris’ refreshed interior and its slight bump in performance are the result of plenty of feedback from owners and even racing drivers that Toyota took on board, and the result is an even better sports car.

It helps that it’s not prohibitively expensive in the grand scheme of the new-car market these days.

Now, I reckon even fans of the rear-drive Toyota GR86 might start to doubt their preferences after a stint behind the wheel.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

The updated Audi S3 Sportback is a fun-sized dynamo with impressive outputs and athletic road manners. It’s missing a few premium features, but its compact size paired with a gutsy engine makes it a compelling option for drivers who don’t want to compromise on performance (just space).

The GR Yaris isn’t just a regular Yaris with sports bits stuck on, and because of that it looks fantastic. 

It’s properly aggressive, sculpted to look more like a rally car than other Yarises (I’m not calling them ‘Yarii’), even down to the fact it’s a two-door design.

A carbon-fibre roof, aluminium bonnet, doors and tailgate, plus a series of functional aerodynamic and cooling features prove the Yaris doesn’t just look like this for show, though.

The redesigned front bumper directs air to more radiators for extra cooling but also through to the front wheel arches to cool the brakes.

Another change is the tail-light bar, which spans the rear and does away with the light integrated into the rear spoiler, which is now also body coloured. Down below that, larger exhaust tips reflect a more powerful engine.

There’s also significant change inside. The repositioning of some elements for better ergonomics make the GR Yaris a much more driver-oriented space inside, and despite some soft-touch materials it has a race car vibe to it.

The interior centre stack no longer looks like a standard Toyota interior, and the fact Toyota went to the effort and cost to do this purely because of driver feedback shows how serious it is about its GR division’s future.

The S3 Sportback may be a small car, but its S design features, like the stylised blackout grille, matrix LED headlights, and 19-inch alloys with red brake calipers, give it a distinctly athletic and fun-loving vibe. It’s compact, but definitely not diminutive and carries serious road presence. It’s hot hatch meets fun-size.

Inside, the S3 looks fabulous. Integrated ambient lighting, a sharp dashboard treatment and a driver-focused cockpit all lend it a premium feel.

The front seats look properly sporty with their integrated headrests, and the quilted Nappa leather upholstery feels great, especially with the eye-catching red contrast stitching.

As for technology, it’s as high-end as you’d expect with a 10.1-inch touchscreen multimedia display and 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster taking centre stage.

The only drawback? No sunroof. Combined with the black headliner and compact cabin, it can feel a little gloomy at times. Still, it’s a cabin you’ll enjoy spending time in.

The changes to the GR Yaris interior come down to useability as a sports car.

Thanks to the update, some pre-update complaints about ergonomics like the driver’s seat being too high or impeded visibility have been addressed.

The seat is now 25mm lower and feels much more natural in terms of eye-level and body positioning, but also allows more space above to fit a helmet on your bonce.

The pedals have also moved for easier heel-toeing, while the steering column angle has been adjusted to feel more natural. 

Additionally, the dash panel is now tilted towards the driver by 15 degrees more and there’s better visibility between the dash and rear-view mirror with the multimedia screen now integrated into the centre stack.

Essentially, the Yaris has undergone a generation-level update in the interior and is much better for it.

Everything falls to hand without the driver needing to move their shoulders, but at the same time it doesn’t feel cramped.

While the second row is near unusable for adults - plus only seating two - the 174-litre boot is only 39L less than the GR Corolla. It’s not much space at all, really, but fold the seats down and there’s space for track day gear, maybe even a spare tyre or two. Not that there’s a standard space-saver spare with the car. Just a repair kit.

Like most hatches, the front row enjoys the most space. While it’s cosy, it never feels cramped. The seats are firm yet comfortable, thanks to their adjustability and expandable under-thigh supports. Access is fairly easy with wide door apertures, though the low seating position might earn a few grunts, especially from taller folks.

Storage up front is well sorted, with a glove box, a small centre console, a dedicated phone cradle and a couple of cup and bottle holders. It’s about what you'd expect for a car this size, but it's enough to keep things tidy.

There are plenty of charging options, with two USB-C ports in each row and a wireless charging pad up front.

The multimedia system is intuitive and easy to use. The touchscreen is responsive, and wireless Apple CarPlay connected without fuss and stayed connected all week. Wireless Android Auto is available, too.

Built-in sat nav is clear, and I love the way directions pull through to the digital instrument panel. The Sonos sound system? Pretty darn good. My son and I had more than one mini-concert on the school run.

As for the rear row, it definitely reminds you this is a small car. At 168cm, I found it on the cramped side of cosy and my husband just laughed when I asked him to try it! The wheel arch also cuts into the door aperture, making access a little awkward. Best to think of it as occasional adult seating. But given the size, that’s no surprise.

Amenities in the back are decent with a couple of map pockets, cup and bottle holders, as well as a fold-down armrest, those USB ports and rear temperature control (but curiously, no fan control). The seats are comfortable enough, but space is limited. Realistically, it’s best suited for two passengers, not three.

Boot space is quite practical. The wide opening and manageable load lip height make it easy to slide items in and out. It offers 325L of space, less than its key rivals, but expands to 1145L with the rear seats folded flat. The handy 40/20/40 split also adds versatility. Under the boot floor, you’ll find a tyre repair kit.

The A3 Sportback comes in three trim levels, with the S3 technically sitting in the middle, just below the performance-focused RS 3. It's priced from $78,800, before on-road costs, and it shares the same platform and underpinnings as the Volkswagen Golf R. Surprisingly, our test vehicle isn’t significantly more expensive than its Golf R rival which comes in at $70,990 MSRP.

That makes it a more affordable option when compared to premium rivals like the BMW M135 xDrive which starts at $83,600 MSRP and the Mercedes-AMG A35 which comes in at $89,700 MSRP.

The update sees engine outputs improve with it gaining 17kW and 20Nm of torque, resulting in a total of 245kW and 420Nm.

Feature highlights include 19-inch alloy wheels, red brake calipers, electrically-adjustable and heated front seats (with expandable under-thigh support), rear privacy glass, quilted Nappa leather upholstery and 'S Sport' suspension with damper control which lowers the ride height lowered by 15mm.

The updated technology is well-rounded and now comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There's also three-zone climate control, a 10.1-inch touchscreen multimedia display, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, digital radio, four USB-C ports, a wireless charging pad, built-in satellite navigation and a 15-speaker Sonos 3D sound system.

Still, despite its premium hot hatch status, this grade skips a few luxury touches. Ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, heated rear outboard seats and a sunroof are all missing. The BMW M135 xDrive, notably, includes all of these as standard.

Even the powered tailgate with kick-functionality is an optional extra here, adding $660 to the price. At this level that should be standard.

The GR Yaris now makes 221kW (at 6500rpm) and 400Nm (between 3250 and 4600rpm) from its 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, dubbed G16E-GTS in Toyota code.

Outputs are up 21kW and 30Nm from before, and both the six-speed manual and eight-speed torque converter automatic have matching figures.

Normal, Track and Gravel modes for the AWD system can distribute torque either 60:40 (front/rear) in Normal, 53:47 in Gravel or variably as needed in Track.

Toyota says, weirdly, both versions can hit 100km/h in 5.1 seconds and max out at 230km/h. We expect you’d need to be fairly handy to match the auto’s acceleration in a manual.

The S3 Sportback wears the quattro badge proudly, meaning it’s all-wheel drive and it pairs a tweaked seven-speed automatic transmission with a 2.0-litre turbocharged, four-cylinder petrol engine.

This update brings a bump in performance over the previous model, including the addition of a rear torque splitter. Power is now up to a gutsy 245kW and 420Nm of torque, launching the S3 from 0 - 100km/h in just 4.7 seconds. That’s proper hot hatch territory.

Toyota claims the GR Yaris sips 8.2L/100km of fuel (which needs to be 98 RON by the way) in manual, or 9.1L/100km as an auto.

Its 50-litre tank means you should be able to get more than 500km out of a tank of fuel if driving frugally, but let’s be honest, are you going to do that in a tiny all-wheel-drive hot hatch with a 0-100kmh time that would embarrass a great number of Aussie V8s?

The S3 Sportback has an official combined fuel consumption figure of 7.9L/100km and a 55-litre fuel tank, giving it a theoretical driving range of up to 696km.

Its key rivals hover around similar numbers, so it's right on the mark for the segment. After a mix of long-distance drives and my usual urban errands, my real-world figure came in at 8.0L/100km - very close to the claim, which I’m pretty happy with.

To get straight to the point, the GR Yaris might be the best car Toyota builds if you’re a keen driver.

Most who’ve driven it in the past will know it’s extremely fun with a manual gearbox, but after the update it’s impressive how capable the new auto makes it, too.

For a start, while its GR Corolla sibling feels as it is - a hot hatch based on the Corolla - the GR Yaris feels bespoke.

From behind the wheel, as a performance car, there isn’t really anything that jumps out as a red flag.

Now that it’s got more power and torque, it’s also an even more convincing choice in Toyota’s hot hatch duo in terms of power-to-weight ratio.

Of course, it still holds up well as a car for day-to-day duties, if looking a little brash while doing so. In Normal drive mode with the diff set to front-bias, the GR Yaris feels ready to take on the suburbs.

But knock it into Sport and set the diff to Track, and you’ll find the rear wheels working harder out of corners as the Yaris sends torque backwards to avoid the front wheels spinning.

The Yaris’ suspension is definitely on the stiffer side of things, but it’s compliant considering the focused nature of the GR, and even sharp bumps you might expect to rattle the car don’t feel harsh.

At the same time, the GR doesn’t feel like it’s dulling any useful feedback from the suspension or steering, the latter being very direct but not too heavy.

It’s altogether very confidence-inspiring, and combined with the fact the GR Yaris is actually very capable, it makes for a rather quick car point-to-point. It means even if you make a small mistake, say coming into a corner on track, you don’t feel as punished on the way out because there’s a mix of power and composure to get you out of it.

Some of the best things about the Yaris though, are the things that speak to your heart a little more than your head. The sound of the exhaust itself but also the turbo flutter when you lift off after boost - even just the way it looks inside and out.

The S3 Sportback sounds as mean as it looks, and it delivers on that promise with effortless grunt. Acceleration is immediate, with plenty of power on tap when you need it. It’s just fun all around.

The lowered sports suspension and wide tyres do bring some extra noise into the cabin, even at lower speeds. You might find yourself repeating things to rear passengers now and then, but it never feels overwhelming.

Steering and suspension are on the firmer side, so yes, you’ll feel the bumps but the payoff is sharp, responsive handling. Quick lane changes and winding coastal roads are where this car shines.

Visibility is about what you’d expect from a low-slung hot hatch. The pillars don’t obstruct the view, but sitting beside a towering SUV at the lights can make you feel a bit... compact.

Cornering is a strong suit, thanks to the car’s wide stance and AWD system. It feels confidently planted in most conditions. That said, I noticed the occasional wobble through the rear frame on rough sections in heavy rain.

Its compact size makes parking a breeze, especially with the help of multiple sensors. The reversing camera is crisp, but at this price point, the lack of a 360-degree camera view feels like a missed opportunity.

The S3 isn’t covered by its 2WD sibling's maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating but it is well-equipped with safety features all the same.

Safety equipment includes blind-spot monitoring, side exit assist, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure alert, lane keeping aid, park assist, reversing camera, front/rear parking sensors, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking and adaptive cruise control with stop and go function. 

It also has six airbags but misses out on a front centre airbag. None of the driver assist systems are intrusive to daily driving, which I always like.

The rear row has ISOFIX child seat mounts and three top-tether anchor points but only two child seats will fit.

Toyota’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty covers the GR Yaris, with an extra two-year warranty on the engine and driveline.

Toyota also offers a capped price of $310 on the first six services, though intervals of six months or 10,000km (whichever comes first) mean that capped price will only get you through three years of ownership.

Audi backs the S3 Sportback with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is on par with its European rivals. A five-year pre-paid servicing plan is available for $2890 which is cheaper than pay-as-you-go and reasonable for the class.

For those looking to go the extra mile, the 'Audi Advantage' package lets you extend the warranty and capped-price servicing by an additional two years, which represents solid value overall.

Servicing intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.