Toyota GR Yaris vs Ford Fiesta

What's the difference?

Thank the automotive gods cars like the GR Yaris still exist.

Not only are hot hatches the funnest way to drive, but in a world that’s obsessed with electric vehicles, these combustion-powered beasties remind us what we’ve got before it's gone.

The GR Yaris arrived in 2020 and won praise for its rally-car-for-the-road feel with Toyota’s high-performance division Gazoo Racing heavily modifying the docile Yaris hatch - while adding a bit of Corolla - to create this little monster.

In early 2025 Toyota added more power and torque, along with an automatic transmission for the GR Yaris and now a new variant has been launched - the GTS Aero Performance Package and this is what we are testing.

The original Ford Fiesta ST from 2013 was a modern classic. The combination of appealing pricing, point-and-shoot driving dynamics and a sweet turbocharged engine ensured it won a legion of fans. 

Its follow-up from 2020 continued that formula and brought with it a refinement missing from the original. But it was just as fun to drive.

Ford has launched a mid-life update for the sprightly hot hatch, which despite arriving in Australia halfway through 2022, is still officially an MY22 model. This latest version introduces upgrades to interior tech and exterior styling, as well as a 30Nm bump in torque.

But given it’s facing a ballsy competitor from Hyundai, has Ford done enough to keep its B-segment hot hatch crown?