The rally roots of the Toyota GR Yaris are well-known and as it turns out, it’s extremely capable in slippery, snowy conditions.
Not long after customer deliveries of the car started, the owner of a GR Yaris somewhere in Europe took it up a snow-covered mountain pass, driving it exactly how it was designed to be driven.
Throughout the video, the driver expertly drifts the all-wheel drive hot hatch through the corners without a worry in the world. The sizzling hatch appears to be supremely capable when driven on the limits of grip and thanks to the incredibly short wheelbase, looks like an absolute blast to drive in conditions like these. The driver notes that the Toyota was equipped with Michelin Alpine winter tires during the mountain run.
Read Also: 2021 Toyota GR Yaris Officially Launched In Europe As A Rally-Bred AWD Hot Hatch
In European specification, the 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder of the GR Yaris is good for 257 hp and 265 lb-ft (360 Nm) of torque. All of this grunt is sent to the pavement through an all-wheel drive system and a six-speed manual transmission. The car can be driven in Normal, Sport, and Track modes that split torque between the axles by 60:40, 30:70, and 50:50 respectively. It’s unclear which setting the car was in during this snow run but it was clearly quite easy to kick out the tail and hold long drifts through the corners.
Of course, we don’t recommend any other GR Yaris owners trying to emulate such driving, unless they’re as skilled as this driver.