GR Yaris Aero Performance vs. Mini JCW GP1
The hot hatch of the moment takes on 2006's finest - what difference has 20 years made?
There isn’t another segment of the enthusiast car market that demonstrates just what’s changed in 20 years like hot hatches. In 2006, there was something for everyone, from £10k Panda 100HP all the way to a 3.0-litre BMW 1 Series; both the Renault Megane and Ford Focus showed off considerable potential that would soon be fully exploited; and there were even still some spudders around, making good magazine cannon fodder (think 207 GTI).
Now look - what we wouldn’t do for another small petrol-powered Peugeot of any stripe in the world. While the Golf Edition 50 is eagerly anticipated, and the RS3 competition sounds great (as it should for the money), new hot hatches are only conspicuous these days for their absence. When the big news regarding affordable pocket rockets is a Skoda Fabia 130 and a Corsa GSE, something ain’t quite right. And doesn’t look like changing anytime soon.
So granted: GR Yaris versus Mini GP is hardly a conventional comparison. While they’re separated on paper by just 20cc and even less weight than you might think, there doesn’t appear much to bind them together. This two-seat, road racer Mini came just five years after the first R50 Coopers, a Challenge car for the road and a project that must have been hard to resist given the incredible popularity of the standard supercharged S. The new Aero Performance, as befits another Japanese icon like old Imprezas and Evos, is an additional GR variant with a strange name that promises incremental gains and limited availability for another price premium. But it looks cool and, well, a £50k hot hatch is better than none at all.
So call this a celebration more than an outright duel, a pair of forced induction terrors that are manual only, three-door only, and produced in very small numbers (especially so given their humdrum base models). Together, Mini and Yaris weigh less than a hybrid Cayenne; in that respect at least, there could hardly be a more appropriate duo.
A pair of grey shopping cars shouldn’t be this exciting to look at, but such is the visual drama of both. While the Yaris has colour options aside from Precious Metal, the GP was only ever Thunder Blue. And what were deemed rather OTT mods two decades ago are now a sweet reminder of when a sense of humour was embraced and encouraged. Why not have red mirrors and a serial number on the roof? Why not have GP stamped on the tongue of the bonnet scoop? And why not fit as many badges as possible?
Crucially, too, the trinkets were not at the expense of the important stuff. The stance is confident, wheels obviously right out at the corners as with all these Minis, with the body hugged tight over them. The aero kit lends just the right amount of attitude, too - and it’s hard to think of a centre-exit exhaust short of a Murcielago that looks better than this. There was real intent to the GP.
‘Intent’ is one word you could certainly associate with the GR Yaris Aero Performance Pack. ‘Intimidating’ and ‘inyerface’ also work. It’s to Toyota’s credit that, even given recent GR fare, this Aero car has the appearance of a tuner special rather than a warrantied factory product. It really isn’t often now that you gawp and poke and prod at a new car, much less one that costs £50k, but such is the effect of the GR’s new spoilers, scoops and slats. Here’s where the lairy hot hatch has come in 20 years since the GP, and from her (a dusty car park in Oxfordshire), it looks absolutely brilliant. Enough to make the Mini look almost modest. While this calibre of car should be all about the driving experience, they deserve appreciation as brilliant little objects also.
Mostly, that same philosophy of style and substance extends inside as well. Certainly for the Mini, it being a great amalgamation of why the first generation was so adored. Because there are the fun features - the speedo the size of a carvery plate, the near-vertical windscreen, the toggle switches - alongside some real concessions to driving pleasure as well. In a GP, the two-seat spec and the bracing are the most obvious cues, but note too the lovely leather Recaros, the rev counter that goes red past 7 (the GP makes peak power at 7,100rpm, higher than a Cooper S), and a pretty simple manual gearknob. Driving is absolutely still a priority. And how good does this still look for what’s fundamentally now 25 years old?
The Yaris is equally unmistakable from the driver’s seat. The new interior makes it feel like you’re driving an old school arcade game, a high-rise dash tower that you’re living in as much as surrounded by. You get used to it, visibility being a little better than it was and we’ll overlook a lot for a handbrake this close to the wheel - though it’s hard to imagine this interior looking as good as the Mini’s in 2046. Should that matter, of course.
What seems more likely - and what ought to be more of a priority for anyone reading this - is that the Yaris will be as entertaining as this Mini in another 20 years. Make no mistake about it, the GP remains an absolute hoot. Everything that made the Mini so loved in the early '00s is taken up a notch, if not several. It’s agile without being flighty, fast without being overpowered, engaging but not overwhelming. It’s not a caricature or style-over-substance proposition; it’s the best Mini of this generation. All these years later, even with minimal mileage, there are some bits that are probably due a refresh, but plenty remains fundamentally sorted. The relationship between throttle pedal and locking diff is perfect, allowing you to work up to its limits really precisely. The shrill bark of the supercharger is the perfect soundtrack to encourage you on harder and harder, too, extending each gear just a little longer.
That’s the common thread between these two, in fact: even by hot hatch standards, both Mini GP and Yaris GR compel you to drive them hard, and absolutely show their best at that point. The Yaris is unique in this regard, actually; there really isn’t another comparable car that responds so well to committed driving. Shifts that can baulk a bit if you aren’t paying attention, damping that’s a little brusque and a flat soundtrack when trundling along all make sense at higher speeds, as the respective elements gel and the little Toyota flies. Absolutely nothing is too much for it, seemingly, in terms of brake, steering and throttle input; such indomitability more than makes up for a much less engaging car at normal speeds.
Toyota deserves more praise, too, for creating a truly exciting modern-day powertrain. So often a new versus old comparison highlights how much less interesting engines are these days - not so for the G16E-GTS. There’s some lag to manage (no surprise given so few cylinders are making so much power), an irresistible zeal for revs, and a memorable sound. With a stout six-speed manual alongside, one now with better rev-matching tech than before (not that you need that, right?). It’s a welcome reminder that hot hatches don’t have to be powered by farty four-cylinder autos.
The Mini’s motor might be markedly less sophisticated, efficient and powerful, yet it’s just as charming - if not more so. Superchargers are just such a likeable method for increasing power, the response still urgent and sound uniquely thrilling. It’s easy to understand why the affection remains. Anything other than a six-speed manual, even Mini’s overly light arrangement, would seem inappropriate in a car that begs you so stridently get stuck in. See the reaction to the eight-speed GP3 for proof of that.
It’s the original GP’s irrepressible nature that’s earned it legendary status. Everything about the experience, from the supercharger shriek to exhaust burble, goads the driver on; an approach the rest of the upgraded package is only too happy to oblige. Yet it manages all this without feeling totally frenzied and unhinged. Regular use of a GP1 seems eminently possible. It would be a pleasure, in fact. What once seemed a shameless cash-in on the modern Mini’s popularity finds its star shining more brightly by the day.
Similarly, while the Aero Performance Package may have seemed a gratuitous upgrade for the GR Yaris, it’s impossible to deny the thrill of driving a car seemingly straight from a special stage. Or a Best Motoring vid. Neither is tremendously different from the impressive base product, though they absolutely offer enough to justify the intrigue and enthusiasm around them. After GP and Aero, ordinary JCW and GR really wouldn’t hold quite the same appeal (if you need help justifying the premium).
Think about what made Mini so popular 20-odd years ago, as well. Here was a 1.6-litre hot hatch that was an absolute riot to drive, and which continued to improve over the years; with aftermarket support burgeoning from launch, it spawned a loyal enthusiast following. And what looked expensive for a small hot hatch didn’t seem so bad when strong residuals were factored in. There wasn’t really a hot hatch quite like the supercharged Mini in 2006, and the world would have been a much duller place without it; the same is absolutely true of the turbocharged Toyota. Maybe there’s a bit more between them than we first thought…
SPECIFICATION | 2026 TOYOTA GR YARIS
Engine: 1,618cc three-cylinder, turbocharged
Transmission: six-speed manual, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 280@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 254@3,150-4,600rpm
0-62mph: 5.2 seconds
Top speed: 143mph
Weight: 1,280kg
MPG: 32.1
CO2: 197g/km
Price: £49,145
SPECIFICATION | 2006 MINI COOPER S JCW GP
Engine: 1,598cc supercharged four-cylinder
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive with mechanical LSD
Power (hp): 218@7,100rpm
Torque (lb ft): 184@4,600rpm
0-62mph: 6.5 seconds
Top speed: 149mph
Weight: 1,180kg
MPG: 32.8
CO2: 207g/km
Price new: £22,000 (now from £13k)
Never driven the GP1 so I've no comparison but it's on my bucket list.
Great feature btw.
But, I was still into my Subaru's back then, and somehow convinced myself I needed 4 seats, which I didn't.
Another one of those cars I regret not buying, not that I probably could have got one anyway.
Turns out it was very difficult indeed as there were only two cars that really fit the bill. One was a later model Coopers S the other was a Fiesta ST. Didn't really like the Cooper S, it felt big and awkward compared to it's predecessor so the Fiesta it was.
Turns out it was very difficult indeed as there were only two cars that really fit the bill. One was a later model Coopers S the other was a Fiesta ST. Didn't really like the Cooper S, it felt big and awkward compared to it's predecessor so the Fiesta it was.
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