Will it drift? 2021 Toyota GR Yaris video review

Toyota's rally-born, all-wheel drive hot hatch is the car of the moment - will it still entertain on a skid pan?

Welcome to the fourth in a series of videos set to answer the crucial question: will it drift? 

We have four 4wd hot hatchbacks - the new 2021 Volkswagen Golf R, the latest Mercedes-AMG A45 S, the Toyota GR Yaris and a Mk3 Ford Focus RS. And we're taking them all to a low-grip skidpan to answer that most vital of questions. Will they go sideways?

Then we have a two-wheel drive not-exactly-conventional-hatchback, too. The Renault Clio V6.

This time it's the Toyota GR Yaris. It has Toyota's own four-wheel drive system with a torque sensing (Torsen) differential at the front, an electro mechanical clutch in the middle, and another limited-slip Torsen differential at the back. The rear axle can take anything up to 70% of overall system torque and is even geared 1% faster than the front axle. Will that be enough on this very low grip, very slow, Thruxton skid pan, though? Or will it take the handbrake to help?

This series complements a written Autocar feature about torque vectoring, that includes full technical details and interviews with the engineers behind these cars. We'll update this description when it goes online - but for now, don't forget you ca pick up the magazine in all good newsagents and via digital subscription.

*READ MORE*

*Toyota GR Yaris: How Britain's Best Affordable Driver's car was born*

*Out of character cars: Nissan Nismo GT-R vs Toyota GR Yaris vs Alpine A110*

*Clash on the 'pan: Torque-vectoring hot hatches face off*