Apo to autoexpress.co.uk. O Peter Lyon ypografei to ar8ro. Einai o idios poy kanei tis antapokriseis apo tin Iapwnia gia toys 4troxous?
(8a balw fwtografies argotera ektos kai me prolabei o Gavriil).

Toyota Unleashes Red Hot Yaris Turbo

he image of the Toyota Yaris as a second family car used mainly to carry the weekly shopping home has been blown out of the water - as a piping hot turbocharged version is on the way.

Rumours about the existence of the MINI Cooper S rival have been circulating for some time, but now Auto Express has learned the car is only weeks from launch. And here are the first official pictures of the pocket rocket due to be unveiled in Japan in mid-January, hitting showrooms there soon afterwards. The hot Yaris should debut in the UK before the end of 2003.

Tweaked by TRD, Toyota's tuning and motorsport arm, the newcomer will sport a blown 1.5-litre engine pumping out nearly 160bhp - that's 51bhp more than the Yaris T Sport launched in 2000. The turbo is also said to have had a marked effect on the unit's torque output, which will rise to 196Nm, up from 145Nm. A reworked five-speed manual gearbox channels the power to the front wheels, while a limited-slip differential will help alleviate the torque steer commonly associated with high-powered front-wheel-drive cars.

Performance should be phenomenal - a 0-60mph time of seven seconds is expected, with a top speed of 130mph putting the Yaris firmly in MINI Cooper S territory. To cope with the extra power, the firm's engineers have been working on the already-agile chassis. A firmer suspension set-up will sharpen the handling, and the car will also get wider tyres and lightweight alloy wheels. Styling alterations will include fatter wheelarches and a small roof spoiler. Our sources tell us the hot Toyota will be badged RS Turbo when it goes on sale in Japan. But because of potential copyright problems with Ford over the RS tag, the newcomer is likely to be called the T Sport T when it arrives in British showrooms. Prices are expected to start at £15,000.

Meanwhile, a CVT automatic version is due to join the range. Japanese buyers can specify the new transmission from March 2003, with the option offered here in late summer. The auto is expected to cost £1,250 more than a standard five-speed manual model. Peter Lyon

Apo to autoexpress.co.uk. O Peter Lyon ypografei to ar8ro. Einai o idios poy kanei tis antapokriseis apo tin Iapwnia gia toys 4troxous?
(8a balw fwtografies argotera ektos kai me prolabei o Gavriil).

Toyota Unleashes Red Hot Yaris Turbo

he image of the Toyota Yaris as a second family car used mainly to carry the weekly shopping home has been blown out of the water - as a piping hot turbocharged version is on the way.

Rumours about the existence of the MINI Cooper S rival have been circulating for some time, but now Auto Express has learned the car is only weeks from launch. And here are the first official pictures of the pocket rocket due to be unveiled in Japan in mid-January, hitting showrooms there soon afterwards. The hot Yaris should debut in the UK before the end of 2003.

Tweaked by TRD, Toyota's tuning and motorsport arm, the newcomer will sport a blown 1.5-litre engine pumping out nearly 160bhp - that's 51bhp more than the Yaris T Sport launched in 2000. The turbo is also said to have had a marked effect on the unit's torque output, which will rise to 196Nm, up from 145Nm. A reworked five-speed manual gearbox channels the power to the front wheels, while a limited-slip differential will help alleviate the torque steer commonly associated with high-powered front-wheel-drive cars.

Performance should be phenomenal - a 0-60mph time of seven seconds is expected, with a top speed of 130mph putting the Yaris firmly in MINI Cooper S territory. To cope with the extra power, the firm's engineers have been working on the already-agile chassis. A firmer suspension set-up will sharpen the handling, and the car will also get wider tyres and lightweight alloy wheels. Styling alterations will include fatter wheelarches and a small roof spoiler. Our sources tell us the hot Toyota will be badged RS Turbo when it goes on sale in Japan. But because of potential copyright problems with Ford over the RS tag, the newcomer is likely to be called the T Sport T when it arrives in British showrooms. Prices are expected to start at £15,000.

Meanwhile, a CVT automatic version is due to join the range. Japanese buyers can specify the new transmission from March 2003, with the option offered here in late summer. The auto is expected to cost £1,250 more than a standard five-speed manual model. Peter Lyon

Apo to autoexpress.co.uk. O Peter Lyon ypografei to ar8ro. Einai o idios poy kanei tis antapokriseis apo tin Iapwnia gia toys 4troxous?
(8a balw fwtografies argotera ektos kai me prolabei o Gavriil).

Toyota Unleashes Red Hot Yaris Turbo

he image of the Toyota Yaris as a second family car used mainly to carry the weekly shopping home has been blown out of the water - as a piping hot turbocharged version is on the way.

Rumours about the existence of the MINI Cooper S rival have been circulating for some time, but now Auto Express has learned the car is only weeks from launch. And here are the first official pictures of the pocket rocket due to be unveiled in Japan in mid-January, hitting showrooms there soon afterwards. The hot Yaris should debut in the UK before the end of 2003.

Tweaked by TRD, Toyota's tuning and motorsport arm, the newcomer will sport a blown 1.5-litre engine pumping out nearly 160bhp - that's 51bhp more than the Yaris T Sport launched in 2000. The turbo is also said to have had a marked effect on the unit's torque output, which will rise to 196Nm, up from 145Nm. A reworked five-speed manual gearbox channels the power to the front wheels, while a limited-slip differential will help alleviate the torque steer commonly associated with high-powered front-wheel-drive cars.

Performance should be phenomenal - a 0-60mph time of seven seconds is expected, with a top speed of 130mph putting the Yaris firmly in MINI Cooper S territory. To cope with the extra power, the firm's engineers have been working on the already-agile chassis. A firmer suspension set-up will sharpen the handling, and the car will also get wider tyres and lightweight alloy wheels. Styling alterations will include fatter wheelarches and a small roof spoiler. Our sources tell us the hot Toyota will be badged RS Turbo when it goes on sale in Japan. But because of potential copyright problems with Ford over the RS tag, the newcomer is likely to be called the T Sport T when it arrives in British showrooms. Prices are expected to start at £15,000.

Meanwhile, a CVT automatic version is due to join the range. Japanese buyers can specify the new transmission from March 2003, with the option offered here in late summer. The auto is expected to cost £1,250 more than a standard five-speed manual model. Peter Lyon