GR Yaris (Gen 2) Tom's Gen 2 Manual

[Tom6R4]

Hi,

Ex Gen 1 owner and now have a Gen 2 - safe to say I've caught the GR bug and owned a GT86 before my Gen 1. My Gen 2 was delivered in December 2024 and I have been really happy with it.

Glad to see Toyota are still making improvements to the car with latest updates but for me there's only been one thing missing and that's engine/exhaust sound. In my Gen 1 I actually liked the ESE and found it added to the driving experience. I would have preferred for the sound to be "real" but I wasn't too bothered. My Gen 2 is a manual (UK spec) and I was surprised that there was very little ESE present and I found it difficult at times to know where I was on the rev range. I spend most of the time driving in sport and find the rally tach display great.

On my last service I asked Toyota to investigate settings to see if something could be turned up but I was told it was a no go - see "option sheet" below that stated no ASC. Not sure how much effort they really put into investigation. After trying Carista and not being able to see the options, I've gone down a more expensive route and have recently fitted a HKS Super Turbo Muffler (GPF back) system. I've noticed that the Gen 2 version of the exhaust lacks the silent resonance chamber that was on the original system. I'm really happy with the design and sound of the exhaust from the outside of the car but a little underwhelmed by the sound on the inside which was my main reason for purchase.

From 2,000rpm I notice a deeper note but I wouldn't say it's that pleasant. Below 2,000rpm it sounds pretty standard inside the car - I've only put ~50miles on new exhaust and hope that with time I'll start to hear richer/higher frequencies in the cabin. Right now I am unsure whether the absence of the silent chamber, new exhaust or presence of ESE/ASC type system is the culprit. It may also be that I was expecting too much from the exhaust. Interested to hear if anyone else has had similar experiences or found a way to confirm/tweak ESE/ASC settings on a Gen 2 UK spec manual.

Cheers,

Tom

 

[VileQuenouille]

Hello fellow gen2 owner

I fitted the same exhaust on mine, manual too, only difference is the urban matte finish which I preferred. The sound opened up quite a bit after a couple hundred km's, and overall the sound is very dependent on temperature, get some proper heat going through it and it'll sound very different from cold.

But HKS is a rather conservative choice compared to other brands like Miltek, it's clearly an OEM+ upgrade rather than a rally-esque wake up alarm for the whole neighborhood

 

[Tom6R4]

Hi and thanks for your advice. After ~500miles I am much happier with exhaust. It certainly does sound better with the mileage and some heat in the system.

I was concerned with getting a louder exhaust as the starter button is pressed reasonably early Monday to Fridays . That said there’s still a good volume on cold start

 

[EuroSlave]

I have the gen 2 hks stm and it's very OEM+. It has to be to pass Japanese regulations. It needed a little time to open up for sure but the difference isn't massive. It's a bit of an odd one isn't it. I guess it's just the nature of what the 3cyl produces - You get this big boomy resonance that fills the cabin at 2k rpm with a bit of a sound peak at 4k then it just dies... right until you bang off the limiter and get some pops and bangs. However I've driven myself insane trying to find the high pitched rattle it causes in my car at about 3500 rpm in 6th.

I found the active noise stuff to just create a fake drone sound that was really fatiguing no matter what setting.

 

[spacelion]

If I may ask, Why did you ditch the gen1 and the 86?

 

[Tom6R4]

Sure, I wanted a little more power than the GT86. Very different cars and still miss the seating position and driving the GT86 which felt more like a drivers car at low speeds.

Being a big rally fan I was attracted to GR Yaris and moving to Gen 2 was difficult choice. I probably was swayed by the “limited” numbers but have since learnt that PR doesn’t mean much. Still pleased that Toyota are continuing the developments. If the WRC 27 Rally1 and Rally2 cars are anything to go by we maybe overloaded with new models and generations.

Overall I am happier with the Gen 2. It does feel more planted, responsive and I much prefer the interior, driving position visibility and rear styling. Not convinced on the front when compared to the Gen 1, I think that was stylish and functional. Seeing the plastic blank for where the automatic gb cooler should be does annoy me .