Mid-Engine Toyota GR Yaris Prototype Secures Third Place And Hints At MR2 Return

A while back, word got out that Toyota’s GR Yaris M Concept was giving engineers headaches. The prototype was overheating, acting up, and basically doing everything a test car does when a company is experimenting with something completely new.

And now, after months of quiet development, that little science project just grabbed a third-place class finish in Japan’s Super Taikyu Series. Not bad for a car that was rumored to be barely holding itself together not long ago.

If it feels like Toyota is putting an unusual amount of effort into a strange mid-engined Yaris, that’s because the goal here is much bigger. This test mule is widely believed to be the warm-up act for what could become an all-new MR2. Instead of jumping straight into building a mid-engine sports car from scratch, Toyota is using the GR Yaris as a rolling laboratory to see what works, what breaks, and what makes the car faster.

One of the main reasons Toyota is even doing this is tire wear. The current GR Yaris destroys its front tires at three times the rate of the rears thanks to its front-engine, all-wheel-drive layout. Put the engine behind the driver and keep four-wheel drive, and suddenly the math changes. Better balance, less understeer, and a car that behaves like a proper mid-engined machine instead of a very excited bulldog.

The heart of the project is new, too. Forget the 1.6-liter three-cylinder you find in the GR Yaris and GR Corolla. The M Concept uses Toyota’s next-gen 2.0-liter G20E turbo four. It’s still in development, but Toyota says it already outperforms the bigger 2.4-liter engine they use elsewhere.

And here’s the wild part: the G20E is actually smaller. Ten percent shorter in both height and overall size, yet making more power.

Toyota is even working on a downsized version of this engine for future models, possibly including the long-rumored Celica revival. Mitsuto Sakai, who leads engine development, says the goal is simple but difficult: build something extremely compact that still punches like a much bigger engine.

Originally, the G20E was expected to make around 395 horsepower. But engineers are now openly admitting it could hit 600 horsepower with a bigger turbo and without leaning on hybrid tech at all. That’s not just impressive. That’s borderline chaotic.

Toyota’s latest race outing shows the concept is finally starting to behave. The car qualified fourth in the ST-Q class and finished third in Group 2. Cooling is still a pain point—they’ve added huge side intakes and vents to keep temperatures in check—but the car is holding together and starting to show what Toyota is aiming for.

As cool as a mid-engine GR Yaris sounds, that probably isn’t going to hit showrooms. But a new MR2, running this 2.0-liter turbo mounted behind the driver and paired with all-wheel drive? That feels a lot more real now and a lot more exciting.