Increased Horsepower and Torque from the Mighty AWD Toyota GR Yaris

The "most powerful 3-cylinder in the world," applied to Toyota's much talked about GR Yaris still sounds a little strange when you hear it, but you can't deny the nasty 250+hp and over 260 lb-ft. of torque that are delivered through an eager AWD system, all packed into a relatively lightweight (by modern hatchback standards) 3-door chassis. As expected, the new model is already being toyed with in order to see how much additional power can be extracted, and DTE Systems of Germany reports they've heated things up considerably.

Established in 1996 (same year Super Street hit the shelves), the tuning products manufacturer has since been tuning and modifying all types of cars, trucks, even tractors, and they have thousands of performance parts on their resume. The brand's PedalBox, a system applied to vehicles that use drive-by-wire, allows fine tuning of the accelerator for much faster response time and eliminating those pesky moments of lag and universally hated rev hang. The system is configurable through a smartphone app and with multiple presets, can be tailored to specific driver wants and needs and stored in order to be used at will.

DTE designed a PedalBox system for the GR and notes more dynamic acceleration and the improved throttle response that everyone wants, while offering the sort of custom tailoring needed to completely personalize the feel from behind the wheel.

More on the GR Yaris
GR Yaris Introduction
GR Yaris vs Civic Type R

To increase horsepower and torque, DTE also developed a Yaris-specific version of their PowerControl X system - an ECU tuning plug-in that allows DTE-supplied tuning options to be uploaded. With the GR, the company claims a jump to as much as 310hp, 280 lb-ft. of torque is safely obtainable with the plug-and-play system. The PowerControlX is explained as user-friendly, allowing owners to switch between Sport, Dynamic and Efficiency drive modes, depending on if all-out performance or heightened MPG is wanted at the time. The app also allows for viewing engine vitals like boost and manifold pressure, all from a phone.

By nature, the GR Yaris is begging to be tuned further, just as the Civic Type R was catapulted into the aftermarket with numerous bolt-on and tuning options that began showing up pretty quickly after the vehicle's launch. We imagine the GR will be no different, and so does DTE Systems, who have already rolled out their PedalBox and PowerControl X options to new owners to start extracting that hidden additional power.