Toyota GR Yaris Ogier driven, plus £25,000 usable performance and unpopular car opinions

Sebastian Ogier is a top-tier rally driver known for multiple World Rally Championship titles. The “Sebastian Ogier edition” branding ties the Toyota GR Yaris special car to his rally achievements and public persona.

“Eight championships” here refers to Ogier’s World Rally Championship title count at the time of the first limited edition. In rally terms, championships are season-long points battles across multiple events, not a single race win.

“Le Mans weekend” refers to the event period around the 24 Hours of Le Mans, when teams, manufacturers, and media activities happen. In this segment, it’s the reason Toyota arranged for the Ogier edition GR Yaris to be used and photographed.

“Chassis stiffness” describes how resistant the car’s body/chassis is to twisting and flexing under load. Higher stiffness generally improves steering response and consistency, which the host says makes the GR Yaris feel more purposeful than the original.

“Diff modes” are selectable driving settings that change how the differential(s) distribute torque to the wheels. In rally cars like the GR Yaris, different diff modes help tailor traction and handling for surfaces like tarmac, gravel, or loose conditions.

A “carbon fiber reinforced plastic rear wing” is an aerodynamic spoiler made from CFRP, a lightweight composite material. Using CFRP helps reduce weight while maintaining stiffness, which can improve aero effectiveness and reduce drag/weight penalties versus heavier materials.

“Seb mode” is a named drive setting tied to Sebastian OGA (Sebastian Ogier) in the GR Yaris edition. It’s described as a tailored torque-split setup (40/60 front/rear) to match his preferred rally driving characteristics.

A “40/60 distribution” refers to how engine torque is split between the front and rear axles. A 40 upfront / 60 to the rear bias makes the car behave more like a rear-biased AWD rally setup, affecting turn-in feel and traction balance.

“60/40” is the opposite torque split compared with 40/60, meaning more torque goes to the front axle than the rear. The host links this to “normal mode,” implying a more front-biased feel and traction behavior.

“Maurizio mode” is another named drive setting on the special GR Yaris edition, replacing the usual “track” and “gravel” labels. The host explains “Maurizio” is a pseudonym used by Toyota’s president/chairman, tying the mode name to the company figure rather than a driver.

A “pseudonym” is a false or alternate name someone uses publicly. Here, the host uses it to explain why Toyota’s chairman/president is referred to as “Maurizio” on the car’s mode dial.

The Toyota GR Supra GT4 is a race-prepped version of the GR Supra built for GT4-spec competition. GT4 cars are designed to be competitive in amateur/pro-am racing while staying closer to production-car fundamentals than higher classes like GT3.

A “50/50 locked” torque split means the system aims to deliver equal drive torque to the front and rear axles. Locking it this way reduces the car’s tendency to change balance abruptly, which is why the host calls it “very safe.”

Torque split is how the drivetrain divides driving force between the front and rear axles. Changing the split alters the car’s balance—more rear torque usually helps with rear traction and “push” out of corners, while a more even split can improve stability.

“Gravel mode” is a traction/handling setting tuned for low-grip surfaces. The host describes it as using a different front/rear torque distribution (47/53) than the safer 50/50 setup, to better match how the car behaves on loose surfaces.

“Track mode” is a selectable stability/traction calibration intended for circuit driving. The host describes it as a variable system that can shift torque split ranges (from 60/40 up to 70/30), balancing stability with more rear traction on corner exit.

Handbrake turns are a technique where the driver uses the handbrake to quickly break rear traction and rotate the car. In rally-style driving, they can help initiate a slide, but the host emphasizes this car’s mode isn’t a “pure drift mode.”

Corner exit is the phase of cornering right after the apex, when you start accelerating and straightening the steering. It’s a key moment for traction because the drivetrain and tires must handle both grip and power delivery to control understeer/oversteer.

A “controlled forward drift” describes a driving state where the car’s nose is guided into the turn while the rear slides in a managed way rather than spinning. The host links it to the car’s torque/traction behavior, noting it only transitions when the rear starts to lose grip slightly.

“Rally feel” is a subjective description of how a car responds like a rally car—often emphasizing rotation, traction management, and the ability to induce a controlled slide. The host connects it to the way the car transitions from grip to a rear slide and back to grip.

Rotation in cornering is how the car pivots around its center as you steer and apply throttle—often the difference between understeer (not turning enough) and oversteer (turning too much). The host uses it to describe how the rear traction behavior helps the car turn in and then accelerate out.

The Toyota GR Yaris is a hot hatch built around rally-style engineering, with a compact, lightweight chassis and a focus on grip and rotation. In this segment, they’re comparing how it feels on track versus on the road, especially in tight corners where you can “feel the rotation.”

The Toyota Corolla is a mainstream compact car, but in this episode they’re referencing a “Corolla drive” as a comparison point for how Toyota’s performance/handling can feel in different modes. The key takeaway here is that the hosts think the GR Yaris-style approach is where they “had a bit more fun.”

A vertical handbrake is a rally-style parking-brake lever mounted upright, rather than a conventional horizontal lever. It’s often used in performance cars to make quick, precise brake/traction interventions easier for drivers.

“Aero performance” here is a specific GR Yaris trim/option package that includes an adjustable aerodynamic rear wing. The hosts contrast it with the Ogier edition’s fixed wing, explaining that the adjustable wing is what creates differences between versions.

A rear wing is an aerodynamic device mounted at the back of the car to generate downforce and improve stability. In this segment, the hosts use rear wings as a visual cue, noting that two limited editions look almost identical from a distance.

A homologation special is a limited-production road car built to meet rules that allow a related race car to compete. The idea is that the manufacturer must build a certain number of road-legal examples so the race version is eligible.

A premium is the extra amount buyers pay above a baseline price (like the typical market value). Here, the hosts say these limited GR Yaris editions command large premiums even when differences are mostly cosmetic or minor.