I agree with both of you.
IMO, part of the negative stipulation and disagreements stem from our interpretation of their original message from nearly two years ago:
“GR Yaris dominated the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon, stirring up an outcry in North America over its absence. And it's easy to see why. A radical hot hatch, GR Yaris is equipped with an all-new 268-horsepower, 163 turbocharged 3-cylinder engine; a rally-derived GR-FOUR All-Wheel Drive system; and a track-proven suspension. It's the same engineering that helped to make TOYOTA GAZOO Racing a dominant force in the World Rally Championship. While GR Yaris isn't coming to the U.S., perhaps it's time the U.S. got a Toyota hot hatch to call its own. One that continues to push the boundaries of performance. And one that can only come from TOYOTA GAZOO Racing. Are you with us?”
Many people, including myself, took this as a GR Yaris equivalent. So, depending on how closely it mimics the GR Yaris in performance and feel, people will be either very happy or very disappointed.
While it’s true that Toyota never proclaimed that our hot hatch will be like a GR Yaris, they sort of implied it with that message IMO. To me, it sort of reads like:
“Hey USA, look at how insanely amazing the GR Yaris is! Oh BTW, you’re not getting one. We may be screwing you out of the fantastic GR Yaris, but don’t you worry, we’re giving you something that’s just as good and worth waiting for.”
They spent most of that message bragging about how great the GR Yaris is only to tell us that we’re not getting one. So, instead, they’re giving us something else that’s special. But if it is nowhere near as capable as the GR Yaris, then why brag about the GR Yaris accomplishments beforehand?