Wait no more: Fire-breathing Toyota GR Corolla officially out

UPDATE: Toyota South Africa has confirmed that the GR Corolla is currently under investigation for local market release.

After nearly four years of speculative reports and more recently, a barrage of teaser images confirming production, Toyota officially unveiled the eagerly awaited new GR Corolla overnight in the US ahead of the commencing of sales later this year.

Denounced from reaching production as recently as 2019, the GR Corolla touches down as the first proper performance-tuned Corolla in 17 years, the last having been the T-Sport only Europe got powered by, a supercharged 1.8-litre engine that made 165 kW.

The result of Toyota’s broadening of the Gazoo Racing moniker, the GR Corolla follows in the wheel tracks of the GR Yaris, GR Supra and GR86, and as the fourth dedicated GR model, with the majority of its components being derived from the former.

Externally, the GR Corolla will be offered in two models; Core and Circuit, with the latter being a limited edition model only available until the end of next year.

The more restrained-looking former only comes in a single colour, Supersonic Red, and differs from the regular US-spec Corolla by being the recipient of a wider front track, a black GR branded grille, GR front and rear bumpers, an aluminium bonnet, a subtle gloss black bootlid spoiler, gloss black mirrors and GR-Four branded door sills.

As evident by its name, the largely track focused Circuit, available in said red hue and the launch colour called Heavy Metal, ups the ante by receiving a matte black carbon fibre roof, air intakes on either side of the front bumper, a gloss black grille, functioning vents on the flanks of the rear bumpe,r and a more prominent rear spoiler finished in matte black.

Unsurprisingly, the most extensive changes have taken place underneath the GR Corolla’s skin, where the GA-C platform has undergone a number of revisions.

Extensively re-engineered at the GR factory in Motomachi with testing having taken place not only at the Fuji and Tsukuba racetracks, but also during rounds of the Japanese Rally Championship, the GR Corolla boasts a more rigid frame for improved strength, and additional use of aluminium that has resulted in a kerb mass of 1 474 kg.

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On both models, the front suspension has been redesigned, with the front being a MacPherson strut setup with track specific coils spring and shocks, while the rear utilises a double wishbone multi-link design aimed at helping to extract the most from the intricate all-wheel-drive system that debuted with the GR Yaris.

Providing stopping power, the brakes comprise a four-piston aluminium caliper setup at the front and fixed two-piston at the rear, with the only difference between the models being the calipers themselves, that are painted red as standard on the Circuit.

Both the Core and Circuit are, however, mounted on 18-inch gloss black alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres, with a Torsen front and rear limited slip differential standard on the latter only.

Furthering its relations with the GR Yaris, Toyota has also revised the GR Corolla’s interior, with both models receiving bespoke readouts on the 12.3-inch instrument cluster, a GR starter button, a GR display on the eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system and alloy pedals.

On the Core though, the sport seats with GR embroidered headrests are trimmed in fabric with red stitching, while faux leather and suede, also with red stitching, adorns the front chairs of the Circuit.

Also unique to the latter are black and red detailing as opposed to the Core’s silver, automatic climate control, a leather wrapped, heated multi-function steering, and a bespoke gear knob with the signature of Toyota President and CEO, Akio Toyoda, under his Morizo racing alias.

On the safety front, both the Core and Circuit are outfitted with Toyota’s Safety Sense 3.0, comprising Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Road Sign Assist, Rear Seat Alert, Blind Spot Monitoring, Pre-Collision Warning with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Trace Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, and Hill Start Assist.

From the options list, three packages are offered for the Core, consisting of features the Circuit comes standard with.

These include the mentioned limited slip differentials as part of the Performance Package, the Technology Pack consisting of a wireless smartphone charger, plus an eight-speaker JBL sound system, and the Cold Weather Pack, made-up of the heated steering wheel and front seats.

The biggest attraction of the GR Corolla, though, is a more powerful version of the G16E-GTS 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine used in the GR Yaris.

A rumour until now, the unit benefits from a new exhaust system, a larger machined intake port, and revised cooling to lift power from 200 kW in the Japanese market GR Yaris, to 220 kW with torque rated at 370 Nm.

Although spotted in the series of teasers, and indeed confirmed towards the end of last month by Toyota, the in-development eight-speed automatic gearbox remains a no-no for now.

As such, the only option is the rev-matching six-speed manual used in the GR Yaris, with the World Rally Championship-honed GR-Four all-wheel-drive system entrusted with sending the amount of twist to all four corners.

Like with its smaller sibling, the all-paw gripping system can be figured from the standard 60/40 split, to an even 50/50 or 30/70 depending on the mode selected and the prevailing conditions. No performance figures were revealed, however.

Going on sale in the US Autumn that starts in September, the GR Corolla is expected to be offered in other markets soon after. However, an announcement regarding South Africa has so far not been made.

If indeed confirmed, expect its unveiling to take place either towards the end of this year or in early 2023.