With just a glance at the simply designed key fob or a passing look at the car’s hatchback profile, it’s easy to “see” just a typical Corolla and overlook the enhanced hardware packed within this car’s bulging fenders. Indeed, the Toyota GR Corolla shares components with its lesser namesake, but make no mistake, those two additional letters bring a totally different car, along with its own production line.
All GR models – the GR Supra, GR86, and GR Yaris (sold elsewhere) – have an aura of performance engineers-gone-wild. And in the case of the GR Corolla, they have created a road-worthy rally race car.
Inspiration for the GR Corolla comes from the World Rally Championship (WRC), in which Toyota competes with the Yaris. That model was deemed too small for US preferences, but the GR team didn’t stop there, pivoting to the Corolla for North America and providing it with the same level of attention.
Basic WRC car rules require a production vehicle as a foundation, and small hatchback models are ideal because they have a tidy overall size and a good weight balance. From there, the racing teams install upgraded suspension designs, high-power yet small-displacement engines, tunable drivetrains, all-wheel-drive systems, and a strengthened chassis. Not by coincidence, the GR Corolla matches every one of the descriptions.
The Toyota hatchback-turned-race car will most remind you of its roots with its rather drab interior and unimpressive materials. It does, however, feature plenty of physical controls for most need-it-right-now tasks such as drive modes, engine rev-matching, and front-to-rear power distribution settings. The GR also adds deeply bolstered seats wrapped in a suede-like material, grippy stainless steel pedals, and a traditional handbrake.
The six-speed manual feels particularly purposeful with an unfiltered mechanical notchiness and a firm engagement. The clutch is equally racy with a relatively long pedal but a quick grabbing point. And because this is a racecar, the clutch can be unforgiving for those who are slightly distracted.
Not even the cargo area is safe from the GR team’s attention, and a large cross beam is fitted as one of the many additional enhancements to stiffen the chassis. And direction changes are immediate, and there wasn’t a squeak or a creak from the body when running down dirt roads.
Other everyday qualities, such as highway ride and road noise, were seemingly removed entirely from the GR team’s vocabulary. The results are as one could expect, and whatever was playing on the stereo will be drowned out by road noise at highway speeds, and don’t even think about sipping coffee (from any sort of cup).
Among many other chassis enhancements, the cast alloy 18-inch wheels that hide larger and more powerful brakes, a redesigned suspension with active dampers, a revised front grille, bumper, and fenders to match the powertrain’s cooling needs, a forged carbon-fiber roof panel, an extended side sill with “GR-Four” (the name of its all-wheel-drive system) molded in, and an extended rear bumper that integrates a gloss black lower trim that envelopes a triple-outlet exhaust system help the GR Corolla be spotted in the wild.
At the beating heart of the GR Corolla lies a laterally mounted turbocharged 1.6-liter three-cylinder engine capable of producing 300 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. One might rightfully worry that such a small engine putting out those big numbers would lead to drivability concerns (aka significant turbo lag), but in an impressive twist, the engine is very responsive even at low RPM, making it easy to drive around town. Toyota even offers rev-matching throttle blips – helpful when slogging through regular rush-hour traffic.
The GR Corolla’s drivetrain upgrades also include front and rear limited-slip differentials as well as a center differential that can vary torque distribution. When hammering down the road, there is a noticeable delay before the full boost arrives, but the GR Corolla’s grip is eye-opening, and its overall stability is unwavering.
At the same time, the short wheelbase helps convey the car’s precise angle of attack, while the accurate steering allows one to make corrections quickly, and its light effort helps provide some isolation from rough terrain. All combined, it’s easy to quickly build confidence when pushing the GR.
When seeing another GR out in the wild, it feels right to acknowledge how unlikely it is for this car to exist in North America. And it wouldn’t without the endless support from Toyota’s top brass. And that support extends to the owners, too, who are gifted a racing club membership to experience and learn how to get the most out of their own GR.
From essentially every angle, physically and figuratively, the GR Corolla is a road-worthy rally car. It isn’t without compromises, but it handles everyday duties better than most other road-going race cars. If the world of rally racing is in your periphery, you already have a clear image of what this car is capable of. For everyone else, imagine a race car that can carry its own race tires whether those are track-only slicks or ice-ready studded tires.
