Brutal! We won't see the Toyota GR Corolla in Europe, so we'll just listen to how good it sounds to drive on fire on the circuit
Published by The team in News the 08/09/2022 at 16:17
Clearly, Toyota has redeemed itself. After a streak without making a single enthusiast car , the Japanese brand has turned the tide to give shape to a catalog complete with all kinds of alternatives for motor enthusiasts. The Gazoo Racing sports division is in charge of the development of this range.
The latest model to join is the Toyota GR Corolla , a sporty 304hp, all-wheel-drive, manual-gearbox compact that unfortunately won't reach Europe. At least for now. A few months after its presentation, it already has a price in the United States and we could see it - and hear it - in action on the circuit.
Created by car enthusiasts for car enthusiasts
The Toyota GR Yaris , Toyota GR Supra and Toyota GR 86 have just been joined by a fourth sporty Toyota . It is called Toyota GR Corolla and it is the only one of the four that is not sold on our continent. Although its DNA could not be more Japanese, it was developed for the United States, where its price has just been announced.
Three versions of the Toyota GR Corolla will go on sale over the next few weeks. Access will start at $36,995 , the Circuit variant at $43,995, and the Morizo Special Edition at $50,995.
If we convert to euros at the current exchange rate, they are 37,265 euros, 44,316 euros and 51,368 euros. It makes no sense to compare its price with the one it could have in Spain because the taxes in the United States have nothing to do with those of our country, but it does not hurt to know what its equivalent in euros.
What we can do is compare the price of the Toyota GR Corolla in the United States with that of the Volkswagen Golf R in the same country: from 44,090 dollars (from 56,615 euros in Spain). It makes sense because until the new Honda Civic Type R arrives , which is still priceless, the German is the GR Corolla's main rival .
Recall that the Toyota has a three-cylinder 1.6-liter turbo gasoline engine that develops 304 hp, all-wheel drive and a manual gearbox. For its part, the Volkswagen uses a 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol unit that delivers 320 hp, also in all-wheel drive, but with an automatic transmission.
But, while the numbers are similar, the Toyota has a completely different approach. While the Golf is more versatile and bourgeois, the Japanese is designed for the circuit .
Already in the Circuit version, it mounts two limited-slip differentials , variable torque distribution for the all-wheel-drive system, Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires and more efficient brakes than those of the base GR Corolla.
The Morizo edition goes further. This special series pays tribute to the president of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, known as Morizo . He is probably responsible for a more oil brand and Toyota has seen fit to borrow his pseudonym to name the most extreme version of the GR Corolla.
The result is a street-ready rally car. As well as having a Morizo-signed gear knob and special suede and leather upholstery, it mounts Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires and tightens the engine nuts to deliver 30 Nm more torque, up to at a maximum of 400 Nm.
In addition, it is 48 kg lighter , thus weighing 1,445 kg. It achieves this by removing the interior insulation and the rear seats, among other things. Instead, it adds a strut bar between the rear suspension struts, like that of the later Mini John Cooper Works GP .
On paper, this all sounds good and leads us to think that we are facing one of the sporty compacts of the moment , at least if we focus on those of the generalist brands. Now a video posted on Larry Chen 's YouTube channel is making our teeth look even longer.
Just listen to it to get an idea of the power of the new Toyota compact. It must be remembered that what is hidden under the hood is the same three-cylinder mechanics of the Toyota GR Yaris.
It's true that the GR Corolla has 43 bhp more, but it sounds a whole lot better than its little sibling, with special mention to the turbo boost every time it dumps pressure . Now we just need to pray that it reaches our market and we can see what it is capable of in first person.
