If there ever was an eagerly anticipated car, the GR Corolla was it, with heaps of expectation loaded upon its shoulders thanks to a stout GR Yaris just a few years before. We were monumentally disappointed when, after the GR Yaris took gold in our inaugural Speed Week 2021 feature, Toyota SA announced that the GR Corolla was not under consideration for our market at the time.
We’re not entirely sure of what happened after that announcement, but a few months later, TSAM changed its mind, and hence, we’re reviewing the 4-door sibling to the GR Yaris. It may have something to do with the introduction of a certain Japanese hot hatch into SA, but either way, this GR Corolla is certainly worth all of the anticipated hype.
The GR Corolla is to the new performance car segment what Prime Hydration is to little children. We have never been starved for hot hatches. There are plenty of them out there, but a hot hatch with a GR badge adorning its flared bodywork has become something we all absolutely want to try. Much like that Prime drink that litters Checkers shelves, the GR Corolla was begging to be sampled, and the test schedule allowed for just enough of every worthy driving condition.
A family of five in a hot hatch requires a few items to be left behind, but we all fit in there, perhaps slightly compromised by the transmission tunnel from the middle seat. The boot lip sits higher than some hatches and therefore appears to have more depth than meets the eye, but ultimately it is the smaller of the cargo areas when compared to some of its rivals. It passes the test, though.
Feedback from the backseat is best described as ‘uncomfortable’ and 'jittery', and as a driver, I could agree with those adjectives.
You may find the interior of the GR Corolla to be less spectacular than the drive itself, and that is perhaps my only other small criticism of the car. On the one hand, the car features all manner of technology and driving assistance while presenting the current standard in in-car infotainment and expected features. A smart adaptive cruise control is present as part of Toyota’s latest Safety Sense suite. So it’s not lacking in technology but rather in some interior appointments. Setting the GR apart from its lesser-skilled sibling are some GR badges, the seating setup, and that’s pretty much it. I like it, though, but some of our team and a few friends and colleagues wanted more.
The chassis is indeed taut, ultimately delivering a harder ride than a tamed Corolla, for instance. The GR Corolla Circuit version is a purpose-built sportscar with a penchant for spending more time at the apexes of corners than dawdling to the local corner store. The main difference between the Circuit edition and the Core edition is the addition of limited-slip differentials at the front and rear of the Circuit car. It’s just that much more serious, as is the price, which is R60k higher.
It is there that all of the GR-infused engineering aptitude came to the fore. For starters, that 1.6-litre, inline, 3-pot turbocharged engine develops even more power than it does in the Yaris—some 23kW more. You can feel it as you rush through the slick, manual 6-speed box. The GR Corolla is exclusively available in a manual transmission, keeping you focused and engaged. The steering is excellent too; it is well weighted and confident, a telltale sign of how good the front end is.
The GR Corolla features Toyota’s GR-FOUR all-wheel drive system with a torque distribution feature. From the cabin, you can decide how the power should be transferred. The options are 60:40, 50:50, or 30:70, with the former number marking the front and the latter number for the rear. The opportunity to really engage with each setting is really what blew my mind about the smart performance of this car. Just the torque distribution change allows you to exploit the chassis, the steering, and the power delivery for hugely rewarding driving. The car has a depth of talent that will suit and excite most drivers, but there’s also a safety cushion in the way it handles the different modes, i.e, that 60:40 split being the most **understeery** option. Note that whilst exhibiting very good roadholding, the GR Corolla is prone to washing at the front and you’ll feel that Torsen diff contracting the duration of the understeer when it does happen. The car exhibits the kind of cup-car chassis bounce at the limit. It feels more Renault Megane R.S. 300 Trophy than a Golf R, for instance.
And then, to add to the joy of the drive, the front pews are very well suited to keeping one’s body in check, while the iMT rev-matching on downshifts is pretty sweet as well, giving focus to the loud purr from the exhausts.
The GR Corolla does have a lot going for it besides the Toyota backing and now rather strong GR brand kudos. The car’s technology and features too, are good enough for the segment and price.
Where it falls short is in the fact that it plays in a very competitive space where ‘good’ isn’t necessarily good enough. With the advent of the Civic Type-R, Mercedes-AMG’s A35 and even the likes of the Golf GTi and Golf-R, the GR Corolla does have its back against the wall. Yes, some of these competitors are a lot more expensive but if you’re shopping for a hot hatch, a few thousand here or there or even a few hundred can be overlooked.
At R902,400, welcome to a very worthy contender in the hot hatch segment. It looks the part, with a stealthy stance and a trio of exhausts that are, at the very least, uniquely designed. It also plays the part incredibly well, as expected. But it isn’t the last word in sharp handling or extraordinary power in the segment. The feeling within the team is that Toyota didn’t bestow the same level of talent and wit onto the Corolla as they did on the GR Yaris. Or maybe the segment competence is on another level now?
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