BY PETER BARNWELL
WARNING: all hot hatch enthusiasts driving something like the Volkswagen Golf R or Honda Civic Type R had better watch out because a new ‘boss cocky’ is on the way in the form of Toyota’s GR Corolla that arrives in early 2023.
But all is not sweetness and light as Toyota Australia is on a GR Corolla dripfeed from head office which is sending just 500 examples of the hot hatches here in the first 12 months.
Pricing isn’t available yet so keep your wallet in your pocket for the time being … sufficed to say it had better contain something in the order of $60 grand for the least expensive Core variant if Toyota decides to run with the model as a starting point.
The hard core, two-seater, called the Morizo Edition in America, is priced at the equivalent of $76k Aussie – guesstimated based on current US pricing.
Looked at from a different perspective, and given the smaller GR Yaris starts at $49,500 before on-road costs in Australia, the highly anticipated, turbocharged three-cylinder all-wheel drive rival to the best hot hatch entrants available right now will likely weigh in at $60,000-$65,000 for the most affordable version.
A mid-spec Circuit variant sells in the US for the equivalent of $A65,700 and could be the kick off point for GR Corolla here.
The scenario is the same as similarly supply constrained GR Yaris when it first lobbed and prospective GR Corolla buyers are encouraged to lodge their interest with their local Toyota dealer as soon as possible as allocations will be granted on a first come, best dressed basis.
The new performance car will bring sports DNA back to the Corolla nameplate after being MIA for many, MANY years.
Using the powerful and responsive G16E-GTS 1.6-litre three-pot turbo engine borrowed from the GR Yaris the potent ‘Rolla has been enhanced further with additional power to suit the larger and heavier hatch, with a 10 per cent increase in power to 220kW and mooted 370Nm of torque.
According to US reports, the Morizo Edition does even better on the power front with a rumoured 224kW and 400Nm.
Driving through an ‘intelligent’ six-speed manual transmission only, the GR Corolla employs the old GT-Four all-wheel-drive system developed through Toyota's involvement in the World Rally Championship.
Toyota Australia vice president sales, marketing and franchise operations, Sean Hanley, said the GR Corolla continued the brand's commitment to offering customers exciting and engaging vehicles.
“With the GR Corolla nearly here, Toyota's mantra of building fun-to-drive cars is clear to see,” he said.
“With the GR brand's motorsport DNA, the new GR Corolla promises to deliver on just what driving enthusiasts' desire – high performance turbocharged power, agile and dynamic handling, and stylish good looks.”
Owners will have the choice of four drive modes – Normal, Sport, Track and Custom – with a limited-slip differential aiding traction and roadholding.
The GR Corolla is easily distinguished by its large lower grille opening reminiscent of other GR models while the rear triple-exit, widely spaced exhaust tips and spoiler make no bones about its performance intent.
Aggressively styled 18-inch black alloy wheels shod in high-performance Yokohama Advan Apex tyres provide visual and dynamic enhancements, as do the widened front and rear tracks.
With certain differences, model dependent, GR Corolla features an 8.0-inch touchscreen display screen with Android Auto, wireless Apple CarPlay, and satellite navigation.
It also has a 12.3-inch full digital instrument cluster display, head-up display, and a wireless smartphone charger.
Dual-zone climate control, heated front seats and steering wheel, leather trim for the steering wheel, handbrake and shift knob, power windows, keyless entry and ignition, illuminated entry and tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment are also standard.
Active safety features include auto emergency braking with pedestrian and daylight cyclist detection, intersection assist, emergency steering assist, lane trace assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors.
The full range of Toyota Connected Services telematics suite is also included – though Toyota will charge you a monthly subscription for this technology after the first 12 months.
As with the GR Yaris and GR Yaris Rallye, a particular clientele is interested in GR Corolla with most attention centred on the two-seat, track-focussed Morizo Edition becoming available here.
Apparently, it is due to arrive Down Under in the same timeframe as the (predicted) entry level Circuit variant and include R-spec tyres, more torque, track-ready suspension, and a set of rear-end stiffening bars in place of the rear seats.
Although stiffer, the two-seat GR Corolla is also 30kg heavier than the five-seat variant, in no small part due to the additional body reinforcement braces.
As well as more torque, delivery is broader than before arriving between 3000-5500rpm instead of 3250-4600rpm, Toyota also claiming the two-seat GR Corolla offers more throttle response through the engine’s middle reaches.
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