What's the difference?
There’s something immensely appealing about a car that can play two roles.
An off-roader for the weekend and a school pick-up chariot Monday to Friday? How about a race car/grocery-getter combo?
The latter is what the Toyota GR Corolla wants to be, a slightly bigger and more day-to-day alternative to the first GR hot hatch, the Yaris.
Both of these cars have now been updated and are arriving in Australia now, and Toyota hopes the Corolla becomes an even better car to rival the likes of the Volkswagen Golf R.
But can it do it?
We tested Toyota’s hotted-up Corolla on road and track to see if it’s up to the task.
This might be Kia's best defence yet against the wave of cheap Chinese SUVs currently crashing against our shores.
It's the Kia Stonic, and this update brings mild hybrid technology, which lowers your fuel bill while upping your power. There's also some new tech stuff and some new safety stuff, as well as a refreshed front-end look.
Critically, though, it's not actually new. The Stonic launched globally back in 2017, before an updated version arrived in Australia around 2021. This is yet another update, albeit a significant one, which means the Stonic has been given dual-cab ute levels of longevity in the market.
All of that should be helping Kia to keep the pencil sharp, with the new range kicking off at $28,180, plus on-road costs.
Not quite China cheap, but not too far off it.
The GR Corolla had a lot to live up to before, given the likes of the GR Yaris and GR86 fit their briefs so well.
Now, with a little more daily useability and a little more performance, the GR Corolla is even better at both sides of its Jekyl and Hyde personality.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.
Unlike a lot of rivals in this segment, the Stonic's actually quite a bit of fun to drive, and that alone earns it a tick from me.
Yes, it can feel underpowered in places, especially when you're trying to do high-speed overtakes or if you're on a really engaging road and on and off the accelerator. But just cruising around, the little powertrain gives you plenty to get around the city.
And I guess that is the point. This does feel like a very city-friendly vehicle, even if it is undeniably showing its age in places.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer with meals provided.
Note: The author, Andrew Chesterton, is a co-owner of Smart As Media, a content agency and media distribution service with a number automotive brands among its clients. When producing content for CarsGuide, he does so in accordance with the CarsGuide Editorial Guidelines and Code of Ethics (https://www.carsguide.com.au/ethics), and the views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.