The GR Corolla is a raging return to form for the Corolla nameplate, which hadn’t received a true hot-hatch makeover in some time.
It followed on from the smaller GR Yaris, which it is built alongside on a bespoke GR production line using the same inline three-cylinder turbocharged engine and adopting the performance-oriented GR-Four all-wheel drive system.
The line-up currently starts at $67,990 for the GR Corolla Gts and ranges through to $70,490 for the range-topping GR Corolla Gts.
Zero to 100km/h acceleration time for the Toyota GR Corolla is 5.2 seconds with a top speed of around 230km/h.
The Toyota GR Corolla’s three-cylinder turbo-intercooled petrol engine outputs a stout 221kW at 6500rpm and 400Nm from 3250-4600rpm.
Available colours are for the Toyota GR Corolla include ‘Glacier White’, ‘Ebony (black), ‘Liquid Mercury’ (sliver-grey) and ‘Feverish Red’.
A 2640mm wheelbase means while there’s ample space for the driver and front passenger in the Toyota GR Corolla, the rear seat is relatively tight with just enough leg and headroom for full-size adults. A small rear door aperture makes entry, and particularly egress, a Houdini-like escape exercise. A 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen sits in the middle of the dash and there are racy alloy covers on the pedals.
Standard feature highlights of the Toyota GR Corolla include a head-up display, LED exterior lights, leather and synthetic suede trimmed sports front seats (also heated), dual-zone climate control, a heated steering wheel, a 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen, the JBL audio set-up (including wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay), racy alloy pedal covers, wireless phone charging and adaptive cruise control (auto only). The aero-influenced body kit incorporates a bulging alloy bonnet and safety’s through the roof with the ‘Toyota Safety Sense’ suite including autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, road sign assist, seven airbags and heaps more.
The Toyota GR Corolla is a five-seat hatch featuring leather and synthetic suede trim, with the sports front seats also heated.
Modest boot volume has been an Achilles heel for the current Corolla from day one and the Toyota GR Corolla's 213 litres is even smaller than the standard hatch’s 217L thanks to the performance version’s AWD and sports exhaust hardware underneath. And that’s despite the GR forgoing the standard line-up’s space-saver spare for an inflator/repair kit.
The official combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) consumption figure for the Toyota GR Corolla is 9.5L/100km which equates to a theoretical driving range of around 530km.