Toyota has finally launched the Gazoo Racing (hereby called GR) Corolla, a few months on from when it was initially teased. When it was being teased, we had expected the same engine as in the GR Yaris to carry on with duties but Toyota has amped the power and the engine by a bit, while also making many other changes. Without any further ado, let’s get straight into it.
The oomph of the car comes thanks to a modified version of the 1.6L 3cyl in-line turbocharged engine found in the GR Yaris, which gives the hatch just 300HP! The GR-4WD system is also utilised with many new optimisations to make the most out of the car even when it is being pushed to its limits.
On the outside, the car has been made more chunky to allow for better handling, with an increase of 20mm and 30mm on the front and rear fenders respectively while the front bumper, front fender and also hood bulge air outlets. The front track is 65mm wider up front while the rear track is 85mm wider, and the rear has 3 exhausts to increase the output of the 1.6L motor because why not?
On the inside, there is a short-stroke shift lever and a hand-operated parking brake, both of which give the driver complete control thanks to allowing for quick gear changes and even while drifting! There is also a full TFT meter, newly adopted and standardised across the entire GR range. The GR-FOUR 4WD system allows for variable driving styles by controlling the distribution of force, though this time with the 4WD mode and Drive mode separate. Pillow-ball bushings, shock absorbers and springs have been used to their full capacity to make cornering performance overwhelmingly impressive! Here’s a gallery of the car:
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All this makes the GR Corolla one of the most impressive and powerful hot hatches out there. However, despite going full steam on the mechanicals, Toyota has still kept the car safe with the inclusion of Toyota Safety Sense as standard on the car. No pricing has been revealed yet, but don’t expect all these features to come cheap either. The latest model in the GR lineup will turn heads left right and center, and is possibly the most track-ready hot hatch on the entire planet right now.
