Reengineered 2025 Toyota GR Corolla hot hatch picks up optional automatic, added torque

Toyota's highly regarded rally racing hot hatch, the GR Corolla, has been reengineered with a new option for the 2025 model year that promises to broaden its appeal to a much wider audience: an automatic transmission.

The six-speed manual transmission the GR Corolla launched with in 2023 will still come standard. In addition, the 2025 model will also offer an optional eight-speed gearbox developed by in-house performance group Gazoo Racing that Toyota calls a Direct Automatic Transmission with paddle shifters.

When it arrives in U.S. dealerships this winter, the reengineered 2025 GR Corolla will feature increased torque, an enhanced suspension, a new top trim level and a redesigned front bumper to improve cooling and aerodynamics.

Still equipped with a 1.6-liter three-cylinder turbocharged engine producing 300 hp, the hot hatch has been retuned to boost engine torque to 295 pound-feet from 273. Vehicles with the eight-speed automatic will come standard with an automatic transmission fluid cooler to better control heat and improve performance, while a sub-radiator is a factory-installed option on the Premium grade and standard on the new Premium Plus grade, Toyota said.

To improve on-track handling, engineers added rebound springs to the GR Corolla's front and rear suspension and improved the rear coils and stabilizers to better keep its wheels on the road during dynamic cornering. The hot hatch will also feature launch control on models with an automatic transmission, the brand said.

Available in Core, Premium and new Premium Plus trim levels, the reengineered 2025 GR Corolla will come standard with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, the brand's latest suite of safety and driver assistance technologies, and will be equipped with the Toyota Audio Multimedia system on an 8-inch touchscreen.

Consumers who purchase a 2025 GR Corolla will receive a free one-year membership to the National Auto Sport Association, including a one-day high-performance driving event and discounted admission to association-sponsored activities, the automaker said.

Pricing for the 2025 GR Corolla was not announced. Toyota does not report sales of the GR Corolla.