2023 Toyota GR Corolla: A hot hatch gets wilder

Toyota Motor Corp. is rediscovering its wild side with the 2023 GR Corolla, a hot hatch with all-wheel drive developed by its in-house Gazoo Racing team.

The factory-bred tuner car — based on the Corolla hatchback — is festooned with a brash body kit and a turbocharged engine. The three-cylinder powerplant is bolted to a six-speed manual transmission. The powertrain allows the driver a choice of front/rear power distribution biases — 60-40, 50-50 and 70-30 — to best suit road conditions.

The 1.6-liter engine delivers up to 300 hp and 273 pound-feet of torque — giving it 185 horsepower per liter of displacement.

Wide, ultrahigh-performance summer tires help enhance traction. The GR Corolla's instrument panel features a 12.3-inch display rather than analog gauges. Toyota's Safety Sense 3.0 suite — with the latest active safety gear — comes standard.

Three models are offered: Core, Circuit, and Morizo.

The GR Corolla Morizo edition shares the same engine, but boosts torque up to 295 pound-feet. It weighs nearly 100 pounds less, partly from the elimination of the rear seats and rear wiper blade. Toyota says the GR Corolla Morizo edition will be capped to a 200-unit production run in the first year.

We've collected and sampled some early reviews from the automotive media:

"The GR Corolla's small-displacement three-cylinder engine makes peak power rather high in the rev range, so launching it hard requires buzzing the tach to about 6,000 rpm and lifting off the clutch smoothly and deliberately. A surprisingly drama-free, rapid takeoff ensues — no Subaru-style, slam-bang halfshaft-shattering noises here — and although low-end torque is fairly weak (it doesn't come on in full until 3,000 rpm and lasts through 5,500), the turbo triple builds revs eagerly and pulls hard toward its 6,500-rpm horsepower peak, making a pleasant yet muted someone-dropped-a-beehive noise. Toyota says that the GR Corolla can hit 60 mph in "under five seconds." Get the launch right, and we bet runs in the mid-fours are possible.

Weaving through Utah Motorsports Park's series of similar corners — there are plenty of late-apex, double-apex-type curves — allows us to quickly compare the GR Corolla Core, Circuit, and Morizo Edition models. A few difference makers become apparent: The Core's and Circuit's tires and the Morizo's extra boost, torque, and grip from its spicier rubber.

Although all three GR Corollas exhibit talkative enough, medium-weighted yet accurate steering; a firm and easily modulated brake pedal; and a well-sprung clutch pedal and pleasantly mechanical-feeling shift lever, the lower-spec models are more playful. With less ultimate grip from their Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires — which, as ever, deliver predictable and easily managed breakaway characteristics — you can really rotate the short-wheelbase Corolla through tighter corners or adjust your line if you overcook a sweeper."

— Alexander Stoklosa, Motor Trend

"In lacking a grossly oversized rear wing, Toyota's new GR Corolla almost looks reserved at first glance. But keen eyes partial to small and fun driver's cars will quickly peg it as no ordinary Corolla — far from it. With flared nostrils, a tornado of an inline-three, and bulging fenders that make it 2.3 inches wider than its lesser kin, this hot hatchback is the clearest manifestation yet of Toyota President Akio Toyoda's vision to inject more excitement into his company's products.
Developed by Toyota's performance and motorsports arm, Gazoo Racing, and built in a dedicated area of the company's factory in Motomachi, Japan, the GR Corolla is a rally-car-inspired thoroughbred that in top-range Morizo spec even bares the Toyota boss's nickname. Drop into the familiar Corolla interior and you'll find soft, enveloping sport seats and a satisfyingly precise short-throw shifter for the six-speed manual, the only transmission offered. The configurable 12.3-inch gauge display eschews zany animations for easy readability, with the gear-selection indicator taking center stage. The pedals are spaced a bit far apart for easy heel-and-toeing, but the auto rev-matching feature (which can be turned off) works better than most Nikes will."

— Mike Sutton, Car and Driver

"Considering how much fun the GR Corolla's base Core variant is, I'm a bit surprised that the more hardcore Morizo model doesn't really change the car's character. Sure, it looks the absolute business, with no rear seats and a forged carbon roof, but it doesn't really feel much livelier than the standard GR Corolla. The most obvious change is the six-speed manual's shorter gearing, which I do enjoy on track since it has me shifting more often, but the extra 20 pound-feet of torque isn't really front and center. Perhaps if both cars were wearing the same tires, the Morizo may feel squirmier and sharper-edged, but standard Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 track-day tires provide an almost unfair amount of grip.

The GR Corolla's standard six-speed manual transmission is pleasant to wield. Throws are a little longer than what I find on, say, the manual Toyota Supra, but hustling between gates remains a satisfying experience. Automatic rev-matching downshifts are onboard. I do find my footwork outpacing the rev-matching system at times, with my left foot reaching the bite point before the Corolla's computers blip the throttle to the correct spot on the tach, but fleet-footed track drivers will be happy to know the system can be turned off."

— Andrew Krok, CNET

"I'd challenge even the most hard-core performance drivers to finish a few laps in the GR Corolla without cracking a smile. Spending time on a track like the Utah Motorsports Park certainly comes as a revelation for anyone used to the rest of the Corolla line.
I intentionally chose to work my way up the line, starting with the base Core model. With modest expectations I took my first lap of the winding, 2-mile track and quickly realized that this machine likes to be exercised. The GR team has done a lot more than just amp up the engine. Every aspect of the car's manners has been upgraded. Steering proved precise and predictable. The manual transmission was easy to run through the gears. The suspension minimized body roll and helped keep the tires firmly planted through even the tightest turns.
The Circuit edition took things up a notch, with much of the credit going to the twin differentials. They helped manage left-to-right torque and made it even easier to power through corners. The oversized brakes, meanwhile, readily scrubbed off excess speed.
The real revelation came when I slipped behind the wheel of the Morizo. It might not seem like much, but the extra 22 pound-feet of torque proved substantial on track, coming on low in the REV ban and helping me launch out of the circuit's corners with plenty of momentum. The Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires were a clear plus. So were the added braces and structural adhesives, the stiffer body making the GR Corolla even easier to keep under control, even after I overcooked one particularly tricky corner — appropriately named 'Maybe I'll Make It.' I did."

— Paul Eisenstein, The Detroit Bureau

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"With the twist of a dial located aft of the shifter, you can adjust the Corolla's power delivery. The default setting sends 60 percent of torque to the front axle; turn the knob to 'Rear' and you get a 30/70 front-rear split. Push the 'Track' button in the middle and you get an even 50/50.

The effects are predictable. The front-biased default mode, which Toyota considers optimal for everyday driving, is a recipe for understeer. The rear-biased setting obviously isn't the best choice for those seeking fast laps, but there's more to life than numbers. I could see myself leaving it in 50/50 most of time, where the Corolla just never wants to let go — particularly if you have the benefit of those Torsen limited-slip differentials, standard on the Circuit Edition or available with the Performance Pack on the Core model. For everyday commuting, the LSDs aren't strictly necessary. But those planning to track, or those concerned about maximizing grip in slippery conditions won't want to leave that performance on the table."

— Adam Ismail, Jalopnik