TOYOTA GR COROLLA

The Corolla is the latest Toyota to get Gazoo Racing's go-faster treatment

- JOHN MAHONEY

TESTED 1.9.22, UTAH MOTORSPORTS CAMPUS, US ON SALE NOW (US)

'Zero to hero' best charts Gazoo Racing's rapid rise to widespread acclaim. From its 2019 start with the GR Supra to the astonishing GR Yaris that followed in 2020 and then the sublime GR86 coupé, it has earned our love and respect for its unique way of consistently nailing the affordable sports car brief.

This year, it has further expanded its portfolio by launching a manual GR Supra (see right), but first it's time for the headline act: the GR Corolla.

Looking every inch a rally refugee, this hot hatch packs the mightiest of visual punches. Nothing is fake about it, and every element serves the single purpose of going very fast indeed.

It's sold in Core, Circuit, and Morizo guises, the third one demonstrating how far Toyota's black ops have come. It bins the rear seats and luxuries like the electric rear windows, speakers, and rear wiper to shave about 30kg off the portly 1470kg kerb weight.

Add in lighter, 18in rims, a closer-ratio gearbox and the option of two Torsen differentials and you realize just how serious Gazoo is in its bid to create the hottest hatch of all time.

So it's all the more frustrating that the GR Corolla won't come to Britain, despite our appetite for hot hatches. But we decided to torture ourselves anyway to see what we're missing on the GR Corolla's American debut.