TOYOTA GR COROLLA

TOYOTA’S BAN ON BORING CARS? UH, YEAH, IT’S WORKING...

- KARL BRAUER

Model Toyota GR Corolla

Engine 1598cc 3cyl, dohc, 12v, turbo

Max power 220kW @ 3000-5500rpm

Max torque 370Nm @ 6500rpm

Transmission Six-speed manual

Weight 1475kg (estimated)

0-100km/h 5.1sec (claimed)

Economy 9.8L/100km (estimated)

Price $62,000 (estimated)

On sale Q1, 2023

TOYOTA PRESIDENT Akio Toyoda made his famous “No more boring cars” proclamation more than five years ago – and the 2023 Toyota GR Corolla is perhaps the starkest instance yet of the Japanese company leaning into performance on a traditionally conservative, conventional nameplate.

Yes, we’ve seen edgier exterior designs and more aggressive performance versions of mainstream Toyota models across the manufacturer’s line-up. And, yes, we’ve seen performance versions of the Corolla in the distant past, but nothing like this weapon the company has just unleashed, with 220kW, all-wheel-drive, manual-shift only, and a 0-to-100km/h time of 5.1 seconds.

Toyota says the GR Corolla, which borrows a significant amount of hardware from the GR Yaris, is a response to customers around the world pleading for a Toyota hot hatch. And between the recently released GR86 and GR Supra, which is now available with a manual transmission, Toyota is clearly responding to enthusiast desires.

Unexpectedly, the fast Corolla isn’t going to either the UK or Europe. But it is coming to Australia – sometime in the first quarter of 2023.