Toyota has given us our best look yet at the new GR Corolla.
Toyota has given us a glimpse of its forthcoming GR Corolla hot hatchback in a new video advert for its recently revealed GR 86 sportscar.
The GR Corolla is briefly seen parked in the background of an abandoned shopping mall as the new GR 86 drives past in front of it. While the video doesn’t reveal much about the car, we can see a similar GR livery to the pre-production versions of the Supra, GR 86 and GR Yaris.
A rear shot at the end also gives a few more clues. As the car’s engine burbles into life it’s possible to spot a subtle rear spoiler and a rear light cluster that’s the same design as the standard Corolla.
Expected to go on sale in 2023 – the GR Corolla is tipped to be powered by the same 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine found in the GR Yaris. An earlier teaser image from last yet revealed GR Corolla’s interior, including an instrument cluster showing “G:16” where the time would usually be shown. It is understood that this is a reference to the GR Yaris’s G16E-GTS engine code for its turbocharged three-cylinder unit. The power figure could also be more than the GR Yaris’s 192kW with the Corolla’s climate control dials showing 2, 6 and 8 – the same as the 200kW Japanese-market GR Yaris.
The Corolla’s sat-nav, which shows the car next to a road named “GR Four”. That is Toyota’s moniker for its performance all-wheel drive system, again used on the GR Yaris. The set-up uses limited-slip differentials on both the front and rear axles, combining with an electronically controlled centre differential. Expect the GR Corolla to launch with a similar system if this teaser is anything to go by.
An automatic gearbox is also shown, although Automotive Daily understands that for many markets GR Corolla would come fitted with a six-speed manual transmission, so it remains to be seen if the auto will be a US-only option. Toyota is working on an automatic GR Yaris, however, so there could be scope for both transmissions being offered.
There’s not been a high performance Toyota Corolla since the T-Sport of the early 2000’s, which delivered 141kW from its supercharged 1.8-litre engine, so the promise of a new GR Corolla is bold move from Toyota, especially given its direct rivals will range from the Volkswagen Golf GTI to the Honda Civic Type R.
Alastair Crooks