Toyota GR Corolla Revealed As Bigger Brother To GR Yaris, Gives Golf R The Shivers
After weeks of teasing, the Toyota GR Corolla has been revealed as the GR Yaris’ big brother.
The GR Yaris was an absolute hit for Toyota. They made a hot hatch in small quantities at a legendary factory with a tiny heart and lots of power and everyone loved it. It was one of the first fully in-house performance Toyota vehicle available on the global market and showed the world that Toyota engineers still knew how to make some incredibly fast and fun cars.
Now the company has shown the bigger brother to the GR Yaris which is powered by the same heart – the Toyota GR Corolla. Built with the approval of Akio Toyoda (or ‘Morizo’ when behind the wheel) by the GR Team, the GR Corolla has undergone repeated tests on the Fuji Speedway, Suzuka and Tsukaba Circuit as well as on heavy dirt and snow.
This C-segment hot hatch gets its power from the same 1.6L G16E-GTS 3-cylinder engine with D-4S direct and port injection, 12 valves and a single-scroll ball-bearing turbocharger. However, in the GR Corolla, this engine now produces 300 horsepower at 6,500 and 370Nm of torque between 3,000 and 5,500rpm.
This represents a bump up in performance of about 32hp. The additional power comes from improved exhaust efficiency via a new 3-piece muffler with valve capped off with brushed stainless steel tips.
Power is sent to all four wheels via a GR-Four AWD drivetrain which can split the power between front and rear in 60:40, 50:50, or 30:70.
Unlike the GR Yaris, the GR Corolla will only be available with a 6-speed intelligent manual transmission with rev-matching.
The chassis is the GA-C with enhanced frame reinforcements, more weld points and extensive use of structural adhesive. A set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres are standard and wrap around 18″ gloss-black 15-spoke alloy wheels. Brakes are fixed-caliper ventilated and slotted discs, 4-piston in front and 2-piston at the rear.
The GR Corolla is also made exclusively at the Motomachi plant which also made the Lexus LFA, Toyota Supra A80 and GR Yaris. The production utilises many manual assembly techniques and each vehicle is built with meticulous care and attention by highly skilled technicians.
The body of the Corolla hatch was also modified with additional air vents and aero-optimised parts make for better steering stability.
There will be two editions, the Core Grade and the Circuit Edition.
The Circuit Edition comes with a forged carbon sheet molding compound for the roof, which lowers the centre of gravity. It also has a vented bulge hood and sporty rear spoiler. Aluminium is used on the hood and front door panels. High-tensile steel is used in the car’s structure. The Circuit Edition also comes with front and rear Torsen Limited-Slip Differentials (LSD). This is a limited-run model only available in 2023 with a Morizo-signed shift knob. Inside, you’ll also find a Brin Naub suede-trimmed sport seats with red accents. It will be available in white, Supersonic Red and Heavy Metal.
The Core Grade comes later in 2023 in white, black and Supersonic Red. It will also get a colour-keyed roof with a rear lip spoiler, GR-Four stamped side rockers and wide-fender flares. It will seat 5 with GR logos on the fabric sport seats.
The GR Corolla comes with the all-new Toyota Audio Multimedia touchscreen system.
Here’s the press release with more on that interior.
PRESS RELEASE
Race Inspired Interior
The design of the GR Corolla’s interior reflects the car’s performance, particularly around the driver’s cockpit.
Incorporating the feedback of professional drivers, a GR Full TFT meter was newly developed with a 12.3-inch color Multi-Information Display (MID) that has a GR meter with 4WD mode, turbo pressure, gear position indicator and tachometer. The brightly lit display is designed for easy-viewing in any condition and even features a start-up GR animation.
The shift lever has a shortened stroke for a quick throw between gears. Positioned where the driver’s arm is naturally lowered from steering, the action is light with short shift strokes, adding to the performance quality. GR Corolla uses a pull type mechanical parking brake.
The Circuit Edition’s interior is finished in black with red trim details around the door handles, center console, steering wheel and side air vents, and the Core Grade is finished with black and silver details.
Brin Naub® suede and synthetic leather-trimmed sport seats with red stitching, red mesh inserts and GR badged headrests; 6-way adjustable driver’s seat with seatback pocket; 4-way adjustable front passenger seat with seatback pocket are standard on the Circuit Edition. Fabric sport seats with gray stitching and GR badged headrests; 6-way adjustable driver’s seat with suede sheet seatback pocket; 4-way adjustable front passenger seat with seatback pocket are standard on the Core.
Automatic climate control, power windows with one-touch auto up/down and heated front seats and steering wheel standard on Circuit Edition. Heated front seats and steering wheel are available with the of Cold Weather package option on Core Grade.
A GR leather-trimmed tilt/telescopic sport steering wheel with audio, Multi-Information Display, Bluetooth® hands-free phone and voice-command controls comes standard on the Circuit Edition. For an added touch, a “Morizo” signed shift knob comes exclusively on the launch year Circuit Edition.
Standard on both grades is a push button GR engine start/stop button, aluminum sport pedals, two USB charging ports, one 12V auxiliary power outlet, lighted foot wells, front console tray and rear console box. Qi-compatible wireless smartphone charging with full charge indicator light is standard on the Circuit Edition and available as part of the Technology package on the Core Grade.
The all-new Toyota Audio Multimedia system will come standard on all GR Corollas. Featuring an 8-inch touchscreen, the system offers an improved user experience thanks to new sight, touch and voice activation. With Intelligent Assistant available through Drive Connect, simple phrases like “Hey Toyota” awakens the system for voice-activated commands to search for directions, find POIs, adjust audio controls, change the cabin temperatures and more.
The cloud-based native navigation system offered through Drive Connect allows for real-time Over the Air updates for mapping and Points of Interest (POI), and Google POI data is integrated to ensure up-to-date search capability. It also supports standard wireless Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto compatibility.
Toyota Audio Multimedia allows for simultaneous dual Bluetooth phone connectivity. A Wi-Fi Connect subscription offers 4G connectivity for up to five devices by turning GR Corolla into an AT&T Hotspot, and it also offers the ability to link your separate Apple Music® and Amazon Music subscriptions to your vehicle with Integrated Streaming.
The Circuit Edition comes with Premium Audio with Dynamic Navigation with eight JBL® speakers with amplifier. It includes a USB media port, two USB charge ports, Dynamic Navigation with 3-year trial, Dynamic POI Search, Dynamic Voice Recognition, hands-free phone capability and music streaming via Bluetooth® wireless technology, SiriusXM® with 3-month All Access trial. See toyota.com/audio-multimedia for details. Connected Services – Safety Connect® with 1-year trial, Service Connect with 10-year trial, Remote Connect with 1-year trial, Wi-Fi Connect with up to 2GB within 3-month trial and Destination Assist with 1-year trial. See toyota.com/connected-services for details.
The Core Grade comes with six speakers, Android Auto™ & Apple CarPlay® & Amazon Alexa compatible, USB media port, two USB charge ports, hands-free phone capability and music streaming via Bluetooth® wireless technology, SiriusXM® with 3-month All Access trial. See toyota.com/audio-multimedia for details. Connected Services1 – Safety Connect® with 1-year trial, Service Connect with 10-year trial, Remote Connect with 1-year trial, and Wi-Fi Connect with up to 2GB within 3-month trial. See toyota.com/connected-services for details. Premium Audio with Dynamic Navigation and JBL® w/Clari-Fi®, and Qi-compatible wireless smartphone charging are available as part of the Technology Package.
Safety & Other Technology
All GR Corolla grades come standard with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 (TSS 3.0), which includes enhancements made possible by system sensors with improved detection capability. The Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection is also capable of detecting motorcyclists and guardrails in certain conditions. When making a turn or approaching an intersection, the system is designed to detect forward or laterally approaching oncoming vehicles and provides audio/visual alerts and automatic braking in certain conditions. Improved lane recognition delivers refined performance of Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist and Lane Tracing Assist.
GR Corolla will be equipped with Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC). Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist is designed to notify the driver via audible and visual alerts and slight steering force if it senses the vehicle is leaving the lane without engaging a turn signal. When DRCC is set and engaged, Lane Tracing Assist uses visible lane markers or a preceding vehicle to help keep the vehicle centered in its lane.
Automatic High Beams are designed to detect preceding or oncoming vehicles and automatically switch between high beam and low beam headlights. Road Sign Assist is designed to recognize certain road sign information using a forward-facing camera and display them on the multi-information display (MID).
Toyota’s Rear Seat Reminder comes standard on all GR Corolla grades. The feature can note whether a rear door was opened within 10 minutes of the vehicle being turned on, or at any time after the vehicle has been turned on, with a reminder message in the instrument cluster after the engine is turned off, accompanied by multitone chimes.
In addition to the TSS 3.0 system, other standard safety features on the GR Corolla include Blind Spot Monitor (BSM), which is designed to help detect and warn you of vehicles approaching or positioned in the adjacent lanes and Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) for added peace of mind by helping to detect vehicles approaching from either side while backing out and alerting you with a visual and audible warning. Hill Start Assist Control (HAC) also comes standard.
GR Corolla comes with a one year trial subscription of Toyota Safety Connect® at no additional cost – includes Emergency Assistance, Stolen Vehicle Locator, Roadside Assistance and Automatic Collision Notification.
Option Packages
GR Corolla Core Grade is available with the following packages:
- Performance package: Includes front and rear Torsen Limited Slip Differentials (LSD).
- Technology package: Includes Premium Audio with Dynamic Navigation and JBL® w/Clari-Fi®, and Qi-compatible wireless smartphone charging.
- Cold Weather Package: Includes heated front seats and heated steering wheel.
About the Author
Subhash Nair Written work on dsf.my. @subhashtag on instagram. Autophiles Malaysia on Youtube.
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