Toyota New Zealand has revealed the price of the hot GR Corolla and come up with a solution for the rush that made buying a GR Yaris so stressful. However, it won't necessarily be any easier to get one...
The exclusively manual-transmission, rally-and-racetrack-developed GR Corolla will go on sale in New Zealand for $74,990 drive-away and will be sold through a series of ballots for the
first 150 cars.
Knowing that demand for the GR Corolla will outstrip supply, Toyota New Zealand says it has decided to "create a fair allocation" by holding a ballot for the first shipment of 150 cars due to arrive here this year. The company say it will hold three ballots in 2023 with 50 cars available in each ballot, with the first round starting in early February. The GR Yaris sold out instantly when it debuted in New Zealand for $54,990 in 2019 (it has since crept up to $60,290, but is still worth every cent), so Toyota New Zealand has rightfully assumed the Corolla will attract similar demand, given the level of interest the company has reported for it.
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"While undoubtedly the Corolla is mainly known by Kiwi drivers as the supremely reliable and dependable hatch, sedan, and compact wagon, the Corolla has a
heritage of competing and winning in both track and rally events," said Toyota New Zealand General Manager Steve Prangnell.
"By letting the Toyota Gazoo Racing engineers loose on the GR Corolla, we have produced that rare combination of a high-performance car that can be driven with confidence and enjoyment in a variety of situations and a daily driver with five seats, five doors and the complete Toyota Safety Sense package."
Toyota New Zealand is backing that practicality angle up fully too, offering the GR Corolla with the same all-inclusive drive-away pricing that, while including a WOF, registration, full
tank of fuel and fixed price servicing package, also includes the same a three year or 100,000 km warranty as a bog-standard Corolla.
The GR Corolla packs a more powerful 221kW/370Nm version of the utterly brilliant three-cylinder 1.6-litre turbocharged engine that powers the GR Yaris and, like the Yaris, it is only available hooked up to a six-speed manual transmission. It's GR-Four AWD system can automatically distribute power from a 50/50 split up to 30/70 front and rear, and Totota says that prototypes were put through their paces not only on racing circuits but also on "highly demanding dirt and snow-covered roads."
While it uses the standard Corolla underpinnings, the GR Corolla gets a wider track and a Torsen limited-slip differential for increased grip and stability, while Yokohama Advan Apex tyres and specially tuned suspension also help out.
On the safety side, the GR Corolla gets upgraded brakes, as well as the latest version of Toyota's Safety Sense package that includes a pre-collision system, lane tracing assist, dynamic radar cruise control, and automatic high beam.
The GR Corolla is the latest member of Toyota's hot GR performance family that already includes the GR Yaris, GR Supra and GR 86. Toyota New Zealand says it will release more details about the GR Corolla closer to the start of the first ballot in early February.
