In many respects the Toyota GR Corolla is a deliciously analogue car: slightly grumpy 3-cylinder engine with silly power and no electrification, four-wheel drive with mechanical Torsen differentials… and a manual gearbox.
A manual gearbox is a rare thing these days. Having one in an enthusiast-orientated car is almost-instant credibility.
So why add an automatic option? Do people who buy cars like the GR Corolla really want two-pedal driving when three is on offer?
Hmm. Probably, yes. Partly because people who buy cars like the GR Corolla like to drive them, and when you drive them there is often traffic. But perhaps more importantly, a good automatic is faster and more efficient than a manual, and can leave us non-racing-drivers to focus on other enjoyable stuff like steering, throttle and brakes.
Yes, there will always be a certain specialist appeal to a manual in an enthusiast car. You can still have that. But the GR Corolla 8-speed “Direct Shift” automatic is really good, even when you factor in the $4k premium.
Do people who buy cars like this really want two pedals when three are on offer? Hmm. Probably, yes.
An auto option was added to both GR Yaris and GR Corolla this year as part of a model update, which also added 30Nm to the fruity 1.6-litre 3-cylinder turbo engine of both cars (total 400Nm) and lifted the power of the Yaris up to the Corolla’s 221kW. There were also styling and suspension changes.
It’s natural to compare the two, but GR Yaris and GR Corolla are very different propositions. Yaris is the purist one: it shares virtually nothing with the regular model (lights, mirrors, minor stuff) and is a full-on WRC homologation model that never quite made it to competition.
It you want to argue the point, it’s easier to pitch the GR Yaris as the natural manual choice. The GR Corolla… well, you could go either way.
The Corolla is a bit of a Frankenstein’s Monster, in the best possible way. It’s like a skunkworks conversion of the humble hatchback, a bit cheeky and slightly perverse. If those rear haunches look simply suck on... they are.
If you want to argue the point, it’s probably easier to pitch the GR Yaris as the natural manual choice. The GR Corolla… well, you could go either way.
It’s definitely not a one-dimensional transmission. In fact it has many, because the shift protocol works partly with AI.
The 3-cylinder engine is as lumpy and brilliantly raucous as ever, although it now requires 98-octane fuel. That’s more an infrastructure issue than a running-cost one, because these cars like a drink despite their tiny capacities. You don’t buy one anticipating excellent fuel economy.
And yes, the 8-speed works brilliantly with the triple. There’s a bit of lag down low and you have to keep it on the boil once you’re up and running for maximum thrills. That can certainly be part of the fun with the manual, but the automatic can fill those gaps and there’s still a lot of pleasure in feeling it at work.
The GR Corolla has proper shift paddles (it’ll even hold gear in Track mode), so you can take over if you like. But we seldom found the need; you can talk to the gearbox just as effectively with the throttle.
It’s definitely not a one-dimensional transmission. In fact it has many, because the shift protocol works partly with AI, with help from the forward ADAS camera, to assess the road ahead. Who said this car was analogue?
The updated GR Corolla hasn’t undergone as much change as the GR Yaris, but there are still substantial suspension tweaks designed to give the chassis a bit more focus. It’s firmish in town and you’d be silly to expect anything different, but the ride is totally tolerable at speed for everyday driving and the engaging way the chassis and “GR Four” AWD system go about business is still a big draw.
You can tailor the car to your liking. There are drive modes for steering and powertrain, but then a separate controller for the AWD system that shuffles the power around in different ways. You know, for the rally weekend.
The GR Corolla is still a pretty practical day-to-day car. The sports seats are snug but not so heavily bolstered that they’re hard to exit, and not so thick that they take up too much rear-seat legroom.
That’s relative of course. For all its talents, a regular Corolla is not the world’s most practical hatchback to begin with. Rear-seat seat is merely okay for the segment and the GR boot is ridiculously tiny at 213 litres – only 4l less than a FWD Corolla, which also has a ridiculously tiny boot. So we should probably say the GR is almost as practical as a standard Corolla, with all that entails.
After a track day earlier in the year and now a week on the road, we’re sold on the GR Corolla automatic. It’s different to the manual for sure, but it’s no less capable or (more importantly) entertaining. Toyota NZ is currently listing the GR Corolla manual as a “runout”, so it might be the case that buyers have figured that out already.
How much is the Toyota GR Corolla automatic?
The two-pedal GR Corolla is $69,990, a $4000 premium over the manual.
What are the key statistics for the Toyota GR Corolla automatic?
The revised 1.6-litre 3-cylinder engine makes 221kW/400Nm (an identical specification to the facelifted GR Yaris) and drives the "GR Four" AWD system through an 8-speed automatic gearbox.
Is the Toyota GR Corolla automatic efficient?
Nope. Not supposed to be. The engine is tiny but the power is big, so don't expect to do a lot whole better than the official 10.6l/100km. And a whole lot worse if you're really enjoying the car.
Is the Toyota GR Corolla automatic good to drive?
It's brilliant. The automatic is certainly a different experience to the manual, but it doesn't dilute the entertainment value of this very cool Corolla.
Is the Toyota GR Corolla automatic practical?
Almost as practical as a regular Corolla, with sports seats that aren't too sculptued and nothing too bewildering in the controls. But be warned: no Corolla has a generous back seat or (especially) big boot.
What do we like about the Toyota GR Corolla automatic?
The GR Corolla was already a sensational little machine, and this update introduces more useability while sharpening up the handling package as well.
What don’t we like about the Toyota GR Corolla automatic?
We're not sure the automatic should carry a price premium, any Corolla's ridiculously tiny boot is always an issue and GR nerds will tell you the Yarsis is the more authentic performance machine.
What kind of person would the Toyota GR Corolla automatic suit?
Somebody who appreciates the exquisite enginerring work that has gone into this little hot hatch... and loves the slightly perverse idea of a super-hot Corolla.
