2023 TOYOTA GR COROLLA –HATCHBACK WITH GREAT PERFORMANCE, IN CLEAR VIEWS; INTERIOR- EXTERIOR…

Toyota's new GR Corolla, a tornado of an inline-three, and bulging fenders that make it 2.3 inches wider than its lesser kin, this hot hatchback is the clearest manifestation yet of Toyota president Akio Toyoda's vision to inject more excitement into his company's products. It is built in a dedicated area of the company's factory in Motomachi, Japan, the GR Corolla is a rally-car-inspired thoroughbred that in top-range Morizo spec even bares the Toyota boss's nickname. Drop into the familiar Corolla interior and you'll find soft, enveloping sport seats and a satisfyingly precise short-throw shifter for the six-speed manual, the only transmission offered. The GR Corolla is a high-performance machine that comes loaded with serious equipment.
The GR awakens with a dull blat that is reminiscent of a four-cylinder. Only under load does the triple-exit exhaust emit the angry, offbeat thrum of a turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-three huffing a massive 25.2 psi of boost in standard tune. Horsepower is an even 300 at 6500 rpm—a big 185.4 ponies per liter—and torque tops out at 273 pound-feet in most versions. Not much happens below 3000 rpm. But the close-ratio gearbox keeps the engine in the middle of its rev range, where it hits hardest. With the three-cylinder at maximum snarl and the turbo chirping and whooshing loudly with every upshift, the 7000-rpm redline comes quickly. Estimated mid-four-second runs to 60 mph put the GR in the hunt with the best of the sport-compact segment.
The standard GR-Four all-wheel-drive system can vary its front/rear torque split from 60/40 to 30/70 percent at the driver's command, though the Track mode's 50/50 split is the usual preferred setting for best balance. Front and rear Torsen limited-slip differentials—optional on the Core base model, standard on upper trims—further enhance traction, which, through tight corners, is tenacious. Combined with rabid turn-in response, a reinforced unibody, and a smidge of body lean, the GR Corolla feels sure-footed yet eminently tossable on its strut front and multilink rear suspension. Lay into the firm, linear brake pedal, and the four-piston front and two-piston rear stoppers are a match for the turbo three's fury. The GR Corolla still retains much of the model's practicality and features, including adaptive cruise control. Thanks in part to the meaty sidewalls of its 235/40R-18 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 summer tires (the Morizo gets 245-width Cup 2s).
The GR will square off against the Honda Civic Type R and the Volkswagen Golf R when it goes on sale at the end of this year 2022. Toyota will import about 5000 of the $36,995 Core models each year. The Circuit edition, with its bulged hood, carbon-fiber roof, and larger rear spoiler, will command $7000 more and account for an additional 1500 units. The Morizo, arriving later next year, will be priced for exclusivity at $50,995.