First Drive: 2023 Toyota GR Corolla — Including Morizo!

There are three phrases I by no means anticipated to make use of in the identical sentence: Toyota, Corolla and enjoyable.

That was earlier than the debut of the 2023 Toyota GR Corolla, the very definition of a scorching hatchback. And, as I realized throughout a day on the Utah Motorsports Park close to Salt Lake Metropolis, it’s the very definition of transformative, turning a bland five-door into the form of tire-smoker that’s a blast to drive, whether or not on-track or on the road.

Overview

Barely a 12 months after introducing the Corolla Cross CUV, Toyota is again with a completely completely different tackle its acquainted compact nameplate. The latest version to the line-up is a high-performance hatchback boasting a turbocharged 3-cylinder engine delivering a tire-spinning 300 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, placing it in league with the most recent variations of the Subaru WRX, Volkswagen Golf R and Honda Civic Kind-R.

The physique undergoes quite a lot of revisions — virtually all of them practical — whereas the cabin provides grippy sports activities seats and twin digital shows.

For 2023, three variations of the Toyota GR Corolla can be supplied, beginning with the bottom Core mannequin priced at $36,996 — together with supply charges — the Circuit version at $43,995, and the Morizo at $50,995.

With every step up you wind up including extra performance-oriented options, together with entrance and rear locking differentials. The Morizo adopts a less-is-more method, shaving weight by deleting issues just like the rear seat in a bid for max efficiency.

(Oh, and if the title doesn’t resonate, Morizo is the nom de monitor adopted by Toyota President and CEO Akio Toyoda — who used it to proceed his semi-professional racing profession as soon as he reached the C-suite on the usually conservative automaker.)

Exterior

What begins out as a normal Corolla hatchback undergoes some important exterior updates — most of them centered on performance. The physique is barely widened, for one factor, and, together with the GR badges, the hatchback will get a particular matrix grille framed by slender LED lamps including to the aggressive look. There are new bumpers and fascia, back and front, and the GR will get a triple exhaust bundle reflecting its 3-cylinder engine.

Weight is the enemy of efficiency and the Gazoo racing workforce has taken quite a lot of steps to restrict bass, beginning with light-weight aluminum used for the hood and entrance door panels. On the Circuit and Morizo fashions, in the meantime, it will get a carbon sheet-molded roof. The Morizo even deletes the rear windshield wiper.

Aerodynamics are equally crucial and all variations characteristic a flat underbody and air curtains to cut back drag and turbulence. The Circuit and Morizo packages take the Core’s modest built-in rear spoiler and exchange it with a more practical excessive wing.

Beneath the pores and skin, the hatchback includes a MacPherson strut-style suspension up entrance, and a rear multi-link double-wishbone design. The Circuit Version provides a number of distinctive options, together with entrance crimson brakes and LED foglamps.

Inside

The cabin of the GR Corolla goes by a welcome transformation, as effectively, the GR workforce choosing “race-inspired, driver-focused” sport seats.

The usual-issue gauge cluster, in the meantime, as been changed by a 12.3-inch digital show. The infotainment system — which introduces Toyota’s new voice assistant know-how — makes use of an 8-inch touchscreen.

There are sporty accents all through the cabin, and niceties reminiscent of a tilt/telescope steering wheel.

To additional save weight, the rear seat of the Morizo version has been eliminated — the track-focused mannequin even sacrificing six of the eight audio system discovered on the Circuit and Core editions.

Powertrain

The 2023 Toyota GR Corolla makes some spectacular numbers, all of the extra so contemplating it’s pulling from a modest-sized 1.6-liter 3-cylinder engine. In its base Core configuration, the bundle punches out 300 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque.

To place that into perspective, the standard-issue Corolla hatchback’s 1.8-liter 4-cylinder DOHC 16-valve engine manages a mere 139 hp and 126 lb-ft.

The Gazoo version physique slams the newly redesigned Subaru WRX and falls simply wanting the 306 hp and 295 lb-ft delivered by the Honda Civic Kind-R. And the numbers are even nearer with the GR Corolla Morizo version which boosts torque to 295 lb-ft.

Energy on all fashions is directed by a short-throw 6-speed guide gearbox and goes to all 4 wheels by the racing-tuned GR-4 all-wheel-drive system. Drivers can select from a number of mode settings, with the GR Corolla nominally pumping 60% of its torque to the entrance wheels when driving on the road. For the monitor, it begins with a fair 50/50 break up, whereas that goes to 70% rearward when set to Drift mode.

Each the Circuit and Morizo fashions come commonplace with entrance and rear limited-slip differentials. That’s an possibility on the Core bundle.

Security and Know-how

The 2023 GR Corolla doesn’t skimp on the superior driver help know-how, providing the identical Toyota Security Sense 3.0 options discovered within the base Corolla. Whereas some programs come as upgrades, all fashions get welcome options together with ahead crash avoidance know-how with pedestrian detection, in addition to energetic cruise management.

The hatchback swaps out its typical analog gauges for a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, with an 8-inch touchscreen dealing with infotainment duties. Good underneath excellent lighting circumstances, however, like quite a lot of different current Toyota fashions, the gauge cluster tends to be surprisingly tough to learn underneath brilliant lighting — like what we confronted throughout a scorching summer time day in Utah.

The GR Corolla additionally provides Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come commonplace throughout the board. In the meantime, in its effort to save lots of weight, the Morizo bundle eradicated six of the eight audio system discovered within the Core and Circuit fashions.

Different tech options — relying on mannequin and possibility bundle — embrace cloud-based navigation, an onboard WiFi hotspot and Toyota’s latest voice assistant-based infotainment system.

Driving Impressions

I’d problem even essentially the most hard-core efficiency drivers to complete a number of laps within the GR Corolla with out cracking a smile. Spending time on a monitor just like the Utah Motorsports Park definitely comes as a revelation for anybody used to the remainder of the Corolla line.

I deliberately selected to work my method up the road, beginning with the bottom Core mannequin. With modest expectations I took my first lap of the winding, 2-mile monitor and shortly realized that this machine likes to be exercised. The GR workforce has carried out much more than simply amp up the engine. Each facet of the automotive’s manners has been upgraded. Steering proved exact and predictable. The guide transmission was straightforward to run by the gears. The suspension minimized physique roll and helped maintain the tires firmly planted by even the tightest turns.

The Circuit version took issues up a notch, with a lot of the credit score going to the dual differentials. They helped handle left-to-right torque and made it even simpler to energy by corners. The outsized brakes, in the meantime, readily scrubbed off extra velocity.

The true revelation got here after I slipped behind the wheel of the Morizo. It may not look like a lot, however the additional 22 pound-feet of torque proved substantial on monitor, approaching low within the REV ban and serving to me launch out of the circuit’s corners with loads of momentum. The Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires had been a transparent plus. So had been the added braces and structural adhesives, the stiffer physique making the GR Corolla even simpler to maintain underneath management, even after I overcooked one significantly tough nook — appropriately named “Perhaps I’ll Make It.”

I did.

2023 Toyota GR Corolla Specs

Wrap Up

Let me admit that I’ve by no means been a giant fan of the traditional Corolla. Sure, it’s the automotive I’d suggest to of us who put high quality and reliability on the prime of their listing. And at as much as 53 mpg, it’s arduous to beat from a gas financial system perspective. But it surely’s additionally the dictionary definition of plain vanilla.

Or so it was, till now. Abruptly, the GR Corolla crops a flag in a completely completely different market phase. It’s quick. It delivers nice dealing with. And with its quick-throw guide transmission it’s merely numerous enjoyable to drive.

And that would create a completely new marketplace for Toyota — even when it would barely transfer the needle when it comes to general gross sales. Individuals purchased simply wanting 250,000 Corollas in 2021. By comparability, Toyota expects to ship simply 6,500 GR fashions to the U.S. throughout the 2023 mannequin 12 months. And that features a mere 200 of the top-line Morizo version.

So, if you’d like a mix of significant monitor and avenue efficiency, together with conventional Toyota Corolla attributes, you’d be amiss not to take a look at the brand new GR line. For the primary time, the Japanese big can stand tall towards extra acquainted scorching hatch gamers like Honda, Subaru and Volkswagen.

2023 Toyota GR Corolla ­— Ceaselessly Requested Questions