Gazoo Racing, Toyota’s sports department, tackled the Corolla to give birth to the GR Corolla. This very muscular version of the compact receives a 304 hp three-cylinder engine, all-wheel drive and a thoroughly revised chassis.
After several months of a teaser on social networks resembling a treasure hunt addressed to fans, Toyota unveils the GR Corolla. The latter runs on unleaded, however the manufacturer and its sports division Gazoo Racing have developed it from the Corolla Sport equipped with a hydrogen engine entered in competition in Japan on an experimental basis. In addition to the in-house development drivers, big boss Akio Toyoda as well as racing drivers Hiroaki Ishiura and Norihiko Katsuta took the wheel of the new GR for its design. This is the first sporty Corolla since the TS of the 2000s. Alas, Europe will be deprived of it. The car is presented in its North American configuration.
A 304 horsepower three-cylinder
Direct rival of the next Honda Civic Type R, the Toyota GR Corolla takes over the three-cylinder 1.6 turbo engine of the GR Yaris with an even higher power. Here it develops 304 hp at 6,500 rpm and 370 Nm of torque between 3,000 and 5,550 rpm.or 43 hp and 10 Nm more than the sports city car (in European version) at identical speeds.
This block is once again associated with an all-wheel drive via a six-speed manual transmission. The axles can be fitted with optional Torsen limited-slip differentials while an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch manages the torque split between front and rear.
The driver can choose between 60/40, 50/50 and 30/70. Contrary to what the GR Yaris offers, the driving mode selector (accelerator response, etc.) is decorrelated from that of the all-wheel drive, which allows greater freedom of configuration.
A complete sports treatment
The fenders of the GR Corolla, widened by 2 cm at the front and 3 cm at the rear, house tracks enlarged by 6 cm and 8.5 cm respectively, and 18 inch rims. Its suspension (MacPherson at the front, double wishbone at the rear) is obviously specific to it. On the braking side, there are 356 mm discs and 4-piston calipers at the front; 297 mm discs and 2-piston calipers at the rear.
Reinforcements have been installed in various places to stiffen the body. The compact is equipped with an aluminum bonnet and front doors; the roof is made of CFRP (polymer/carbon composite). Toyota announces a reasonable weight of 1,475 kg but does not yet reveal any time for its latest addition.
The Corolla goes wild
Like the GR Yaris, the GR Corolla has a particularly muscular look, except that it retains its five doors and five seats. The front bumper has a gaping air intake in its center and two scoops at its ends, the width of the fenders is highlighted by body creases and by the front side extractors, and a prominent rear fascia incorporates three tailpipes, as on the Civic Type R but with a different layout: a round on each side and an oblong in the center here. The cabin receives “sport” seats in suede, aluminum pedals and a 12.3-inch digital dashboard with a specific display, among other things.
In the USA, a special launch series called Circuit Edition, which will be offered for a year, is notably entitled to a bulging bonnet comprising two scoops, a forged carbon roof extended by a long spoiler, leather upholstery and two standard Torsen differentials. The Toyota GR Corolla is also to be released in Japan, where it will be produced at the Gazoo Racing plant in Motomachi alongside the GR Yaris.
TO READ. Toyota GR Yaris Iberian Cup test: the rally in the skin!
