Toyota GR Corolla Hot Hatch Arrives With A 295bhp 3-Pot

The heat has been turned up on the Toyota GR Corolla for the first time in around two decades, but there’s a catch for UK admirers

Toyota has officially announced the Toyota GR Corolla hot hatch for 2022, which will use the same turbocharged 1.6-litre three-cylinder engine from the Toyota GR Yaris. It’s been a while since Corolla enthusiasts had any exciting news, because for the last two decades it’s been an economy-focussed family car.

The 1.6-litre three-pot will be capable of 295bhp and 273 lb ft of torque, and like the GR Yaris, power will be sent through all four wheels through Toyota’s GR-Four system. This can provide a 30/70 front to rear torque split in Sport mode, while normal is 70/30 and Circuit provides an even 50/50 split. We’ve seen the extreme potential the highly-tuned three-cylinder is capable of, courtesy of the 500bhp modified GR Yaris we covered recently, so we have no doubt that the GR Corolla’s 295bhp should be enough to propel the larger, heavier Corolla around at blisteringly quick speeds, while doing its best impression of a tarmac rally car.

There’s even better news for driving enthusiasts – the GR Corolla will be sold exclusively in manual guise, highlighting its focus on driver engagement. Toyota hasn’t released any details on pricing yet, but the GR Corolla will be available in Core trim level this year, with the limited edition Circuit available from 2023.

The GR Corolla will also come with a Civic Type R-rivalling three-pipe exhaust with stainless-steel tips, which serves as a functional upgrade to its performance as well as looking pretty cool. The suspension has had an overhaul, with coil springs, shock absorbers and anti-roll bars tuned for the occasional track use. Stopping power comes from four-piston 355mm slotted disc brakes at the front, and two-piston 300mm rotors at the rear.

To match its massive performance hike, all models come with a more aggressive look compared to the standard Corolla, with a rear lip spoiler and menacing flared wheel arches. The interior also gets GR-branded sports seats to hug its driver in high-G turns. The Circuit edition will come with an additional limited slip differential (an option on Core models), a forged carbon fibre roof, GR branded and red-painted brake callipers, a vented front bonnet, bigger rear spoiler, suede-trimmed sports seats and a gear knob signed by the head of Toyota, marking the model’s exclusivity.

If you’re from the UK, you’ll be less pleased to learn Toyota has said the GR Corolla won’t be coming to our shores, but will instead be sold in North America. The company’s ethos of the ‘power-of-three’ dictates that only three GR models should be sold in one market at the same time. In the UK we already have the GR Yaris, GR Supra and GR 86 – the absence of the GR Yaris in North America means the GR Corolla can fill this gap in the lineup.