Toyota GR Corolla Automatic review

Toyota has developed a new eight-speed automatic gearbox to broaden the GR Corolla’s appeal. We slide behind the wheel to experience it first-hand.

Toyota South Africa doubled its hot hatch GR portfolio when it added automatic options to the smaller GR Yaris and, more recently, the larger GR Corolla. It is the latter we recently had in our care for a refresher with one of the best (or remaining) hot hatches in our market.

What’s unchanged?

The automatic Toyota GR Corolla has the same 1,6-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine that is found in the smaller Yaris. Oddly, the G16E-GTS unit has been slightly detuned and now offers a maximum of 210 kW (as opposed to 221 kW previously) whereas the peak torque figure has been raised by 40 N.m to 400 N.m. Those figures bring the smaller Yaris and the Corolla in line with respect to power and torque outputs.

Click here to read our GR Yaris driving review.

What’s New?

For the most part, the GR Corolla remains relatively the same. However, there are some crucial changes. The most notable is new eight-speed automatic transmission that is identical to the one that is available in the GR Yaris.

The Japanese brand is keen to point out that the torque converter is a motorsport-oriented transmission, developed with countless hours of high-stress driving at several racetracks. In addition, the automatic derivative has an air-cooled automatic transmission fluid (ATF) cooler to keep temps in check under hard use. Good start then.

Toyota SA has done away with the two trim levels Core and Circuit. Instead, just the higher spec ‘Circuit’ version is offered with both transmission options. Yes, the manual remains on offer as well. Other, less obvious changes includes the removal of the front fog lamps for improved aerodynamic efficiency, a more powerful cooling fan, helper springs on both axles, and revised rear suspension geometry.

How does it go?

All-wheel-drive hot hatches, when done well, are some of the most potent and brutal performance machines around. The GR Corolla is, for the most part, a hot hatch done well. The fundamentals haven’t changed, and that is a very good thing. While the GR Yaris nicked all the headlines, it was the GR Corolla that was the more mature, more usable of the pair.

The automatic variant, if anything, opens up the delight that is GR Corolla ownership. This version still has the same surefootedness of its predecessor/manual sibling. A razor sharp steering action helps to dart the nose into a corner and the whole package has an uncanny ability to simply grip up and go where it’s told at seemingly any speed. The front and rear limited-slip differentials feel as though they are clawing into the road surface for maximum forward thrust.

To get any angle between the two axles you really have to brutal and clumsy with inputs. Incidentally, (usually conservative) Toyota has settings to move power to the rear axle, one to switch off the electronic nanny completely and… a manual handbrake – NICE!

A few small gripes

As mentioned, Toyota has turned down the power on the turbocharged triple. The boosty little motor really does feel as though it needs a little longer to get properly going. In fact, independent local tests have shown that the GR Corolla auto’ returns a 0-100 km/h sprint time that is some way off Toyota’s claim.

Another issue we have is that the transmission reverts to ‘normal’ mode, which is tuned for economy. As a result the transmission shuffles up to as high a gear as possible as quickly as possible. To negate that you have to keep it in sport setting should you wish to be in the ‘meat’ of the powerband. Of course, there are steering wheel-mounted paddles to take full control.

Unless you are used to driving high-end performance cars, the ride quality will come across as harsh. We initially felt that the ride can be bit tiresome, but quickly found that the compromise for the low-speed harshness was countered by the high-speed body control.

Summary

There was nothing fundamentally wrong with the Toyota GR Corolla, even though it seemed a little overshadowed by the more frenetic and more lively Yaris. As VW SA and Hyundai SA found out with the Golf GTI and i30N, respectively, there are an overwhelming number of drivers who just aren’t as concerned with dealing with a third pedal and gear-shifter. (We cannot imagine why – Ed)

That six-speed manual version, with the revisions applied across the board, would be our choice. However, the automatic only lacks a smidge of the manual’s capability/fun-factor, so will suit most modern-day petrolheads. We just wish Toyota had pushed up the peak power instead of reducing it.

Model: Toyota GR Corolla DAT (automatic)
Price: R1 031 000
Engine: 1,6-litre inline three, turbocharged
Transmission: eight-speed automatic, AWD
Max power: 210 kW
Max torque: 400 N.m
0-100 km/h: 5,3 seconds
Top speed: 230 km/h
Fuel consumption: 9,5 L/100 km