Road test | Toyota GR Corolla: the golden age of the sports compact

The most prosperous period for the sports compact? Many will talk about the 1990s, which made us love many opuses with naturally aspirated engines. The current era, however, is one of the finest phases of existence of this fifty-year-old concept combining driving pleasure and practicality. The Toyota GR Corolla is an eloquent testimony to this.

Its design

A souped-up version of the Corolla, the GR – for Gazoo Racing, Toyota’s high-performance division – expresses its close ties to the world of rallying in a number of ways. First, there are the oversized fenders that betray the widening of the tracks, for dynamic reasons. The front grille, meanwhile, emphasizes the need to cool the fiery engine, glorified by its three exhaust pipes at the rear. Wide skirts, a rear spoiler and 18-inch forged aluminum alloy wheels (Circuit version) – for weight and rigidity – complete the fairly expressive visual. The Circuit livery tested adds a bit of exoticism with its forged carbon fiber roof, which aims to lower the center of gravity.

On board

On the other hand, the cabin limits the sporty references. The seats, supportive and elegant, welcome the front passengers with the necessary attributes, as for a Corolla hatchback of production, with all that implies. The assembly thus deserves praise, as does the ergonomics which places the physical buttons within reach and in an intelligible manner. The presentation remains nevertheless a little bland. The front part can accommodate occupants of good size, but the absence of armrests makes long journeys rather uncomfortable. The rear is less hospitable for the legs. And the low height of the rear loading space due to the repositioning of the battery also limits its capacity.

Under the hood

Using a three-cylinder engine with a displacement of barely 1.6 L, this GR Corolla remains an anomaly in a segment that uses four-cylinders. Like its rivals, this unit uses a turbocharger to boost its power, which tops out at 300 hp and maximum torque at 276 lb-ft. It defines an essential part of the compact's temperament with a deep, not always symphonic, but full of character. You also have to play with the gear lever to extract its resources, a consequence of the marked response time of the turbo whose pressure peaks at a high 25.2 psi (1.7 bar). This is not problematic in itself, because the six-speed manual transmission has a not too long travel and a good feel.

Behind the wheel

The deep sound of the three-cylinder fills the cabin from the start. Below 3000 rpm, this engine barely hides its racing roots. Each gear change is accompanied by the whistling of the turbocharger's pressure relief valve. It's catchy. To give full throttle, however, you have to push the engine beyond 4000 rpm. On the chassis side, the non-adjustable damping remains rather firm without compromising the comfort or general balance of the car too much. The all-wheel drive remains neutral, even if you select the 30:70 distribution, a slight disappointment. The steering is linear and nicely firm, but could be more expressive. The braking is powerful.

Embedded technologies

Fundamentally focused on its dynamic performance, the GR Corolla has little interest in the technological dimension. Its multimedia system is very basic, which promotes rapid learning of its features. The presentation of the menus could nevertheless be more inviting and the responsiveness of the touch screen improved. The digital instrument screen is readable and ensures a good level of customization to integrate various temperature gauges, in order to probe the state of the mechanics. The Circuit livery tested adds a JBL audio system that pales in comparison to sound definition. For the asking price, which is around $60,000, Toyota could have made a much better effort in this regard.

The verdict

The GR Corolla is a reassuring work, which underlines the importance of the dialogue between the driver and his ride. It is not a perfect car with its basic soundproofing, its sometimes too dry suspension and its mechanics clearly more raw than those of a Volkswagen Golf R, for example. The latter aims to be more refined and better equipped, while a Honda Civic Type R is dynamically more competent, without however benefiting from all-wheel drive. That said, few cars of this price manage to distill as many sensations. With the continuous improvements it undergoes from year to year, the best could even be yet to come. In the meantime, it is a very nice experience to which Toyota invites us.