Toyota GR Corolla, 300 hp of pure fun (in America)

The new GR Corolla goes to flesh out the family of sports cars of the Japanese house. The three-cylinder 1.6 turbo delivers the beauty of 300 hp. And of course it is associated with a six-speed manual gearbox. Destined for the USA, it could also arrive in Europe

Emiliano Ragoni

04 April 2022 – 08:17

Is called GR Corolla the latest addition to the family of branded sports cars Gazoo Racing. It goes alongside the GR Yaris and the Supra. The technicians of the Japanese house have done everything to remove that aura of “world car” from the Corolla, so much so that the GR Corolla is a muscular, bad and, why not, even a little excessive car. In short, a true Japanese sportswoman: take it or leave it. The customers who will receive it first will be the Americans, where the car is arriving next fall. There is no news on the eventual arrival in Europe where it could arrive in two or three years.

300 hp may be enough

Under the hood we find the same three-cylinder 1.6-liter turbo petrol, which here, however, unlike the GR Yaris, delivers 300 hp with 370 Nm of torque. The G16E-Gts (codename for the engine) is paired with a six-speed manual transmission and electronically controlled all-wheel drive GR-Four. It is a system that allows the power to be divided between the front and rear in three different ratios: 60:40, 50:50 and 30:70. The user can then select the character of the car according to their driving style and how they intend to use the car; 30:70, for example, will be more suitable for fun on the track.

the diet of the corolla

To decrease the unsprung masses involved, the Japanese company’s engineers have adopted a series of measures, such as the aluminum bonnet and door panels. The car weighs 1,474 kg, which is over 85 kg less than the regular version. Some measures were then adopted to increase the torsional rigidity of the frame, obtained by increasing the number of welding points in the floor. The suspension has been updated and includes the following configuration: MacPherson at the front with coil springs and stabilizer bars and multilink at the rear with double wishbones. Optional limited slip differentials both front and rear. The braking system provides for the adoption of ventilated discs with aluminum brake calipers with four pistons at the front and two at the rear. 18 “alloy wheels fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 235 / 40R18 tires are standard.

Style

The style of the GR Corolla is well defined, thanks to larger wheel arches, bonnet with air intakes, bumpers with prominent air intakes and rear diffuser area where three steel tailpipes are neatly set. Obviously, the aileron cannot be missing. The Japanese house also announced the availability of a special launch edition called Circuit Edition, which is distinguished by a forged carbon fiber roof, an enlarged rear wing, red brake calipers and an even more complete equipment.

Interiors

The interior of the GR Corolla is distinguished by the traditional Japanese rational style, which however in this case is enriched with a series of customizations. Such as the sports seats with contrasting gray stitching and GR branding on the head restraint. A 12.3-inch instrument panel and multimedia system based on an 8 “screen cantilevered in the center of the dashboard can not be missing. The GR Corolla is equipped with a complete series of driving aids, which include both Cruise control adaptive than automatic emergency braking The car will be assembled in the Japanese plant of Motomachi, in charge of the so-called special projects, where priority is given to quality.



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