2026 Toyota GR Corolla - Review by David Colman +VIDEO

There’s Nothing Else Like It For the Money!

David Colman

Story and Photos by David Colman
Special Correspondent
THE AUTO CHANNEL

The "GR" in this Corolla's name stands for Gazoo Racing, the name Toyota has given to its international competition program. While TRD (Toyota Racing Development) may be more familiar to American Indycar and NASCAR enthusiasts, it's Gazoo Racing that manages the company's highest level efforts in Formula 1 (Team Haas F1), as well as the new "GR Cup" series in the USA. Unlike the obscure GR moniker, it's hard to find anyone unfamiliar with the Corolla brand name. Toyota's compact sedan has won acclaim as the premier transportation module for budget buyers in the USA since 1968. Put the two names together and you'll discover a GR Corolla that turns the family-friendly grocery getter into a ferocious (and expensive) road warrior that will knock your socks off. How do I know? I've been going sockless for the entire week I spent managing this enfant terrible.

While the GR Corolla is now available with an optional 8-speed automatic transmission, you're missing the point of the whole exercise if you opt for the slushbox. The high-strung GR is targeted at drivers versed in the arcane operation of a 6-speed manual transmission. When equipped with that splendid unit, the GR comes into its own as a total driving experience. It's one of the last Toyota products to afford you the chance to shift for yourself, so by all means, take them up on this rare and vanishing opportunity.

This hatchback's slick six-speed is lightning quick to operate. Capped with a $319 "Core Grades Shift Knob," the black ball topped lever allows you to rocket from slot to slot with unerring ease and precision. In several hundred miles of spirited driving, I never missed a shift thanks to the GR's precision linkage. Adding to the joy was the perfect placement and resistance of the rubber-festooned aluminum clutch pedal, which consistently provided a forgiving and predictable engagement point. Such shifting nirvana is rarely attained in any manual transmission vehicle. In the GR Corolla, flipping the stick was the main attraction.

This little bombshell of a road/rally racer is festooned with every imaginable aero-tweak, including gaping front fender vents, dual serrated functional hood scoops, blocky fender flares, and an $855 optional rear window spoiler that looks like it was stolen from a Cessna Centurion. So bizarre and improbable looking is this vehicle that it will have slower traffic taking one look in their mirror and instantly pulling off to let the mega Corolla sweep by. On twisty back roads, this scenario played out time after time.

Those fender flares accommodate matte black 18 x 8.5J alloys shod with race-grade TW 340 Michelin Pilot Sport 5 tires measuring 235/40R18. That's 10mm wider and 5mm shorter than standard Corolla fitment. The upgrade in rim size and contact patch transforms the normally benign Corolla into a ferocious apex-seeking missile that will have you twirling the fat rimmed leather steering wheel like a demon to keep up with the GR's unrelenting pace. Specially contoured high-backed race-style front bucket seats keep you and your passenger locked into place during mega g-loading maneuvers. The instrument section of the dash panel presents you with a single oversize digital tachometer face that spins instantly to its 6500rpm redline with gratifying frequency. As for drive mode choice, this is the only street-legal car I know that offers a direct jump from "Gravel" to "Track." So take your pick, sport.

The GR generates phenomenal grip thanks to its standard "GR FOUR" all-wheel-drive system, which deftly allocates the 300 horsepower generated at 6500rpm by its 1.6 liter inline-3. The diminutive motor is both turbocharged and intercooled to produce 295lb.-ft. of torque at 3250rpm. The GR weighs in at just 3,345 lbs, thanks in part to its exotic forged carbon-fiber roof, which looks especially racy in mottled gray-black-blue natural fiber. Thanks to a stunning power-to-weight ratio of just 11.2lb/hp, this diminutive but exceptionally powerful triple will squirt the GR Corolla from 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds, through the standing start quarter mile in 13.6 seconds at 102mph, and on to a rather phenomenal top speed of 142mph. The mini-mite motor expels exhaust through a startling trio of stainless exhaust tips, which project below the vented rear diffuser panel.

For over 20 years, I have owned a 120hp 3-cylinder Triumph motorcycle called the Speed Triple. I can testify that my 140mph Speed 3 superbike has nothing on this Toyota in terms of performance. So let's hear it for the newest Speed Triple in town, the GR three-banger. This little beast will upgrade your motoring experience from drudgery to joy for an ever-so-reasonable investment of $49,383. I dare you to find anything else for that kind of money. This one is guaranteed to leave you with the unvarnished elation. The 2026 GR 6MT Corolla is Toyota's ultimate transport toy.

2026 TOYOTA GR COROLLA

• ENGINE: 1.6 liter inline 3, turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 12-valve, aluminum block and head, port and direct fuel injection
• HORSEPOWER: 300hp@6500rpm
• TORQUE: 295lb.-ft.@3250rpm
• FUEL CONSUMPTION: 21MPG City/28MPG Highway
• PRICE AS TESTED: $49,383

HYPES: Ultra Fun Drive, Ferocious Appearance

GRIPES: 91 Premium Fuel Only

STAR RATING: 10 Stars out of 10

©2026 David E Colman