The 2027 Toyota GR Corolla is a gift to car enthusiasts who want to zip from the grocery store parking lot to motorsport adventures. The diminutive, rally-inspired hot hatch is the perfect mix of sporty and sensible, delivering enough performance to make your track days exciting while providing enough comfort and space for everyday use.
The GR's 300-hp turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-three packs a substantial punch, and driving is a joy when it's paired with the standard six-speed manual transmission. If paddle shifters are more your style, an eight-speed automatic transmission is available, but we Save the Manuals! fans are sure which transmission is more fun.
Inside, the standard Corolla's sportiness is elevated with more supportive seats and a few GR-specific touches. But despite those upgrades, this is not a fancy car by any stretch. As a track warrior that you can take to the grocery store, it doesn't have to be. For gonzo track rats, the GRMN Corolla wears more carbon fiber, a tightened-up suspension, and an intercooler spray system; its rear seat is deleted to save weight.
View Price on AmazonExpert Tip: If you're looking to maximize cargo space, check out the Volkswagen Golf GTI or Golf R, which have a bit more space in and behind the second row. Toyota hasn't made major changes to the GR Corolla since its release in 2023, but it has made subtle improvements each year.
Under the hood of the GR Corolla is a turbocharged three-cylinder engine plucked from Toyota's GR Yaris—a tiny hatchback that the Japanese automaker sells in global markets outside of the United States. The GR Corolla has been tuned to make 300 horsepower. Buyers have the option of either a six-speed manual gearbox or an eight-speed automatic with paddle shifters, and all models come with an adjustable all-wheel-drive system.
Called GR-Four, the system allows the driver to choose among different power-distribution modes, starting with a 60/40 front-to-rear power split for everyday driving to up to 30/70 to allow for drifting antics; a 50/50 split option is intended to provide maximum traction for track driving.
Cornering grip is tenacious, and on a twisty road, the GR Corolla rewards its driver with a memorable blend of sure-footedness and civility. While pedal placement makes heel-toe downshifts difficult, the six-speed manual is otherwise easy to row, and a rev-match feature is standard to smooth those downshifts. We drove the automatic version and found that it offers quick shifts and a responsive feel, plus a more relaxed demeanor when cruising on the highway. It's just not as quick.
In Comparison: In a sprint to 60 mph, the 2026 GR Corolla manual we tested was quicker than the more powerful Volkswagen Golf R, which managed a 4.6-second run in our testing. Opting for the automatic will tack on an additional 0.8 seconds to the manual Corolla's 60 mph time.
The EPA estimates the GR Corolla's fuel economy when fitted with the six-speed manual at 21 mpg city, 28 mpg highway, and 24 mpg combined. Equipped with the 8-speed automatic, those numbers fall to 19 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, and 22 mpg combined.
On our 75-mph highway fuel economy route, a manual-transmission GR Corolla delivered 28 mpg; an automatic-equipped model returned an impressive 35 mpg. For more information about the GR Corolla's fuel economy, visit the EPA's website.
Source: caranddriver.com
