2024 Toyota GR Corolla Review
2024 Toyota GR Corolla
Price as tested: $43789
1.6 Liter 3 cylinder Turbo
300 HP / 273 TQ
MPG as observed: I don’t care
0-60 : 5.0 Seconds
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Guy who did stuff: Yousef Alvi
I knew the Toyota GR Corolla would be good. Heck, I knew it would be borderline ‘great’! I’ll even go as far that some part of me knew it was going to be fan-freakin-tastic…but never in my wildest dreams I could’ve imagined the GR Corolla landing a place in my Top 10 Best Vehicles I Reviewed.
But it did.
and it has.
But the Type R/S is better right? No. It pains me to say this because I deeply love both cars but the GR Corolla is better than both of them! Yes, the Toyota GR Corolla is better than the Honda Civic Type R/Acura Teggy Type S.
“Not to take anything away from the mechanical symphony that is the Type R/S but the GR Corolla just gives you ‘more’. ”
That more is gooey grippy traction. The AWD system in the GR Corolla is so advanced it makes most modern Audi vehicles blush at the mere mention. User selectable torque splits can move power from 60:40, 30:70 or subie mode of 50:50. Obviously 30:70 was my preferred setting. Now to one up everything else on the road, the AWD system is running through Torsen diffs, front and rear!
What is a Torsen diff you ask? It’s a real, honest to God mechanical differential. What most vehicles have is some type of ABS coding that mimics a differential by braking the inside wheel during cornering. While it works (kinda), it has the added disbenefit of feeling like the actual brakes are dragging…so in other words you feel your momentum being lost. With a mechanical diff, you just power through the corner without any sense of momentum being lost and only sticky grip being the overwhelming feeling.
Or to put driving the GR Corolla another way:
“It feels like a 1/6 scale GTR”
The resemblance is uncanny:
Both are turbocharged AWD beasts that will decimate everything from race tracks to mountain roads to kiddo pick up duty.
Both deliver so much grip that it causes physical discomfort.
Both feel analog, mechanical and pure
Both to do so while retaining a civil ride and noise.
Both to do so while remaining practical.
Both are jack of all trades which happen to be masters of all.
Both are the epitome of Japanese engineering.
Both embarrass vehicles costing twice as much in every measurable metric.
Oh sure you can also supercar it up with a 911, Corvette or M3 but the GR Corolla is better. No i’m not smoking any illicit drugs but pound for pound, dollar for dollar…show me another car that is better?
You can’t.
It’s not there.
There is none.
There is only the GR Corolla.
Yes, those supercars are faster…but faster is a relative term on the street. Because the second you actually reach the torque peak in those vehicles, you are getting chased by a police helicopter. They are too fast for actual, true and unadulterated fun on the streets. For that, you need a GR Corolla.
In other words, what makes the GR COrolla better than those supercars? Three words:
“Usable Everyday Performance”
You can shove your right foot all the way to the firewall from a stoplight, go through the sublime gearbox all the way to 4th gear (while giggling like an idiot), all while avoiding the existential legal dread that comes with tomfoolery behind the wheel. It’s not just fun, it’s a freeing experience.
The magic is not just single tiered either…it’s the entire package of the GR Corolla that aids in the freeing giggling experience behind the wheel. The hilarously small 3 cylinder makes a mind boggling 300 HP and 273 TQ. But the way it makes that power is what really makes it shine! Because of the wee size of the engine, boost doesn’t really happen until 4200-4500 RPM and when it does happen it’s a wave of power not a wall of power…so you can actually feel the power building. In other words: lag
Now turbo lag is gets a bad rap nowaydays. We are all spoiled with instant on torque nature of modern forcued induced engines. There is something just fun in hearing and feeling a turbo build boost, especially in a vehicle making this amount of power. You can climb that revrange without getting into super speeder territory.
The lag also means you have to keep the itty engine spinning by working your magic on the delightful 6 speed manual transmission. Is it Type R levels of good? No. The Type-R manual is from heaven and brought down by angels. So it’s an unfair comparison. Also the Type-R’s auto rev match is just brilliant, the iMT function in the GR Corolla is quite easy to catch asleep.
Now in years past, vehicles such as the STi and EVO come up as direct comparisons to the GR Corolla. Those two vehicles were kindred spirits with their rally inspired, turbo’d and AWDs drivetrains. What the GR Corolla has, that those other vehicles never had, is actual civility. The STI and EVO had a highway ride that would unhinge your internal organs and enough road/wind/drivetrain noise to make you deaf after 10 miles. Not the case with the GR Corolla.
Other reviews state the contrary but honestly I don’t know what the hell they are talking about. I found the ride to be perfectly acceptable and the overall NVH adiremable. I didn’t find it loud on the highway, sure it’s not Lexus LS quiet but for its econocar underpinnings, it is indeed quiet. Would I like it to be quieter? Well, yes. But again, this is a Corolla not a luxury sedan. It’s a matter of perspective.
Speaking of perspective, the same reviews mention the ride being ‘choppy’. I didn’t find the ride choppy at all, stiff…but not ‘choppy. Now, again, let’s put this into perspective. Especially considering the the GR Corolla is riding on plain ole ‘fixed’ dampers. Yes you read that right. The GR Corolla is not riding on magento/air/fully adaptive suspension…just on some plain ole’ shocks and springs!
The GR Corolla, for all the performance it can offer and the civility it can afford….does it all on standard run of the mill suspension. That goes to show you the amount of engineering that went behind just tuning the suspension to afford the best of both worlds. It’s truly a testiment to Toyota’s engineering wizardry.
Now do I have any complaints. Honestly, one on real compliant and two wishes because I’m bougie.
Only real complaint: Have the auto revmatch to work when the clutch is depressed not released
Bougie Wishes:
Sunroof
Ventilated Seats
In summary, the 2024 Toyota GR Corolla is one of the most amazing, awe inspiring, shocking, fun and practical vehicles I have ever driven.
Yousef Alvi
