Toyota GR Corolla: Extra 200 hi-po hatches headed to Australia

UPDATE: Toyota Australia has managed to secure 700 examples of the 2023 GR Corolla GTS for local sale in 2023.

That represents an increase in allocation of 200, or 40 per cent – no small feat. Orders officially open on March 7, 2023.

There will be no jaw-dropping drive-away prices this time for the GR Corolla (unlike the briefly $39,990 drive-away GR Yaris), with vice president of sales, marketing, and franchising Sean Hanley admitting that was a bold ploy to launch the GR brand locally.

Instead, the GR Corolla GTS will start at $62,300 before on-road costs. There have been almost 5000 expressions of interest (EOIs) since the confirmation of GR Corolla’s Australian release in April 2022.

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The EOIs are more involved than your typical order form, with Toyota asking for information on previous rides, car club affiliations and enthusiast credentials to make sure the GR Corollas fall into the right hands.

Additionally, 25 examples of the ultra-hardcore two-seat Morizo edition are bound for Australia in 2023, with a local launch slated for May.

Our original story, below, continues unchanged.

John Law

The story to here

September 2022: Toyota confirms 500 GR Corolla hot hatches for Australia in 2023

Australia will get 500 examples of the Toyota GR Corolla in 2023, the Japanese carmaker has confirmed, with deliveries beginning in the first quarter.

Australian pricing is still to be confirmed, but a number upwards of $60,000 is likely.

Dealers are set to take orders (officially expressions of interest) from September 15, and if the GR Yaris is anything to go by, places are likely to go quickly.

As outlined below, the GR Corolla is powered by the same 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbo engine that drives the GR Yaris, with power dialled up to 220kW.

A six-speed manual transmission is the only shifter on offer, and GR-Four all-wheel drive is also standard.

Each corner hosts 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped with Yokohama Advan Apex rubber.

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Australian-delivered cars will be equipped with an 8.0-inch display and a 12.3-inch instrument cluster, along with wired Android Auto and wireless Apple Carplay.

There's also dual-zone climate control, heated front seats and steering wheel, leather trim for the steering wheel, parking lever and shift knob, power windows, smart entry and start, illuminated entry and tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment.

Active safety kit includes active safety features as standard, including pre-collision safety system with pedestrian and daylight cyclist detection, intersection assist, emergency steering assist, lane trace assist, active cruise control, blind spot monitor, reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors.

Toyota Connected Services remote connectivity is also standard, although the complimentary subscription lasts only 12 months.

Watch for more on the GR Corolla to come in the months ahead, and get our international first drive review at the link below.

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June 2022: 2023 Toyota GR Corolla revealed

A lighter, stiffer, faster, two-seater version of the 2023 Toyota GR Corolla hot-hatch has been revealed as a new option for track day enthusiasts.

The higher-performance version of the GR Corolla will be available in Australia in undisclosed limited numbers sometime next year, following the regular model’s launch in late 2022.

Toyota’s Gazoo Racing engineers have made several upgrades to the fast Corolla to make it even quicker, the most dramatic of which is ripping out the rear bench to shed 30kg from the kerb weight and replacing it with additional body bracing.

The rear doors remain, however, leaving the Corolla as a five-door hatch.

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The suspension gains monotube dampers front and rear, with the front dampers inverted, while for extra cornering grip the two-seater Corolla – labelled the Morizo Edition in the US – switches to stickier Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, which are also 10 millimetres wider.

There’s also attention for the 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine. Power remains at 224kW, but torque is increased from 370 to 400Nm. The increased maximum torque is just produced across a slightly narrower range – from 3250-4600rpm rather than the 3000-5550rpm of the five-seater GR Corolla.

Combined with closer ratios for the six-speed manual’s first, second and third gears, Toyota has aimed to improve the acceleration and mid-range performance of the two-seater.

Torsen limited-slip differentials remain, front and rear, to help distribute power to all four wheels, and there are no changes to the distinctive triple-branched exhaust system.

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Inside, the track-focused GR Corolla gains semi-bucket front seats, a generous amount of red stitching, a cast-black paint ornamention for the doors and instrument panel, and ‘Ultrasuede’ material for the steering wheel, gearlever and handbrake.

The steering wheel also adopts a Renault Sport-style red stripe at its top centre, while the gearknob also gains a GR logo.

A metallic matte grey will be an exclusive option for the two-seater.

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Toyota Australia says more information on the ordering process for both versions of the GR Corolla will be announced in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Just 200 units are being made available for the US market.