2023 Toyota GR Corolla: Car and Driver 10Best

Turbo punch, all-wheel-drive traction, and a handling balance sublime enough to turn you Finnish.

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From the January 2023 issue of Car and Driver.

Our fact-checkers have emerged, coughing, from the dusty depths of the office archive with confirmation that the GR is the first Toyota Corolla ever to make its way onto a 10Best list. This is no ordinary Corolla.

The GR looks, drives, and often sounds like the rally replica it's not—Toyota's current World Rally Championship competitor is a hybridized Yaris. Despite that, the GR Corolla possesses an abundance of the spirit we loved in such stage-honed specials as the Subaru WRX and Mitsubishi Evo.

While 300 horsepower might not be exceptional for a modern hot hatchback, the GR's way of generating it is. The big output comes from a tiny engine, a 1.6-liter inline-three with a turbocharger capable of making up to 26.3 psi of boost. This gives an entirely unsurprising amount of low-down lag but also huge midrange punch. The triple's thrumming, offbeat exhaust note is overlaid by induction whoosh and wastegate flutter. The close-ratio six-speed manual gearbox's crisp action encourages frequent shifting, and the adjustable torque split is another compelling part of the package. It can be a 60/40 front-to-rear split, a fixed 50/50, or a rear-biased 30/70, which we soon started to think of as "party mode."

There are multiple ways to push the GR hard, and it seems to like all of them. You can treat it like a front-drive hot hatch, powering into a turn and then, as the front tires start to nudge wide, easing off the throttle to bring it back to neutrality—or lift off more aggressively to tip the rear into oversteer. Alternatively, select 30/70 and the punchiest Track mode, go into a corner slower, then use the gas to adjust cornering attitude like a rear-driver. Or find a slow, greasy corner and unleash your inner Juha Kankkunen with a Scandinavian flick, swinging the tail like a pendulum. The GR plays along with each approach. And although some of us preferred the Honda Civic Type R's more direct and feedback-rich steering, the Toyota can still be placed with something close to milli metric precision.

Yet another part of the GR's appeal is the fact it's a Corolla, making it nearly as practical as its dowdier siblings. This four-door hatchback has the ability to accommodate adults front and rear suitably well, with microfiber-clad bucket seats that stay comfortable over longer stints and impressively high cruising refinement. It will talk to your phone, carry your shopping bags, and even deliver admirable gas mileage between life-affirming hits of speed.

While the GR Supra and GR86 that also make this year's list are co-productions (with BMW and Subaru, respectively), the GR Corolla is all Toyota—proof that the company still knows how to make a true performance car all on its own. The wait for an exciting Corolla has been a long one, but the GR made it worthwhile.

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Specifications

2023 Toyota GR Corolla300-hp turbo 1.6-liter inline-3; 6-speed manualBase: $36,995

C/D Test Results (Circuit) 60 mph: 4.9 sec1/4-Mile: 13.3 sec @ 105 mph Top Speed: 143 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 167 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.94 gEPA Fuel Economy (mfr's est) Comb/City/Hwy: 24/21/28 mpg

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