The Toyota Corolla is considered a boring everyday car that will get you from home to work without breaking or hurting your pockets at the gas station. Perhaps that is why it is the world’s best-selling vehicle, with over 50 million Corollas sold across twelve generations. But besides its efficiency, affordability, and reliability, few people know Corolla has a rich history in rally races and other motorsports. Any motorsport enthusiast will point you towards some fun, high-performance Toyota Corolla versions capable of drifting and downhill racing machines.

The Corolla played an important role in the history of building better cars by competing in motor racing. This amidst difficulties faced by the Toyota racing team, which ultimately forced them to withdraw from WRC after the 1999 manufacturer title triumphs to focus on Formula One. In 2017, The GR Yaris brought back the Japanese automaker into the WRC fold. The Gazoo Racing team didn’t stop there, seeing they have been working on the GR Corolla, a car that has generated so much buzz and hype since its announcement. Unlike the GR Yaris, the GR Corolla will be sold stateside. The Toyota GR Corolla is one of the coolest upcoming cars. Here's why.

10 Massive Power Bump From The GR Yaris

Toyota GR Corolla
via Toyota

As recent as the 90s, some powerful V8 sports cars struggled to output 300hp. For instance, the 1994 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra made just 240hp from its 5-liter V8. Times have changed, and three-cylinder engines are now producing better outputs with their tiny displacements. The Toyota three-cylinder engine is top of the pack, featuring a power per liter rating that rivals the best supercars.

A top-down view of the engine in the 2023 GR Corolla Engine Bay
Doug Demuro

The version powering the GR Corolla will be the best 3-cylinder yet, since it will push more power than the GR Yaris’ 257hp from a similar 1.6-liter turbo engine. It will make 300-horsepower and 273lb-ft of torque, astounding performance from such a tiny engine.

RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Experiencing The 2023 Toyota GR Corolla Morizo On The Track

9 Race Car DNA

black Toyota GR Corolla Morizo Edition
Via Toyota

The GR Yaris has been around for only a minute, and yet proved the best example of a modern Japanese homologation special. Toyota went on to clinch the 2021 WRC constructor trophy while helping Sebastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia to their eight titles. It shows that the Gazoo Racing arm is putting in serious work back at the factory. And since they are the same people working on the GR Corolla, expect it to carry serious racing car DNA.

Toyota GR Corolla Leak Front View
via Toyota

The GR Corolla will be track-ready when it hits the market, and it might just fulfill Aki Toyoda’s desire to bring back a Corolla that captivates customers.

8 Aggressive Bodywork

Toyota GR Corolla
via Toyota

Toyota claims the GR Corolla’s aggressive bodywork is functional. It will be massive compared to the standard Corolla Hatchback, coming in 1.5 inches longer, 2.4 inches wider, and 0.1 inches taller. It will also weigh 250 pounds more. It even dwarfs the GR Yaris coming 16.2 inches longer, 1.8 inches wider, and 400 pounds heavier.

Front 3/4 view of a white GR Corolla on track, generating a lot of smoke
Toyota

It makes sense since the new car has much more hardware, and they all had to be crammed inside the compact package. The chunky, vented fenders, rear diffuser, and the big aggressive front grille enhance aerodynamics while giving it a mean rally car look.

7 Standard Manual Transmission

Toyota GR Corolla
via Toyota

In the latest attempt to save the manual, Toyota mated the 300hp tiny monster with a short-throw six-speed intelligent manual transmission dubbed the iMT featuring automatic downshift rev-matching. For now, it is the only transmission option with no automatic transmission of any kind offered.

Red Toyota GR Corolla
Via Toyota 

Fun as they are, manual transmissions are hard to find in today’s cars, and most drivers today don’t even know how to drive stick. So, you can bet many of your mates will keep off your GR Corolla.

RELATED: These Are The Best Features Of The 2020 Toyota Corolla

6 Advanced All-Wheel Drive

Toyota GR Corolla
via Toyota

One GR Corolla highlight is the new high-performance adjustable-torque-split GR-FOUR all-wheel-drive system. It will come with three driver-selectable modes; Normal, Sport, and Track. Like the GR Yaris, the system automatically distributes power to the front and rear to match the surface and driving style. Torque can be split at 60/40 for street, 50/50 for maximum stability on closed tracks, and 30/70 for off-road and more enthusiastic driving.

Toyota GR Corolla
via MotorAuthority

With this, the rally-built hot hatch will offer ultimate traction come rain or shine and will be ready for anything mother nature throws at it.

5 Latest Toyota Infotainment & Tech

Toyota GR Corolla Interior
Via: Toyota

Toyota will load the GR Corolla with the latest infotainment tech they have. It will ditch the regular Corolla instrument cluster for a 12.30-inch TFT screen with gauges. The 8-inch Toyota Audio Multimedia touch-screen infotainment system on the center console comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support. You can connect two Bluetooth devices concurrently, and if you subscribe to Toyota’s Drive Connect telematics system, you get cloud-connected navigation and intelligent voice assistance.

Front 3/4 view of a gray GR Corolla, studio shot
Toyota

The Circuit Edition will have automatic climate control, heated front seats, and a heated steering wheel. Also, all versions will come standard with the Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 suite of safety and driver assistance features.

4 Hand-Built In Limited Numbers

Toyota GR Corolla
via Toyota

While Toyota is known for feeding the car market with mass-produced vehicles, they are taking a different route with the GR Corolla. The car will be hand-built by artisans at the Motamachi plant. Toyota has confirmed plans to produce about 6,600 units for the 2023 model year, 1,500 of which will be fully loaded Circuit Editions. The specific number of the base Core trim isn’t known yet.

Gray GR Corolla
Via Toyota

Most of the cars will be shipped to the US, with very few units remaining for the rest of the world. This artificial low supply will drive demand to the roof and make the GR Corolla a highly sought-after hot hatch.

RELATED: The 2023 Toyota GR Corolla Is Japan’s Answer To The Volkswagen Golf R

3 Genuine Piece Of Automotive Exotica

Toyota GR Corolla
via Toyota

The upcoming GR Corolla is a genuine piece of automotive exotica that seeks to threaten the conventional performance car order. That they’ve managed to squeeze a high specific output of 187.5hp / liter proves the engine is an engineering marvel. It is similar to what you get from the quad-turbocharged 8-liter 16-cylinder Bugatti Chiron.

Doug Demuro stands behind the new 2023 Toyota GR Corolla
Source:YouTube @ Doug Demuro

The largely hand-built engine features a stronger alloy piston material. It comes with ground-breaking innovations like the oil-jet cooled pistons, partially machined intake port, and direct and port injection fuel system.

2 GR Corolla Morizo Edition Is A Meaner Beast

2023Toyota_GR_Corolla_Morizo_Edition
via: Toyota

Earlier, Toyota had announced the GR Corolla would be offered in two trims, the Core and the Circuit Edition, which adds a carbon-fiber roof, hood bulge, and a bigger rear spoiler. To add even more excitement to the model, they have confirmed a limited edition is in the works and will go by Morizo Edition.

DeMuro Morizo Corolla Rear Doors
Doug DeMuro YouTube Channel

The Morizo Edition will be a rare gem with only 200 units, and it will feature more quirks and features than the other GR Corolla trims. It is built upon the Circuit edition and makes for a more track-capable machine with more torque and less weight thanks to the absence of rear seats, rear speakers, rear window regulators, and wipers.

RELATED: All You Need To Know About The 2023 Toyota GR Corolla Morizo Edition

1 A Capable Hot Hatch Alternative

Red Turbocharged GR Corolla
Via: Toyota of Orlando

Going by the market, we are midst the revival of the hot-hatch that has almost faded in recent years. The GR Corolla is ready to take on both seasoned and new hot hatches like the Hyundai i30N, Volkswagen Golf R, Honda Civic Type R, and Ford Focus ST. Most are high-performance versions of cheap commuter cars, just like the GR Corolla.

Toyota GR Corolla
via Toyota

Once it hits the roads, the GR Corolla will offer Toyota a genuine rival and capable hot hatch alternative and a more affordable option to the Golf R and Civic Type R if priced on the same level as the $37,800 GR Yaris.