CARS OF THE WORLD

Toyota GR Corolla 2023.

Professional drifter showed what «charged» Toyota GR Corolla is capable of.

The Japanese company has published a video that shows how a powerful Toyota GR Corolla behaves in hands of a professional drifter.

The new Toyota GR Corolla: 304 hp, manual and all-wheel drive The hatchback will be on sale till the end of 2022.

Toyota has presented a «charged» hatchback GR Corolla. Though structurally it is close to a usual Corolla Sport, technically it is GR Yaris.

It has the same three-cylinder 1,6-liter turbo engine, «mechanics» with short-throttle rocker and full drive GR-Four with three preset modes.

In addition to the standard version, the GR Corolla will also have a special Circuit Edition.

It includes a pressed carbon fiber roof, an enlarged rear spoiler, suede seat trim and a gearshift knob signed by Toyota president Akio Toyoda.

It is possible to tell that release of «charged» hatchback GR Corolla is the personal initiative of the president of «Toyota» Akio Toyoda.

Being the skilled pilot, he wanted to return such «Corolla» to the lineup, which could charm buyers — and Gazoo Racing «stable» fulfilled the task.

According to the words of developers, the sources of inspiration for them were the Corolla TE25, which brought the company its first win in WRC, and touring Corolla Levin, which won the Finnish rally «Thousand Lakes» in 1975.

Structurally, GR Corolla is a Corolla Sport with additional reinforcements in the area of the rear wheels, floor and gas tank.

The roof, like on the GR Yaris, is made of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP), the hood and front doors are made of aluminum.

Wheel arches became wider by 20 millimeters in front and 30 millimeters behind, and the track for better stability was increased by 60 and 85 millimeters.

The Corolla also received a thorough shake-up of the suspension. For example, bushings were replaced with stiffer ones, springs and shock absorbers were readjusted and wheel angles were adjusted.

Basically, all this was done to optimize work of a full drive of GR-Four.

The transmission on the GR Corolla is the same as on the GR Yaris, which means a multi-disc clutch in the rear-wheel drive, two optional Torsen differentials with lockups and three modes of operation.

The gearbox the cars also share is a six-speed iMT manual with a short-throttle rocker and a downshift RPM matching function.

Under the hood — three-cylinder turbocharged 1.6-liter G16E-GTS engine.

Its power has been increased from 272 to 304 horsepower, but the amount of torque remained the same — 370 Nm.

As expected, GR Corolla got an exhaust line with a switchable valve and three nozzles.

Such a scheme allows adjusting the pressure in the system and, therefore, the volume of the exhaust.

Brakes with four-piston calipers at the front and two-piston calipers at the rear, and 18-inch wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires are included as standard equipment.

The interior features a 12.3-inch digital dashboard, designed specifically for GR models, and a mechanical handbrake.

Hatchback equipment also includes heated front seats and steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, a new media system and a set of electronic assistants Safety Sense.

Besides the standard Core version (red car on the photos), GR Corolla will have Circuit Edition.

It includes a roof made of pressed carbon fiber, an enlarged rear spoiler, Brin Naub suede seat trim and autographed gearshift knob with Morizo (under this nickname in the race is Akio Toyoda).

Production of hot-hatch will be set up at a special line of Toyota’s plant in Motomati, where GR Yaris and Lexus LC are produced, and Lexus LFA and Supra of A80 generation were made earlier.

But the GR Corolla will be sold mainly in America, and the hatchback will appear at dealers as early as this year. But no prices are available yet. They are promised to be announced in the coming months.