In a world filled with new electric vehicles, it’s nice to see something with gasoline powering the drive. The Toyota GR Corolla is coming.
In fact, the reveal of this new hot hatch will take place on March 31 via live stream on Vimeo. All we’ve seen so far is a teaser image of the fender, vent, and GR badge that gives us the idea this little hot hatch just might come equipped with AWD to give us power where we want it. We’ll have to wait until Thursday for the actual reveal, but that time is coming very soon.
Are the Rumors True?
We’ve heard some rumblings in the car world that his new performance hot hatch could bring the same power as a similar model that’s sold overseas. We don’t get to enjoy the GR Yaris in America, but we should have the GR Corolla. The Yaris model uses a turbocharged 1.6-liter three-cylinder engine to pump out 257 horsepower, which we hope is coming for the Corolla. If so, that would be an incredible powertrain for a car that hasn’t found a way to compete as a hot hatch until now.
A Special Badge With Special Meaning for this Toyota
Along with the typical red and black GR badge we see when a Toyota model receives the Gazoo Racing treatment, we see a GR-FOUR stamp in the fender vent. This typically means the vehicle has an AWD system. The hope is the system offered for the Toyota GR Corolla is the same one we see in the GR Yaris, which is a rally-inspired hot hatch that makes the Yaris name fun. We won’t know for sure what’s offered until Thursday, but we can only hope it will be the system we desire.
Can the New Corolla Compete
The hot hatch world has several occupants that have a stranglehold on part of the market. The Subaru WRX, Volkswagen Golf GTI, and Hyundai Veloster N all off something unique to part of the market. If the GR Corolla shows up with 257 horsepower under the hood, it will be in a class with these three models. In fact, it will be more powerful than the VW, but slightly less powerful than the other two models. Could the impressive performance of this new Toyota steal a few drivers away from the other models and to the Gazoo Racing name?
A Bit of Speculation
Until we see the car during the live stream on Thursday, we won’t know what it offers. The hope is this car will come with a standard six-speed manual transmission with a dual-clutch automatic as an option. The body should be the same as the current Corolla hatchback but with extra vents, scoops, and larger wheels to give this car the mean look we want to see. This is a GR model we know is coming to the United States, which is a good enough reason to get excited about its arrival.
The new Toyota GR Corolla is coming; we learn more about it in only a few days.
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