• Home
  • News
  • E-Cars
  • Technology
  • Dealer
  • Guides
  • Editorials
ProCar Digest
SUBSCRIBE
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • E-Cars
  • Technology
  • Dealer
  • Guides
  • Editorials
ProCar Digest
SUBSCRIBE
No Result
View All Result
ProCar Digest
No Result
View All Result
Home Editorials

The GR Corolla Looks Like It Was Designed at the Last Minute

by Car Digest
June 29, 2023

In terms of skills relating to design, I have few. I can’t draw or model things with clay. I can’t paint. Hell, I can barely color. My personal style is a dark-colored t-shirt and a pair of jeans, almost exclusively worn with sneakers. I am in no way qualified to professionally critique design. That said, I do have eyes, and I know when I like something and when I don’t like something.

The GR Corolla is one of the weird ones, a car that makes a fantastic initial impression but falls apart the more you stare at it. And I think a lot of it has to do with how it was brought to market: Toyota may have developed it at the same time as the Yaris, but it’s not a homologation special.

Related Stories

The GR Yaris, if you need reminding, was a true homologation special for Toyota to take the Yaris rallying. It shares little with the regular Yaris for sale in countries other than the U.S., besides the name. What you get is a 3-door b-segment hatch on a Frankensteined combination of the Yaris and wider Corolla platform with a 1.6-liter 3-cylinder engine and 268 hp, all going through a six-speed manual to an advanced all-wheel-drive system. It’s a hell of a thing.

2021 toyota gr yaris

The GR Yaris.

Mack Hogan

The body looks like a Yaris, but it’s lower, wider, and meaner. The interior looks like a Yaris, but it’s nicer, with better seats and updates to focus on the driver. By all accounts, it’s a hell of a thing.

Problem is, cars from that segment don’t sell in America. The only one available here is the Mitsubishi Mirage. But the demand was there for the GR Yaris in America. Petitions, forum posts, and general excitement led Toyota to believe there was a market for a hot hatch in the U.S. They would have needed to homologate the Yaris, which involves plenty of crash tests and exorbitant amounts of money. Why do that when a car that shares parts of the Yaris’s DNA is already available here?

2023 honda civic type r and the toyota 2023 gr corolla

Adam Riding

So a fast Corolla it was. There were some gains over the GR Yaris, namely a power boost to 300 hp and the addition of the hardcore Morizo trim, with no backseats, Sport Cup 2 tires, and other track-focused goodies, but otherwise this is the GR Yaris with a bigger body and more weight to carry around.

And about that body. At first glance, it looks the part, all chunky flares and wide grilles. But then you spend a little more time looking at it, and something doesn’t feel right. It might not help that I was looking at it next to a Civic Type R, which is just a damn fine-looking car, but it was apparent that the GR Corolla wasn’t something Toyota planned for when this Corolla debuted.

2023 honda civic type r and the toyota 2023 gr corolla

Adam Riding

It’s all incongruous. Everything looks tacked on. The flares at the front and rear seem to give it more of an illusion of width than actual presence. Then there’s the hood, which starts off low, then suddenly gets too tall for no apparent reason. The longer you stare at it, the more it looks like the proportions are off, that it’s both too short and too wide for how tall it is. It starts to look more like a Pep Boys special than something that came from the factory.

Now, you might be saying that there are plenty of cars that have tacked-on fenders or box flares, and those look good. You might own a GR Corolla and think I’m a moron. All fair. Thing is, the GR Yaris is a cohesive design. The flares and changes aren’t tacked on to an existing shell, this is an entirely new shell that was built for the Yaris, in the process transforming it into one of the meanest, most aggressive-looking small hot hatches of all time. The GR Corolla is a four-door Corolla hatch that went down the line at Toyota’s high-tech Motomachi plant–the same plant that builds low-volume models for the brand like the Century, Lexus LC, and the GR Yaris–and was modified to become more aggressive with flares, grilles, and other such.

2023 honda civic type r and the toyota 2023 gr corolla

Adam Riding

It just doesn’t look cohesive, like Toyota forgot they had to build the car and hacked something together at the last minute. And because of that, it makes the GR Corolla, with its excellent drivetrain and driving dynamics, less special than the GR Yaris or the Civic Type R.

Headshot of Travis Okulski

Editor-at-Large

Travis is an editor at Road & Track. He was previously the Editor-in-Chief of Jalopnik.com and is a little too fond of the Mazda Miata.

Related Posts

Why the Renault 4’s Brilliant Suspension Was Longer on One Side Than the Other

Why the Renault 4’s Brilliant Suspension Was Longer on One Side Than the Other

by Car Digest
November 3, 2023

The simplest cars often feature the most clever engineering. Renault's mighty Quatrelle is a perfect example.

Trying to Keep Six EVs Charged Drove Me Mad

Trying to Keep Six EVs Charged Drove Me Mad

by Car Digest
October 31, 2023

Crowded stations and unreliable chargers are a recipe for calamity.

Modern HD Trucks Are Useless Off-Road Without Their Cameras

Modern HD Trucks Are Useless Off-Road Without Their Cameras

by Car Digest
October 23, 2023

The modern crop of off-road HD trucks are plenty capable of clearing obstacles, so long as you can see where...

From Lead-Acid To Lithium: A History of the Automotive Battery

From Lead-Acid To Lithium: A History of the Automotive Battery

by Car Digest
October 22, 2023

How electric cars went from 20-mile golf carts to 300-mile road-trippers. And how 600 miles of range might be on...

Cross-Drilled Brake Rotors Aren’t Just Form Over Function

Cross-Drilled Brake Rotors Aren’t Just Form Over Function

by Car Digest
October 13, 2023

Some enthusiasts will tell you what you need are slotted brake discs. The reality is more complicated.

Americans Don’t Deserve More Lanes

Americans Don’t Deserve More Lanes

by Car Digest
October 6, 2023

Current traffic planning dogma rules that adding lanes to highways doesn't help reduce traffic. I'll forward another point: We don't...

Four-Cylinder Engines Are Better for Sports Cars

Four-Cylinder Engines Are Better for Sports Cars

by Car Digest
September 24, 2023

As Americans, we lust after inline-six performance cars, but it's time to accept that they aren't perfect for the job.

Load More

Related Post

Chevy Trax vs. Trailblazer: Compare Compact Crossover SUVs

Chevy Trax vs. Trailblazer: Compare Compact Crossover SUVs

May 2, 2023
Used-Vehicle Prices Stay Elevated

Used-Vehicle Prices Stay Elevated

May 18, 2023
Tesla teases first Cybertruck made at Austin, no details yet

Tesla teases first Cybertruck made at Austin, no details yet

July 17, 2023
Toyota Tacoma vs Jeep Gladiator | The Car Connection

Toyota Tacoma vs Jeep Gladiator | The Car Connection

May 10, 2023
Security Ops Center Planned at Reynolds HQ

Security Ops Center Planned at Reynolds HQ

July 4, 2023
The Best SUVs for Seniors

The Best SUVs for Seniors

May 13, 2023
Top 5 Subaru Models of 2023

Top 5 Subaru Models of 2023

June 9, 2023
  • About us
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Guides
  • E-Cars
  • Dealer
  • Technology
  • Editorials

© 2022 procardigest.com

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT