There are several Toyota Gazoo Racing models in the local arm of the Japanese automaker’s stable; all of which are made to provide myriad thrills to whoever is sited behind the wheel (and passengers, for that matter). We’ve driven most of them, including the new-generation GR86, GR Supra (in six-speed manual guise, no less), and the grin-inducing GR Yaris.
Speaking of the latter, compact hot hatch, Toyota whipped the wraps off the updated version in January 2024. The revised model not only gained a boost in power, but, in addition, was revealed with a new gearbox option: an eight-speed Direct Automatic Transmission (DAT). Following this news, a fair bet would have been that this transmission option would, in the future, find its way into the GR Corolla. Well, now it has…
With the updated (for 2025) GR Corolla, Toyota has handed its midsize hot hatch, the GR Corolla, the same gearbox. Indeed, whereas the current GR Corolla is available with only a six-speed manual cog swapper, the refreshed model can be had with the same DAT found in its performance-focused Yaris sibling. What’s more, the DAT-equipped variant boasts more torque!
Yup, you read that right — the 1.6-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged engine sited below the bonnet of the updated GR Corolla is endowed with 30 N.m more torque than the manual derivative. That’s a peak torque output of 400 N.m! The total power on demand has remained the same, however, with the turbo-triple still sending a respectable 221 kW to all four corners via Toyota’s GR-Four all-wheel-drive system.
So, how has the fitment of an automatic gearbox and boost in torque influenced the (revised) GR Corolla’s performance figures? Well, Toyota hasn’t released the latter yet. However, with the “optimised” DAT, which, the firm says, provides quicker shifts, it’s sure to shave some time off the obligatory 0-100 km/h sprint time of the manual-equipped model, which, as a reminder, sprints to the three-figure marker from a standstill in 5.3 seconds, before topping out at 230 km/h.