2025 Toyota GR Corolla Premium: So, How About That Autobox?

Once a symbol to draw crowds into showrooms, the sports car as we know it has lost some of its former glory. The car industry hasn’t given up the idea, but nowadays, the priority is all about utility. And with skyrocketing car prices, even the tightest budgets have to say goodbye to cars whose main purpose is to put a smile on their driver's face.

On the other hand, for those who can afford it, this sports car golden age of is full of interesting options, The GR Corolla is a “simple” Corolla Hatchback transformed - by hand - into a rally monster by the wizards at Gazoo Racing in Japan. It will cost you double the MSRP of a Corolla Hatchback in its most affordable SE trim.

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Since its arrival on our roads two years ago, the spiciest of Corollas has been the talk of the town for all the right reasons, but above all for its very high level of enjoyment at the wheel. The debate is still raging at The Car Guide, despite a spirited three-car comparison test organized by our colleague Julien Amado, which crowned a Core variant of this GR Corolla in second place between the Honda Civic Type R and Volkswagen Golf R.

Improvements in 2025

For 2025, the vitamin-packed compact is entitled to a few alterations here and there, notably with a slightly enlarged front-end. But there's one game-changing detail on board that can only be noticed once you're seated inside: the GR Corolla is now available with an eight-speed automatic transmission. And before you call your local Toyota dealership to see if a manual gearbox is still on the menu, don't worry, it still is!

The engineers assigned to this project managed to squeeze an extra 22 ft-lb out of the little 1.6-litre turbocharged 3-cylinder, from 273 to 295 ft-lb. Launch control has also been optimized for this automatic transmission variant. And even though this is a limited-run car, Gazoo Racing managed to improve cornering by adding rebound springs to both axles, as well as working on the suspension and stabilizer bars. In short, in principle at least, the GR Corolla 2025 is a better car than last year's model.

Manual or Automatic?

Since its arrival in the summer of 2023, the GR Corolla has been praised for its easy-to-gauge clutch, precise gear lever operation and precise steering, not to mention the distinctive sound of its 3-pot engine. But for all its qualities, the GR Corolla is aimed at a die-hard public who defend the manual gearbox as if their lives depended on it.

With this new automatic transmission variant, the automaker simply wanted to broaden its audience by reducing the number of pedals. And while it’s clear, I would take a GR Corolla with a manual gearbox long before the automated option, I must congratulate the engineers who tuned this transmission to the temperament of this road legal rally car.

The automatic gearbox bolted to the GR Corolla differs somewhat from those used in other GRs, namely the 86 and Supra. Toyota explains that these detect the vehicle's behaviour (deceleration and speed) to engage a downshift, unlike the GR Corolla's, which is based on how the driver applies the brakes and gas pedal. In this way, the gearbox “anticipates” the moment when the gear change is optimal.

And then there are the driving modes. In this case, however, the driver must adapt his or her driving style according to the mode engaged. In city driving, for example, there's no point in selecting Sport mode, as gear changes are a little too abrupt. And putting the car in Manual mode (by sliding the lever to the left) only makes the situation worse. The gearbox doesn't react as effectively as it would in spirited driving, creating unpleasant “jerks”... and often late shifts. In town, it's best to let the car do the work in Normal mode.

Sport mode, on the other hand, is more interesting when the car is pushed o its limits. Not only is the engine’s roar much more convincing at high revs, but gear changes are very similar to those of a dual-clutch gearbox. The big advantage of this automatic gearbox is that it allows less experienced drivers to concentrate on the steering, braking and acceleration.

To make the car a little more playful, simply press the traction control button (to the right of the drive mode selector) long enough for “EXPERT” to appear in the driver information display. The latter allows for controlled drifts but remains in charge if the angle is too steep. In the snow, this Corolla is particularly agile.

The Verdict

Two back-to-back snowstorms in February gave the GR Corolla a chance to demonstrate why it is one of the industry's best-kept secrets in 2025.

As for the relevance of this automatic gearbox, Toyota was right to add it to the GR Corolla range. The GR Yaris is also available with this equipment in Europe and Japan, and it would not be surprising if it were to be reused in other sporty Toyota applications soon. But for the purist, the GR Corolla will always be more fun with three pedals and a shifter. No matter which side you're on, the Toyota GR Corolla is a dynamic car, with very few minor flaws - like a boring dashboard and poor lateral support for the front seats.