For those who need an automatic, Gazoo has the answer
You may believe you’ve seen this all before. But not quite. See, Toyota Gazoo has quietly also slipped its new eight-speed automatic gearbox into the GR Corolla, which only previously had a six-speed stick shifter. We say also, because the GR Yaris benefited the same muti a while back. But we’ve not tested that one. Yet.
Why, you may ask, replace a manual gearbox in such a growling, hard and fast street sled? And so do we. Surely that’s against the grain? GR tells us that the auto was developed to enhance driveability, cooling and everyday drivability to broaden appeal while preserving that sharp three-pot turbo and GR-Four all-wheel-drive dynamic.
They go on to point out that the automatic is engineered to thrive in sustained hard driving. That’s why it gets an air-cooled ATF transmission fluid cooler and an additional radiator sat behind the front vents. Add a cool-air duct, remove the fog lamps for less drag and turbulence, and we get improved thermal efficiency.
Not much else has changed
Besides new privacy glass rear windows, the rest is pretty much as it was in the car with the clutch. So the same 1.6-litre turbo innards from the GR Yaris making 221 kW and now an even more robust 400 Nm. The Toyota triple has a thin wall cylinder head with eccentric pressed intake valve seats and an extra exhaust cam bearing.
Specific injector spray, intake port and combustion chamber shapes promote tumble, and flow for optimised combustion. And spherical pistons and combustion chambers reduce knock. Incredible stuff. That now plugs via the new 8AT box into GR Corolla’s sophisticated all-wheel drive system that adapts to what you want to do.
Track mode brings a 50:50 front rear split. Sport bumps it to a 30:70 rearward bias. GR Corolla also has Eco, Normal and Sport engine modes, while VSC Off resets vehicle stability and traction control parameters. Toyota Safety Sense driver assistance includes all the stuff you need, if you need it. And there are seven SRS airbags too.
GR Corolla is lighter. But is the auto faster?
The GR treatment adds 349 spot welds and an extra 2.75 metres of structural adhesive to Corolla’s already light, rigid and sophisticated TNGA-C architecture. The body is also thirteen kilos lighter. MacPherson strut front and modified trailing double-wishbone rear suspension has reduced rigidity torsion bars.
Add performance dampers and coils, spacers and knuckles, increased camber, and optimised aggressive ‘track and stage’ geometry. The faster, speed-sensing ECU-integrated brushless-motor electric power steering has a braced gear to lighten low speed effort but increase high speed feel.
Stopping is courtesy of 356 mm ventilated split discs in red four-pot GR monobloc aluminium callipers up front. And two-pot callipers and 297 mm vented discs at the rear. It all appears pretty similar too. Until you miss the foglamps. But the DRL LEDs, muscular trim, triple exhausts and 18-inch 15-spoke ENKEI cast aluminium wheels in Yokohama Advans are all as you’d expect.
A driver-focused GR Corolla cockpit
The driver-focused GR suede and leather two-tone cockpit also gets GR Yaris’ chunky 3-spoke leather steering wheel ahead of track-focussed 12.3-inch gauges, alloy pedals and front bucket seats. Add 7-inch CarPlay Auto multimedia touchscreen infotainment with a charging pad, USB-C and 12V ports. Not Toyota’s greatest. But it works.
The gearstick is gone. The new GR D-AT box has temperature warning and a smart parking support brake that even locks the car down after an impact. Built with track days in mind, it brings rapid, precise changes. Add driver input anticipation, steering paddles for sequential shifting and shift-lock. So you can focus on steering and throttle.
On the road, there’s a little lag when you push but it spools up quickly and bolts to the 7000 rpm redline. So there’s more than enough grunt, even in 6th. But line lock and launch it and the throaty little triple rockets away. Push hard and GR Corolla 8AT is still a gem. Agile, the car rotates beautifully perfectly on the apex. And brakes are fade free.
For those who simply want an automatic
Fine suspension and diff settings make GR Corolla beautifully balanced, so understeer only raises its head close to the limit and it’s also easy to turn the car with the rear. There are cons. It’s too rowdy for many estates. And good luck meeting that 9.5 litres per 100 km. That, and fuel range are worse than the manual, which already struggled.
Fuel consumption is not the only performance factor to go west. Considering the manual did 0-100 km/h in 5.1 seconds, 0-160 km/h in eleven and ran the 400 meters in
13.2 seconds at 169 km/h versus the numbers below. The only place this one is ever so slightly quicker is versus the stick’s 5 second 120-160 km/h pull.
All of which will compromise the purist driver. The good news for them, is that all the rest of the auto’s enhancements now also apply to the manual. So you can have your cake. And eat it. Then of course there are those who simply want an automatic. For them, the 25 grand premium this 8AT demands and the compromises it brings, will definitely be worth it. Hard ride, rorty exhaust and all. — Michele Lupini
Images & test data: Giordano Lupini
ROAD TESTED: Toyota GR Corolla Circuit 8AT
Engine: 221 kW 400 Nm 1.6-litre turbo petrol I3
Drive: 6-speed manual AWD
TESTED:
0-60 km/h: 2.69 sec
0-100 km/h: 5.73 sec
0-120 km/h: 7.50 sec
0-160 km/h: 12.42sec
400m: 13.7 sec @ 167 km/h
80-120 km/h: 3.43 sec
120-160 km/h: 4.93 sec
CLAIMED:
VMax: 230 km/h
Fuel: 9.5 l/100 km
CO2: 215 g/km
Range: 525 km
Warranty/Service: 3y 100K./9 service 90K km
LIST PRICE: R1.2M
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