Hot Toyota GR Corolla gets 225kW and all-wheel drive

Gazoo Racing's 2022 Toyota GR Corolla hot hatch has been leaked overnight ahead of its official debut later today.
 
The images of the completely unwrapped stove-hot hatch give us our first look at what's set to be a formidable Honda Civic Type R rival, and show just how far engineers have gone to modify the humble Corolla hatch for its starring new performance role.
 

These include adopting a wider, less obstructed front grille, a new vented bonnet, large rear spoiler, flared wheel-arches and a freer-flowing triple-outlet exhaust.
 
Larger rims hide both an upgraded suspension and bigger brakes.

 
Under the new bonnet is the same 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine as found in the Toyota GR Yaris, but with output boosted from 200kW/370Nm to around 225kW/400Nm.
 
Like its smaller sibling, the GR Corolla gets a six-speed manual transmission and all-wheel drive that can channel torque rearward for up to a 30:70 split front-to-rear.

 
There's no official confirmation yet, but a 0-100km/h sprint of less than 5.0 seconds is expected as well as a top speed in excess of 250km/h.
 
Inside, the GR Corolla is set for a pair of sport seats and upgraded steering wheel, plus plenty of extra sporty performance graphics for the instrument panel.
 
The 2023 Toyota GR Corolla will make its world debut via live stream on a dedicated microsite today (12:30pm AEST), allowing the world to watch the reveal of what is set to be a Volkswagen Golf R-slaying hot hatch.

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