Toyota GR Corolla GTS 2025 Review

As before, the 2025 Toyota GR Corolla is being offered Down Under exclusively in the highly specified GTS guise with the only major option being a new eight-speed automatic transmission.

Pricing for the updated model starts from $67,990 plus on-road costs for the manual – $3800 more than the previous version – and $70,490 plus ORCs for the automatic, the latter predictably coming with a few more comfort, convenience, safety and performance goodies.

The bulk of the equipment list reads the same as before, with headline gear including but not limited to automatic LED headlights, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, heated synthetic leather and suede front seats, a heated steering wheel, 18-inch Enkei alloy wheels, a 12.3-inch digital cockpit, a head-up display, and an eight-speaker JBL sound system, but its active noise control feature is new as is the fact its 8.0-inch infotainment system now offers wireless Apple CarPlay, in addition to sat-nav.

Exclusive to the automatic is launch control, adaptive cruise control, paddle shifters and parking support brake.

Under the bonnet you’ll find the same turbocharged 1.6-litre three-cylinder petrol engine as before, albeit now packing 221kW/400Nm as per last year’s limited-run Morizo Edition. That’s an extra 30Nm, although Toyota stops short of providing an official zero to 100km/h time.

Unofficially, we’ve heard the new automatic should hit the tonne in about 5.2 seconds, on its way to a confirmed top speed of 230km/h.

Sleepers are all well and good, but there’s something to be said about a vehicle that advertises its intent and capabilities, and there’s nothing sleepy about the GR Corolla.

The updated model brandishes a new front apron to help feed the enhanced cooling system but hasn’t lost any of its predecessor’s visual menace, which largely sets the tone for the driving experience – Toyota wants you to enjoy this thing.

Firing up the 2025 Toyota GR Corolla GTS is an occasion in itself, as nothing else – besides the GR Yaris – sounds quite like it, and yet on the move you’d almost struggle to pick it as a three-cylinder.

But we knew all this before, so let’s focus on the main attraction of the new model: its eight-speed automatic transmission.

Now unlike Hyundai, Volkswagen, Cupra, Audi or Mercedes-AMG, Toyota has opted for an old-school torque converter instead of a snappier dual-clutch set-up in the name of low-speed smoothness and usability – something even the best dual-clutches can struggle with on the daily grind.

And to that end the GR Corolla’s new eight-speed unit is perfectly agreeable, with next to no stuttering, hesitation or stubbornness when executing low-speed manoeuvres, pulling away or trundling along.

It just gets on with the job of being an auto without drawing any attention to itself. That’s about the highest praise you can give in this context, and it’s the same story when you put your foot into it.

While not quite as quick to respond or shift as a comparable dual-clutch transmission, the GR Corolla automatic will kick down and pull at a moment’s notice, even in the most sedate driving modes.

Toyota’s hot three-cylinder has always been a gem, but the extra 30Nm goes a long way on the tractability front and the eight-speed’s ratios are well placed to make the most of the available grunt, with the same true of its shift logic.

Manual mode is pleasingly obedient and will even let you bounce off the rev limiter if you miss the paddle or ignore the shift light, which is not something that can be said for a lot of other automatics, irrespective of their type.

Zooming out a bit, the handling is still as dynamic and capable as ever, with huge amounts of mechanical grip on offer from the all-wheel drive system and Yokohama Advan tyres, and ditto for braking performance, which is up there with the best in the segment.

The driving position is reasonable, the digital cockpit acceptable, the seats supportive yet comfortable and, in this modern era of turbocharging, the induction noise from the engine is refreshingly vocal.

Most of the 2025 Toyota GR Corolla’s criticisms are carried over from the pre-update version, primarily the compromised rear legroom, tiny boot, bland interior and less-than-endearing value factor.

Don’t get us wrong, this is one truly capable performance car made massively more versatile by the addition of an automatic transmission. However, this author can’t help but feel Toyota has missed a couple of key opportunities with the mid-life update.

For starters, this is a $70,000 performance vehicle that doesn’t even have the option of adaptive dampers when all of its direct rivals – Honda Civic Type R, Volkswagen Golf R, Audi S3, Cupra Leon VZx – plus quite a few cheaper ones like the Hyundai i30 N and Volkswagen Golf GTI offer them as standard.

Ride comfort was always a criticism of the old model, and so the omission of even a basic adaptive system means the hot Corolla loses points on both the comfort and value fronts, the latter made worse by the $3800 price bump inflicted by the torque increase, carbon roof and enhanced cooling system.

We completely understand why these revisions have been made – performance and pose value – but the chance to elevate the GR Corolla into a genuine segment leader has been passed up.

On a similar note, 0-100km/h in 5.2 seconds from an all-paw, 221kW, two-pedal hot hatch isn’t really good enough these days seeing as the inbound – admittedly more powerful but similarly priced – 2025 Volkswagen Golf R will stop the clock in 4.6 seconds.

Rubbing salt in that particular wound is the fact the front-drive, manual-only Honda Civic Type R will hit triple figures in a claimed 5.4 seconds – just 0.2sec off the unofficial time floated for the automatic Corolla.

The other area in which we’d like to see an improvement is in the steering; it’s classically hot-hatch quick and direct, but the feel and weighting in Sport mode is rubbery and unnatural, almost as if you’re pulling against elastic bands off-centre.

The pre-update GR Corolla was already a very impressive and capable hot hatch with plenty of charisma and a lot going for it.

The 2025 version builds on that foundation with more torque and a mountain of extra convenience thanks primarily to that new optional eight-speed automatic transmission and, for a lot of people, the new two-pedal set-up will be reason enough to land one on the driveway.

Remove the price and value factor for a moment and the 2025 Toyota GR Corolla GTS is a highly compelling option in the premium hot hatch market with a huge breadth of talents that range from donuts and drifting though to precision track driving and B-road blasting, all with a side serve of school pick-ups.

But its rear legroom and small boot limit its practicality and the firm suspension won’t be to everyone’s liking, especially when you remember the circa-$70,000 starting price.

The GR Corolla offers a more raw, more untamed experience than the Golf R. But the German is faster, more practical and more refined, on top of coming with more toys while costing near enough the same as the automatic GR.

If anything, the GR Corolla’s biggest headache actually comes from within, seeing as the smaller and much more affordable GR Yaris is now available with the same power outputs as well as the eight-speed automatic transmission.

2025 Toyota GR Corolla GTS automatic at a glance:
Price: $70,490 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 221kW/400Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 9.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 215g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Unrated

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