Toyota GR Corolla Gets More Torque, Automatic Option

We can’t buy the Toyota GR Corolla in Europe, which makes us very sad. Yes, we get the GR Yaris, but there’s something very appealing about its fantastic powertrain being dropped into a slightly bigger, more practical body.

In the markets where it is available, the GR Corolla has just received a light update for the 2025 model year, and while the tweaks are entirely unsurprising (especially because they were leaked by Toyota Canada last month), they’re not helping with our FOMO.

Toyota GR Corolla – rear

For a start, Toyota has liberated a bit more torque from the car’s 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine. It’s now up from 273 to 295lb ft across the board, a figure previously reserved for the hardcore, two-seat Morizo version. Power remains unchanged at 300bhp, a higher figure than we’re afforded from the same engine in the Yaris in Europe thanks to emissions rules.

The car’s also had some subtle suspension tweaks. Rebound springs have been added front and rear to reduce the amount the inner wheel lifts during hard cornering, and the rear coils and stabilisers have been refreshed. Also at the back, the trailing arm now has a higher mounting point, with the aim of reducing rear squat under hard acceleration.

Toyota GR Corolla – interior with automatic gearbox

The other big, and entirely expected news is the option of an automatic gearbox. It’s the same eight-speed Direct Automatic Transmission that became available on the GR Yaris with its recent facelift. While our experience with it was limited to skidding around a frozen Finnish lake, we nonetheless found it to be a mighty impressive automatic, even when left to its own devices. We’d still take the manual, but there’s nothing wrong with a car like this broadening its appeal.

Finally, there are redesigned, more efficient brake ducts, an optional sub-radiator for greater engine cooling, and all trim levels now get standard Torsen limited-slip diffs on both axles. Of course, none of this has any bearing on those of us in Europe, but if you’re in one of the markets where you can buy the GR Corolla, then we begrudgingly congratulate you.