Toyota GR Corolla Review

Nothing about this car makes commercial sense, which is why it exists. The G16E three-cylinder is hand assembled, displaces 1.6 litres and makes 300 horsepower, which is an absurd specific output for a road engine, and it drives all four wheels through a torque split you can set to send anywhere from sixty to thirty percent forward. The body is widened, the shell is reinforced with additional welds and structural adhesive, and the only gearbox is a manual.

It is loud, boosty, slightly rough and enormously entertaining, and the triple exit exhaust is not a styling exercise. Compromises follow. The interior is a Corolla interior with better seats, the ride is firm, and the small displacement turbo works hard enough that real world economy trails the official numbers. Early cars had wheel bearing complaints and dealer markups were shameless, though resale has stayed strong enough that buyers who paid over sticker have mostly been rescued by the market. A future classic that you can still service anywhere.