Revealed: Toyota confirms pricing for GR Corolla hot hatch

Thursday, 5 January 2023

Toyota New Zealand has revealed local pricing and allocation details for its much anticipated all-wheel drive GR Corolla hot hatch.

The GR Corolla will be priced from $74,990, with that price inclusive of on-road costs. The first 150 units in the country will be sold “through a series of ballots” – a measure similar to those implemented in Japan where demand for cars like the GR Corolla is high.

The ballot system will be held across three rounds, with each round contending for 50 cars. The first of these ballots will be held next month. According to Toyota New Zealand, this system gives each customer a fair go at securing a car.

The GR Corolla gets a turbocharged 1.6-litre three-popper and all-wheel drive.

The first GR Corollas are expected to arrive in the country in early 2023. And given how quickly the GR Yaris sold out, the first allocation of GR Corollas is likely to disappear quickly, too.

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If the GR Yaris is anything to go by, the first batch of GR Corollas won’t last long.

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The GR Corolla is the last pure combustion Corolla offered in New Zealand, with all other variants shifting to hybrid power.

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The pricing positions the GR Corolla right next to the $69,000 Honda Civic Type R. Although the GR has twice the amount of driven wheels as the Civic, the pair are set to go toe-to-toe with each other when it comes to lap times.

The GR Corolla’s other notable rivals include the $79,990 Volkswagen Golf R and $58,990 Hyundai i30 N (the latter’s price rises significantly if you opt for a dual-clutch variant). The Corolla’s smaller GR Yaris, for reference, is priced from $60,290.

The GR Corolla comes with a 1.6-litre turbo triple producing 221kW of power and 370Nm of torque, paired exclusively to a 6-speed manual transmission and GR-Four all-wheel drive.

You’ll be able to spot a GR from a mile away thanks to its aggressive flared arches and widened track. This allows it to accommodate beefy Michelin Pilot Sport 4 rubber.

“While undoubtedly the Corolla is mainly known by Kiwi drivers as the supremely reliable and dependable hatch, sedan, and compact wagon, the Corolla has a heritage of competing and winning in both track and rally events,” said Toyota New Zealand general manager Steve Prangnell.

“By letting the Toyota Gazoo Racing engineers loose on the GR Corolla, we have produced that rare combination of a high-performance car that can be driven with confidence and enjoyment in a variety of situations and a daily driver with five seats, five doors and the complete Toyota Safety Sense package.

“The addition of the GR Corolla shows how we can continue to offer a wide range of vehicles for all customer needs as we move Toyota’s overall model portfolio towards electrification.”