The official word is that the 2025 Toyota GR Corolla will come with a normal limited-slip differential, a nice torque boost, and more improvements inside and out. As an extra, Toyota’s brand-new eight-speed “Direct Automatic Transmission” will be available for people who don’t want three pedals. This is a big change for a three-cylinder, all-wheel-drive hot hatch that has only been on the market for two years. The new eight-speed transmission, which is the same one Toyota used on the GR Yaris last year, is the star of the show. But if you’ve been following the GR Corolla up to this point, you will notice that the front bumper has been remade on the 2025 model. Like the Yaris, the Toyota will have an available sub-radiator that will keep the engine cool when it’s running at full speed. The face had to be changed to make room for the automatic gearbox fluid cooler and radiator. It also had new brake ducts and better airflow around the front wheels to make the car more stable when turning. You have to decide if these perks are more important than the process of looking better. Go back to the DAT now. Based on tests done on racetracks and racing courses around the world, Toyota says that its Gazoo Racing team came up with the new gearbox’s logic and chose gear ratios that are similar to the six-speeds. The DAT changes gears more efficiently by learning how the driver uses both pedals. This is different from automatic transmissions like the ones in the GR Supra and GR86, which only use “sensing vehicle behavior such as deceleration G-force and speed” to decide when to shift. In other words, the company says this lets the transmission shift before the car’s dynamics change, which leads to “shifting that is similar to that of professional drivers.” Without question, these are strong claims, and we can’t wait to test them on the track at some point. Aside from being made for the GR Corolla’s Sport mode, the DAT, Toyota says the new transmission gives even highway cruising “an energetic feel.” The automatic has a cool new feature called “launch control” that drivers will love. Although the company has said that the vehicle’s 4.99-second 0-60 mph acceleration time has been improved, the torque has been raised, and the transmission has been improved. All GR Corollas gain an extra 23 lb-ft of power, for a total of 295 lb-ft, no matter how they are moved. That’s the same as the limited-edition Morizo Edition from the hatchback’s first year, and it now matches the updated GR Yaris, which will come out in 2024. I really like how Toyota is making the Corolla better than the original Yaris, then making the Yaris even better, and finally getting the two cars up to speed by 2025. The company doesn’t seem to be throwing these cars away; instead, it seems like they see them as a chance to grow. But the World Rally driver-inspired “Donut Mode” and the new Yaris’ “Circuit Mode,” which turns on turbo anti-lag, don’t look like they will be coming to the four-door car. You can only have some things. After that, the handling gets better. Gazoo Racing’s Super Taikyu work led the team to add rebound springs to the front and rear suspension of the GR Corolla in order to lower the inner wheel lift. A lot of changes have now been made to the production car. Engineers moved the mounting position of the trailing arm farther forward to reduce rear squat during acceleration. The changes to the rear coil stabilizers make it easier to turn. The best news is that all GR Corollas, no matter what grade, now come with front and back Torsen limited-slip differentials as standard. There are a lot of people who could have chosen theirs while they were not there. Lastly, the 2025 GR Corolla Premium model, which is in the middle range, has dual-zone climate control. The fit and finish inside, according to Toyota, has a “dark and sporty vibe” and “new trim finishes on flat surfaces and switches” for a “pleasant” felt experience. The inside of the GR Yaris was completely redone for 2024, and it looks like the company heard some complaints about the inside of its bigger hot hatch. All of this sounds good on paper, but the 2025 cabin and the present one look a lot alike because of how they are built. It’s also still annoying that the 8-inch main control screen has big edges around it. Toyota, you need a screen! These days they are very cheap! There will still be three trim levels next year, but the names, colors, and choices have been slightly changed. Even though the new Premium Plus grade is better than the Circuit Edition, it still has many of the same features. You can still get Core and Premium. Most importantly, the Circuit needs a sharper back wing. Instead, there is a formed carbon fiber top with a bulging, aired-out hood. I’m sorry to say that Blue Flame, a color I thought would look better on the Focus RS, is no longer offered for 2025. Black, Ice Cap (white), Supersonic Red, and Heavy Metal (gray) are the only options left. These are only available on Premium and higher units. The 2025 GR Corolla will be available at dealerships this winter. Prices will be released in the coming months. But with all of those changes and the costs that come with them, stickers won’t get close to the $37,635 base price of the current hatchback.
