I admit, I’m usually more drawn to rugged pickups and 4×4 SUVs than most other four-wheeled machines. But every now and then, along comes a hatchback that gets me drooling. Toyota’s latest Corolla GRMN hot hatch just got me reaching for a towel.
GRMN, or Gazoo Racing Meister of Nürburgring, is a designation reserved for the most extreme GR models, such as the GRMN Yaris, which is exclusive to Japan. These cars undergo extensive development in motorsports, often with Akio Toyoda – better known as Morizo – behind the wheel.
As Morizo has famously said, “If it’s going to bear the GRMN name, it needs to be a car that can duly handle the Nürburgring.” As a result, the GRMN has been honed through extensive testing at the legendary German circuit. We’ve seen the Corolla GR before, of course. While the GRMN is based on the same platform, it delivers more torque while shedding weight.
And get this: it’s only being offered with a six-speed manual transmission. Right then, let’s start with what we know.
Toyota
Two seats. That’s it. Like the 2023 GR Corolla Morizo Edition, the GRMN comes without rear seats. Best leave the kids at home. Next up, carbon fiber. Lots of it. The hood, front fenders, front side spoilers, and rear wing are all made from the lightweight material.
Those changes help the GRMN shed about 66 lb (30 kg) compared to the standard GR Corolla, bringing curb weight down to roughly 3,200 lb (1,451 kg).
Lessons learned on the racetrack clearly influenced the new GRMN trim. That’s evident in aerodynamic features like the front side spoilers, five-position adjustable rear wing, hood duct, and fender ducts. Toyota says these components draw directly from its experience campaigning the hydrogen-powered Corolla GR in Japan’s Super Taikyu Series.
The upgrades aren’t purely aerodynamic. Toyota also quotes a torque increase of 7 lb-ft (9.5 Nm), raising output from 295 to 302 lb-ft (400 to 409 Nm). To help maintain peak performance during extended high-speed driving, the GRMN is also fitted with an intercooler sprayer to keep intake temperatures under control. Otherwise, the engine remains the same G16E-GTS 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder found in the GR Corolla.
Toyota
The suspension receives new shocks and springs, along with inverted MacPherson struts – a setup rarely seen on mass-market road cars. In a conventional arrangement, the strut body is mounted to the chassis while the shaft connects to the wheel assembly.
Toyota reverses that setup here to provide greater rigidity and better resistance to flex under cornering and braking loads. It’s the sort of hardware you’d normally expect to find on rally cars and dedicated road-racing machines.
The tires are Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s, a more aggressive version of the Pilot Sport 5 rubber fitted to the standard GR Corolla. They’re wrapped around 18 x 8.5-inch matte bronze BBS forged aluminum wheels with “Toyota Gazoo Racing” etched into the rim.
Braking comes courtesy of four-piston front calipers clamping 14-inch rotors, while two-piston rear calipers grip 11.7-inch discs at the back.
Inside, you’ll find black-and-red Brin Naub suede and synthetic leather covering the semi-bucket sport seats. A GRMN serial-number plate sits between the drive-mode selector and the shifter on the center console, while the door trims and shift knob receive sporty red aluminum accents.
Toyota
Elsewhere, Toyota has added flocking to the instrument panel and A-pillar trim to reduce windshield glare. You also get Morizo’s signature on the dashboard as a reminder of the car’s development pedigree.
The GRMN Corolla will be built exclusively at Toyota’s Motomachi Plant in Japan. Pricing has yet to be announced, but we expect it to land somewhere around the US$55,000 mark.
Production will be limited, with the car expected to be offered primarily in Japan, North America, and Australia. For now, it’s on display at the Fuji Motorsports Forest Welcome Center through June 28.
Source: Toyota
