2027 Toyota GRMN Corolla First Look: Two-Seat Track Star

When it leaked in September last year, the 2027 Toyota GRMN Corolla looked like it might be the hottest hatchback since the Morizo Edition. Now it’s official, and the spec sheet says the hype was warranted. The GRMN Corolla gets more torque, a revised 4WD system, a two-seat cabin, lots of carbon fiber, and an inverted strut setup usually reserved for track and race cars.

GRMN stands for Gazoo Racing Meister of Nürburgring, a badge reserved for the hardest-core GR models, including the Japan-only GRMN Yaris. These cars go through serious motorsports development, often with Akio Toyoda, a.k.a. Morizo, involved behind the wheel. For the GRMN Corolla, Toyota developed the car through Japan’s Super Taikyu Series using a hydrogen-powered test car. The endurance championship features race-prepped production-based cars competing in events that are 3 to 24 hours long.

Better Aerodynamics

Toyota says lessons from the track shaped both the updated GR Corolla and this new GRMN version. But while the standard car still balances road and track duty, the GRMN leans much harder into the latter. It gets functional aero designed to keep the tires planted at speed, including a hood duct, fender ducting, front side spoilers, and a five-position adjustable rear wing. Many of these are made from carbon fiber.

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Two Seats, Four Doors

That helps bring weight down to roughly 3,200 pounds, Toyota says, although carbon alone does not result in the stated 66-pound reduction versus a six-speed GR Corolla. Inside, the GRMN also drops the rear seats entirely, improving both its weight to power ratio and front-to-rear weight balance over the standard five-seat hatchback.

The cabin gets several other upgrades as well. GRMN semi-bucket sport seats are trimmed in black-and-red Brin Naub suede and synthetic leather. Red Alumite accents appear on the door trim and shift knob, and a GRMN serial-number plate sits between the drive mode switch and shifter on the center console. Toyota also adds flocking to the instrument panel and A-pillar trim to cut windshield glare and help the driver stay focused. A carbon trim piece on the passenger side of the dash and Morizo’s signature on the dash pad finish things off.

Wider Tires

The GRMN also gets a wider tire package. It rides on 245/40ZR18 Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires, which are 10mm wider than the Yokohama Advan Apex V601s fitted to the standard GR Corolla. They’re mounted on 18x8.5-inch BBS forged aluminum wheels in matte bronze with “Toyota Gazoo Racing” engraved on the rim edge. Behind those live four-piston calipers that squeeze 14-inch rotors up front and two-piston rear calipers with 11.7-inch rotors in the back.

Inverted Struts Up Front

The upgraded dampers the car receives are notable, of course, but the real hardware story is up front. The GRMN Corolla uses inverted MacPherson struts, a setup rarely seen on production street cars.

In typical use, the strut shaft mounts to the chassis, while the body attaches to the knuckle. Here, Toyota flips the script. The result is a stronger, stiffer setup that better resists flex under braking and cornering loads. It’s an approach more commonly found in rally cars and road-racing machines than in something like a streetgoing Corolla.

Same Horsepower, More Torque

The GRMN Corolla keeps the same G16E-GTS 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder as the GR Corolla, but Toyota has retuned it to produce 302 lb-ft of torque, an increase of roughly 10 lb-ft over the standard car. Horsepower remains unchanged at 300.

To manage heat even better, Toyota added an intercooler sprayer system alongside the cool-air duct introduced on the 2026 GR Corolla. The engine remains paired with a six-speed manual and Toyota’s GR-Four 4WD system. Both the driveline and electric power steering have been recalibrated for the added torque, higher cornering loads, and a more rear-biased torque distribution in straight-line driving.

Want One?

You’ll probably need luck. The 2027 Toyota GRMN Corolla will be a limited edition model built at Toyota’s Motomachi Plant in Japan, but Toyota has not said how many it plans to build or what it will cost.

Expect it to land above the 2023 GR Corolla Morizo Edition, which started at about $51,000. A price in the $55,000 range would not be surprising, and dealer markups could push it well beyond that.