No More I-3 For GR Corolla? Toyota’s New Turbo Four Gets Ready to Roar
Toyota is prepping newly developed engines for the next-gen Corolla, which may spell doom for the GR’s turbo three.
When Toyota’s GR Corolla first burst onto the scene in America in 2022, it came powered by a unique engine: a 1.6-liter turbocharged inline three-cylinder pushing 300 horsepower. Developed in 2020 as part of Toyota’s “dynamic force” engine family under its Gazoo Racing division, the super three helped sell the GR Corolla as a unicorn enthusiast model.
0:00 / 0:00
Cue the 2025 Japan Motor Show, where Toyota took the wraps off a hot-looking new Corolla concept that portends what we should eventually see here in the U.S. as a production model, with it likely arriving sometime in 2027 at the latest.
Where does that leave the GR Corolla and its I-3? A new 2.0-liter turbo four with as much as 400 horsepower that we just saw in Tokyo likely offers some clues.
GR Isn’t Going Anywhere
One thing we’re virtually certain about is that Toyota’s GR high-performance division is very much a thing and will continue to be as long as Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda is still breathing. At the Japan show, Toyota made it abundantly clear that GR will be a key pillar in its brand portfolio moving forward, further augmenting its previously outlined plan to roll out several GR-badged models over the next couple of years.
Also, at a symposium to discuss Toyota’s future powertrain and software plans, the technical leadership team, led by charismatic chief technology officer Hiroki Nakajima, taking a cue from his GR-loving, car racing boss Toyoda, professed a love for internal combustion power. Nakajima relayed a story where he and members of the leadership team went to a track and took in the action. He described how much they loved the scene, the smell of gasoline. We feel you, Nakajima-san.
Toyota's new 1.5-liter hybrid engine
“I think that TMC should be a company that should manufacture engines until the very end,” Nakajima said, with the caveat being that it would look for ways to use more carbon neutral fuels such as ethanol in the future. So yeah, Toyota remains all in on internal combustion, though largely boosted by hybrid technology like its new 1.5-liter hybrid powertrain Toyota showed us. According to powertrain president Takashi Uehara, the 1.5-liter, which he said would be rated at roughly 134 horsepower in hybrid trim and will be used in the new Corolla, is all about compact packaging and cost savings, two points he hammered home repeatedly during his time speaking with us. He also mentioned improved efficiency, of course.
New 2.0 Liter with 400 HP to Replace I-3?
But the far bigger news for enthusiasts was when Uehara showed us the other engine on display, a turbocharged, 2.0-liter turbo inline four. Like the 1.5, the goal for the new turbo four was compact packaging, cheaper costs to produce it, and yes, greater efficiency.
When asked about the 1.6-liter I-3 in the present GR Corolla, Uehara specifically mentioned there were tradeoffs in the form of special dampers and other technologies engineers had to employ to reduce vibrations and other harshness, one of the known issues with a high powered I-3 engine. The implication was that employing those techniques increases cost and complexity (not to mention keeping it around for a limited run model), something Toyota is looking to minimize.
Toyota's upcoming 2.0-liter turbo four engine
Uehara also mentioned that the 2.0-liter was capable of up to roughly 400 horsepower, which is far better than the 300 horses that the I-3 is presently rated at in the GR Corolla, and that the turbo four could be tuned differently for different markets.
Is it possible the I-3 survives and makes it into a next-generation GR Corolla? While we wouldn’t rule it out completely, we’re going to read some Japanese tea leaves and say the I-3 isn’t long for this world given what we heard.
Of course, we’re digging the idea of a next GR Corolla with upwards of 400 horsepower, and while the character and uniqueness of the I-3 will be lost, the tradeoffs seem to make sense. We’ll see how it all shakes out, as well as if the next version will be a sedan or continue as a hatch. We vote for hatch, Toyota, one as radical in its approach to performance and panache as today’s model.
One of my seminal memories was the few months I spent helping my cousin Steve literally build me from the frame up a super sick 1970 Chevy Nova in his garage just off of 8 Mile (yes, that 8 Mile). Black with white SS stripes. 350 V-8. Blackjack headers. Ladder bars. Four on the floor. Drum brakes all around. Mainly I helped hand him the wrenches, the bondo, the buffing wheel, the beer. When it was finally done and I blistered the tires for the first time, plumes of smoke filling up my rear view, I felt like a true American Bad Ass (pre Kid Rock). That's what it was like for so many of us who grew up in The D back in the day. It was about muscle. Detroit Iron. So when I had an opportunity to get into this crazy business, you best believe I leapt like a bionic cheetah at the chance. Over the past three decades or so (carbon dating myself), I've been honored and privileged to be a part of four outstanding publications in Motor Trend, Automobile, Autoweek, and the Detroit Free Press. And while the salad days back in my cousin's garage seem a million miles away, my love for cars -- and my hometown of Detroit -- have never wavered. Neither has my commitment to delivering the best possible experience to the readers I've served and will continue to serve now and in the future.
Read More
