2024 Toyota GR Corolla Guide: What’s Changed Since the Hot Hatch Went on Sale?

When the 2023 Toyota GR Corolla arrived in fall 2022, the company made it clear that two out of three of the upcoming models carried a known expiration date. The GR Corolla Circuit Edition would be a launch-year exclusive, while the even more hardcore GR Corolla Morizo Edition would be limited to 200 examples. The plan said only the appropriately named GR Corolla Core grade would continue in subsequent years.

But now Toyota has delivered legions of GR Corollas with enough options to make everyone happy. OK, maybe not legions, but the 2024 GR Corolla lineup has three options instead of the one we expected. The Core grade indeed carries over, with a new Premium grade slotted above it, and to everyone’s surprise and delight, the Circuit Edition lives on for another year. There aren’t any major changes, but with the new Premium trim and updates scattered here and there, it’s worth going through all the GR Corollas in detail.

2024 GR Corolla Lineup

The changes to the Toyota GR Corolla for this year are mostly limited to colors and how different options are made available, so we still get the same great base that each GR Corolla is built on. Compared to the Corolla Hatchback, the GR Corolla gets 349 additional spot-welding points and 9 feet of extra structural adhesive in the center and rear floorpans, rear wheelhouses, and front and rear side members. Additionally, there are three underfloor braces, a center floor brace, and a new lightweight front subframe with higher rigidity to tie it all together. A stiffer chassis means a harsher ride but better handling from the TNGA-C platform.

The G16E-GTS 1.6-liter three-cylinder turbo engine still cranks out 100-hp per cylinder and makes 273 lb-ft of torque. Multi-oil-jet piston cooling, larger diameter exhaust valves, partially machined intake ports, and a triple exhaust make up the engine’s performance bits. To get the wheels rolling, torque is routed exclusively through a six-speed manual transmission to the GR-Four all-wheel-drive system with intelligent manual rev matching (iMT) you can toggle on or off with a button to the left of the steering wheel. Although the GR Corolla is officially offered with only three pedals as of now, Toyota sources have indicated we shouldn’t be surprised to see an automatic version announced later this year.

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2024 Core Grade

The 2024 Core grade serves as the entry point to the GR Corolla lineup. It comes standard with an open differential in the front and rear, but you can swap each for a Torsen limited-slip differential along with red GR-branded calipers with the Performance package. Last year, Technology and Cold Weather packages were available to add options like heated seats and wireless phone charging, but you’ll have to upgrade to the new Premium grade to start getting fancy. But even as a base model, LED foglights, headlights, and daytime running lights are standard. The Core comes with fabric sport seats with gray stitching and GR-badged headrests. It is available in Ice Cap (white), Black, and Supersonic Red, with a color-matched roof and rear lip spoiler.

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2024 Premium Grade

The 2024 Toyota GR Corolla Premium grade is a shortcut to upgrading the Core model’s drivetrain and getting a loaded interior. The Premium comes with everything from the Performance, Technology, and Cold Weather packages previously available, plus an upgraded Brin Naub suede-trimmed interior. You get standard equipment such as two Torsen differentials, heated seats and steering wheel, a wireless charger, and a JBL premium audio system. Front and rear parking sensors add to the safety factor, and brake ducts in the front fascia add some extra brake cooling during spirited track days. You can purchase accessories like all-weather floor liners or a trunk cargo tray, but there are no optional packages to add to the Premium-grade GR Corolla. You can have your own Premium GR Corolla for a starting price of $41,415 in Ice Cap, black, Supersonic Red, or Heavy Metal (gray).

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2024 Circuit Edition

When Toyota said the GR Corolla Circuit Edition would be available for one year only, maybe it didn’t realize how big of a hit the GR Corolla would be. The model wasn’t easy to get in its first year, with plenty of people paying well more than the MSRP for the privilege, and the Circuit returns by popular demand.

There isn’t much that changes here, but Toyota offers a new color and removed others. The first run was available in Ice Cap, Supersonic red, and Heavy Metal. This year, only Ice Cap carries over, and Blue Flame is introduced. The forged carbon-fiber-reinforced roof, vented hood bulge, high-mounted sport spoiler, and gloss-black rear bumper cover continue to help identify and improve the Circuit Edition’s performance. You will also find black rocker graphics and new black 18-inch, 10-spoke forged BBS wheels inspired by the wheels found on the 2023 Morizo Edition.

If you’re looking for performance without giving up a better interior, the Circuit won’t disappoint. It comes with everything the Premium has but adds a leather-wrapped shift knob with forged carbon accents and a blue stripe to match the blue Donohue stripe on the steering wheel. The Circuit Edition starts at $46,235.

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The “Old” Morizo Edition

If the Circuit Edition isn’t enough, the Toyota GR Corolla Morizo Edition took things even further with weight saving and performance measures. Even though you can’t buy one new anymore, it is still worth talking about.

Like the previous and current Circuit model, the Morizo has a forged carbon-fiber roof, and the package deletes the rear seats, speakers, window regulator, and wiper blade for a total savings of about 100 pounds. The suspension has a stiffer spring rate and is lowered 0.2 inch to bring ground clearance down to just 5.1 inches. With a stiffer suspension, it was important to stiffen the body, even more than the improvements over the standard Corolla Hatchback. The Morizo added a rear-suspension tower brace and a floor brace where the rear seats were mounted. Structural adhesive is more than double what the Core and Circuit added, for nearly 20 feet more material that reinforces the front, rear, and hatch door openings. The Morizo does not share the sport spoiler with the Circuit edition; it keeps the standard lip spoiler, but all GR Corollas share the same 0.35 drag coefficient.

Peak horsepower remains the same, but upping the turbo boost from 25.2 to 26.3 psi narrows the torque band to 3,250–4,600 rpm. Toyota swapped first and third gear in the Morizo’s transmission for a closer-ratio gearset to take advantage of the new torque curve with quicker shifts, which are made even quicker thanks to a short-throw stick. The weight savings, extra boost, and gear changes don’t add up to much on paper, not even one-tenth quicker to 60 mph by Toyota’s estimates, but it should be enough to change the car’s on-track behavior so skilled drivers can take advantage of the differences.

Despite the seemingly bare interior with so much stripped out of it, the Morizo is still a looker inside. It has a red seat belt with red and black trim details, heated semi-bucket seats, and a heated steering wheel wrapped in Ultrasuede with a red stripe. Toyota offered the model in Windchill Pearl and a new-for-2023 matte Smoke Gray.

Unfortunately, if you want a Morizo, you’ll have to find someone willing to part with theirs. Of course, enterprising individuals could rip stuff out of the back themselves and fabricate some extra braces. If the hot hatch community has taught us anything, it’s that we won’t be surprised to see at least one GR Corolla owner out there do so. Sans the DIY approach, the Core, Premium, and Circuit Edition GRs should be enough to keep everyone content.