2024 Toyota GR Corolla Premium First Test: Completing the Lineup

The first go-around of the Toyota GR Corolla seemed like a fever dream. With two models slated to disappear as quickly as they were announced, Toyota’s decision to nix the Circuit and Morizo editions would leave the Core grade. How long could we expect the lone survivor to stick around? As the first GR developed specifically for the North American market, this was a rare gift from Japan, and we would hate to see it come and go so quickly.

With the introduction of the 2024 GR Corolla Premium, the lineup has matured, and we’re more confident the rally-inspired hatchback is here to stay—at least long enough for another round of fans to get their hands on one. The GR Corolla Premium falls between the base Core and the unexpected return of the Circuit Edition. If you were thinking of ordering the Core grade with any of the optional packages, then the new Premium grade is now where you want to be.

See All 29 Photos29

How Premium Is It?

The 2024 Toyota GR Corolla Premium has, as the name might suggest, a nicer interior than the Core grade, and it comes with all the options you could have previously added to the 2023 Core. You can still add the Performance pack to a 2024 Core for an upgrade to front and rear Torsen limited-slip differentials—open differentials are standard—but gone are the Cold Weather pack, Technology pack, or any other options. If you were considering a Core, you’ll be stuck without a heated steering wheel or seats, eight-speaker JBL stereo, or a wireless phone charger unless you jump up to the Premium grade where the content of the old Performance, Technology, and Cold Weather packs are standard equipment.

Cloth sport seats get upgraded to Brin Naub suede-trimmed synthetic leather, displaying a “GR” logo in the headrest. They don’t feel especially luxurious but stand out in a car intended to be as much of a racer as is possible in this price range. The suede is more comfortable than cloth, and it’s soft enough that the narrow bolsters, while great for the track, are less noticeable in regular commuting.

See All 29 Photos29

All 2024 Toyota GR Corollas have the same 8.0-inch center touchscreen, and it’s plenty for maps, Android Auto and CarPlay, and the pop-up graphic from the front and rear parking sensors, standard on Premium, but not available on Core grades. Viewing performance data like boost pressure, acceleration, gear selection, and drivetrain status is easier thanks to a four-inch larger 12.3-inch digital cluster in the Premium model. It’s better for viewing messages from Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, too. The suite of features has pre-collision warnings with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control with lane centering, lane departure warning, road sign detection, and automatic high-beams. Add a push-button start and one-touch up and down windows all around, and the GR Corolla feels reasonably sophisticated.

See All 29 Photos29

The Song Remains the Same

We wouldn’t expect something as critical as the engine to change so quickly, but we’re still happy to say the screaming 1.6-liter G16E-GTS has gone untouched. Three individual exhaust pipes still blast the racket of three cylinders boosted by 25.2 psi, sending 273 lb-ft of torque through a six-speed manual transmission. With 300 hp on tap, we were able to hit 60 mph in 5.1 seconds and needed only 13.6 seconds to hit 102.3 mph at the quarter-mile mark. That’s our best time in a GR Corolla by 0.3 second, but it’s still not the 4.99 seconds Toyota advertises. It’s getting damn close, but we’d trade back a tenth to get consistent launches.

Still, as far as times go, the car returned repeatable performance—but we would avoid the dragstrip. The clutch has a great feel, and the pedal is on the favorable side of almost being too light. To launch, you’ll want to bury the tach right into the 7,200-rpm redline and let out the clutch quickly but smoothly. Side-step it, and you’ll wind up in Boggsville before the flywheel even realizes it’s been assaulted by a rogue clutch. Even though we decided the “quickly but smoothly” method was best, there wasn’t anything in the car’s behavior to suggest whether we needed to be even quicker or smoother.

The 2024 Toyota GR Corolla Premium went one of two ways: It launched with such ferocity that the tire squeal sounded like a bat shrieking as it escaped the eighth circle of hell, or the engine bogged and the clutch slipped as if the bat had been swatted right back down, taking the clutch with it to burn. When you’re primed for a spectacular launch with your right foot pegged only to switch all your reflexes to getting off the gas immediately to save the clutch, you start mulling your next move carefully to avoid doing it again. Unfortunately, because we couldn’t solve the mystery in our time with it, we can’t say for sure that it was the car, the driver, the heat buildup from several launches, or the clutch in general. If it just isn’t made to be a drag car, then fine—we don’t need it to be one, and everyone seems perfectly happy thinking about the GR Corolla as a rally car.

We did test a theory that going with the 30/70 front/rear torque-split setting might break the rear wheels loose more easily and avoid engine bog and clutch slip, but it didn’t seem to help. We happened to set our quickest time this way, but the differences between each torque split were marginal at best and far more noticeable in our figure-eight test.

See All 29 Photos29

Great Handling

The 2024 Toyota GR Corolla Premium is far more impressive in a dynamic environment than in a straight line. Our Premium grade example only tipped our scales at 3,278 pounds, and the four-piston front and two-piston rear brake calipers halted forward momentum to a stop from 60 mph in 107 feet. We could brake hard and late consistently into each end of our figure-eight course. The Premium boasts brake-cooling ducts, so it’s possible they contributed to the stellar braking performance we experienced. The brake pedal is stiff, but it’s also comfortable during daily driving and didn’t exhibit any jerky bite or harshness. All three of the car’s aluminum pedals have a quality feel under foot.

Under hard braking, the GR Corolla is exceptionally neutral without much forward dive. Its poise reassures you it’s ready for the next move once you’re off the brakes. This proved true as we entered our turns, where the hatchback kept its balance with little body roll and responded well to some light trail braking. Sometimes it can be hard not to scrub off too much speed while trail braking, but the GR Corolla’s stability made it easy to carry momentum and transition back into the throttle.

See All 29 Photos29

The GR-Four all-wheel-drive system has, as mentioned, driver-selectable front-to-rear torque distribution, so we were able to adjust the car’s characteristics to our liking. Toyota recommends the 60/40 split for regular daily driving, and we agree based on the understeer bias we felt. The Track setting is a 50/50 split, but the turns of our figure-eight course are tight enough that we preferred the 30/70 split. The extra drive to the back lets the rear wheels power the precise and responsive front end through the turns. On a different track with wider, faster corners, the Track setting might be the way to go. Both settings worked well with similar lap times, and driver preference could come into play more than anything—the freedom to choose how the car feels is a big win in our book. The best part is all the drivetrain settings have physical buttons, so you don’t have to touch a screen at all.

Our best figure-eight lap tripped the clock at 24.9 seconds at 0.76 g average. The gears happened to align well for our course; downshifting with the Intelligent Manual Transmission’s (iMT) rev-matching was flawless and accurate far beyond a car at this price point. The six-speed gearbox had sharpshooter precision, and missing a gear never even crossed our minds. With lightweight, exceptional handling and a set of 235/40 18-inch Michelin Pilot Sport 4s wrapping the wheels, the GR Corolla averaged 0.95 g around the skidpad. Through all our testing, the tires held up extremely well. Well enough, in fact, that you could feasibly run some hot laps here and there without rendering them useless for continued safe road use.

In the End

With a starting price of $41,415, our 2024 Toyota GR Corolla Premium test car came in at $42,308 after adding $425 for Heavy Metal paint, $289 for a carpet cargo mat, and $179 for doorsill protection. Beyond paint and some accessories, there are no other options available for the Premium grade, which helps streamline the buying process. If you want any of the upgraded tech, you jump straight to the Premium and pick a color. You can add the red-painted GR calipers and Torsen limited-slip differentials to the Core, but if you ever plan to head to the track and want better brake cooling, you again jump straight to the Premium.

We’ve heard mutterings that spending more than $40,000 for a Corolla seems a bit steep, but the “GR” in front of the name makes a huge difference. The performance at this price is a bargain, and with extra bracing, welds, and structural adhesive, the GR Corolla is far more than a regular Corolla with a few extra ponies. Toyota could have easily skimped on the interior, and the hot-hatch crowd probably wouldn’t have cared. But the Core is a car Toyota should be proud of, and the Premium elevates it to a rally-bred machine with excellent safety features and modern tech for a more versatile daily driver—if you can put up with the harsher ride of a bargain race car. But if you’re reading this with even half an interest, chances are you can tolerate it, and we can, too.