Ever since assuming the helm at Toyota, the company’s current chairman and former CEO Akio Toyoda pledged that the company would start building cars that are “fun to drive, again”. If anyone would take such pride in doing so, you’d imagine it would be him – after all, he’s the grandson of Toyota founder Keiichiro Toyoda.
Since making that promise back in 2011, the man also known as Master Driver Morizo has stuck to his word, and the company’s latest creation is a clear testament to that.
Dubbed the GRMN Corolla, it’s the most hardcore hot hatch the company has ever created. Based on the underpinnings of the GR Corolla, that expanded acronym – “GAZOO Racing tuned by the Meister of Nürburgring” – serves as an indicator of just where this car was honed.
The GRMN badge has only been used on production cars a handful of times since the formation of GAZOO Racing, Toyota’s performance and motorsport arm, and the 2027 GRMN Corolla marks the first time an Australian-delivered model will wear it.
Indeed, Toyota cited Australia specifically as one of the three key markets for this car, alongside North America and Japan. Only a limited number are set to be produced globally, with exact numbers for our market yet to be confirmed.
The changes made to the GRMN Corolla compared to the standard GR are incredibly detailed. Indeed, Akio Toyoda claims that “if it’s going to bear the GRMN name, it needs to be a car that can duly handle the Nürburgring”.
Developed through extensive track testing at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, along with in Japan’s Super Taikyu Series and extensive simulator validation testing, the entire mechanical characteristics of the hot Corolla have been revised.
For our market, power from its 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine remains the same at 221kW, but torque is up slightly to 408Nm. However, the torque curve itself has been revised to deliver more between 3600-4800rpm, the engine speed one would accelerate out of corners at on a track. There’s even the very 1990s touch of an intercooler sprayer to boot.
Mind you, we are short-changed slightly compared to the Japanese domestic market, where outputs are even higher at 224kW and 415Nm. What all GRMN Corollas have in common, though, is a unique ‘close-ratio’ six-speed manual gearbox.
Alongside the increased performance is an approximate 40kg decrease in weight. That’s achieved not only by ditching the rear seats in favour of a beefy rear strut brace, but also by adding a carbon fibre bonnet, carbon fibre front fenders, carbon fibre front side spoilers, and an adjustable carbon fibre rear wing.
It comes finished in a new Black Gravite body colour, although a green-tinged Gravel hue is set to be offered exclusively in Australia and North America.
It also rides on a set of matte bronze 18-inch forged alloy wheels, not just to complete the tougher looks but to accommodate 10mm wider Michelin Pilot Super Sport Cup 2 tyres.
In addition to the removal of the rear seat, the GRMN’s performance focus is only made clearer thanks to the standard fitment of full bucket seats, numbered build plate, and carbon-trimmed instrument cluster bearing Akio Toyoda’s ‘Morizo’ signature.
But this is all far from the most noteworthy part of the GRMN Corolla’s offerings, as Toyota has completely overhauled its suspension setup. In addition to sitting 5mm lower than a standard GR Corolla, the GRMN ditches twin-tube shock absorbers for
inverted monotubes up front and upright monotubes in the rear.
It also features recalibrated electric power steering and a recalibrated version of its ‘GR-FOUR’ all-wheel drive system, both specific to the GRMN Corolla.
Pricing is yet to be confirmed for Toyota’s intense new hot hatch, but expect it to cost considerably more than the $67,990 starting price of a standard GR Corolla when it arrives on our shores in 2027.
