Toyota Motor Philippines makes a last minute drop of the GR Corolla (internally designated as the GZEA14) to the Philippine market, the latest addition to the Toyota Gazoo Racing fleet composed of the GR Supra, GR 86 and the GR Yaris.

While the untrained eye might simply see the GR Corolla as a bigger version of the GR Yaris, the GR Corolla is tuned more for circuit driving, as opposed to the GR Yaris which has the rough and tumble world of rallying in its design brief.

The GR Corolla is built atop Toyota’s TNGA-GAC platform, and shares components with the regular Toyota Corolla plus of course the GR Yaris.

It’s heart is the familiar and highly tuneable G16E-GTS 1.6 liter turbocharged 3-cylinder engine, which in the GR Corolla makes a heady 296 horsepower and 400 Newton-Meters of torque, more than its GR Yaris sibling. The aftermarket has shown that the 3-banger holds a lot of tuning potential for mega horsepower.

Inside, bucket seats hug you in place. Toyota relented towards comfort rather than support so it’s still very comfortable on track and there’s not a lot of hip and thigh bolstering in place so daily use isn’t bothersome unlike other OEM bucket seats which are very deeply sculpted.

There’s also a 12.3-inch Multi Info Display, Head-Up Display, and a 7-inch Display Audio with AM/FM, and wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto, a concession to everyday driving.

Toyota invited select media and KOL’s to try the GR Corolla on track one December afternoon.  While we only had one lap each, it was enough to get us excited and ultimately, leave a very good impression of what to expect for a proper test drive in the near future over a variety of roads and weather conditions: highways, fast a-roads, flowing b-roads and tight mountain passes. Plus of course regular everyday use in traffic.

Firstly, power is impressive. It feels very much like a different engine from that of the GR Yaris’: there’s so much more accessible torque. The torque multiplier effect of the 8-speed automatic helps immensely here especially at the lower RPM range and lower speeds. It almost feels like the GR Corolla went down a body size smaller in its agility and responsiveness, and the 3-cylinder engine gained another cylinder and a few more cc’s.

The brakes are equally impressive: huge 4-piston calipers clamping down on massive 356mm 2-piece rotors with aluminum bell hats to help manage thermal stability and keep the brakes discs light. The rear sees 2-piston calipers clamp down on smaller 312mm rotors. Pedal feel is firm, well-modulated and very progressive. More aggressive brake pads, stainless-steel brake lines and better brake fluid will help braking performance and just as importantly, brake feel immensely, important for keen drivers who love driving.

The steering feels good too: light, progressive, accurate and gives very good feedback. Personally, it feels more connected than the GR Yaris’ based on previous experience. You feel confident grasping the thick 3-spoke steering wheel, anticipating the drive and attacking the curves and corners.

On track, turn-in is smooth, steering heft loads up nicely and evenly. It’s when you accelerate past the apex that things become very interesting and exciting. Depending on how smooth your throttle application is, and the center differential’s settings, it can oversteer and 4-wheel drift, to even spin-out; or push into terminal understeer and plough into the run-off. Give it a long leash, trust the AWD system, be steady yet firm with the throttle and it rockets out of corner exits smoothly.

The GR Corolla is blessed with character and adjustability that doesn’t require a very high skill level, nor high speeds to access and experience. From wild, lurid slides in the hands of very experienced drivers, to a safer, more understeer-ing behavior. Depending on throttle input matched to the center differential’s torque split setting, there’s so much latitude to explore the GR Corolla’s attitude on the limit. It is a car you can grow with, safe for novice drivers, engaging for intermediate drivers and truly entertaining even for the pros.

The rears do get squirmy under heavy-braking, and the Corolla continues to have a lively rear -end so it demands your full attention especially under heavy braking and corner-exit. All-wheel drive doesn’t mean the Corolla is idiot proof. It caught me out on the first corner and got me nervous, but succeeding high-speed corners proved that it’s the GR Corolla’s way of letting you know it demands respect, but stays in line for the most part. Experienced drivers can use this to help rotate the rear-end on corner-entry to get it pointed towards the apex sooner and start accelerating earlier. Or you can enjoy a bit of lift-off oversteer and try some 4-wheel drifting.

The OEM Michelin Pilot Sport 5 tires that wrap around the factory 18×8.5 wheels provide excellent grip, predictable break-away feel. But imagine the GR Corolla with more aggressive tires (200 TW tires or lower), a more aggressive alignment setting for circuit use and firmer suspension and the Corolla will be a real monster on road and track!

Overall, we had a great time on track, worth braving the traffic. The weather cooperated nicely too as it was overcast the whole session. Truly a delightful afternoon with the GR Corolla. But track performance is one thing. The real question for us is how does the GR Corolla feel like on a proper B-road blast?

Stay tuned to find out!