2025 Toyota GR Corolla First Drive Review: No More Excuses Not To Buy One

The 2025 Toyota GR Corolla enters its third model year on sale equipped with various small improvements and a major one: an optional automatic transmission. Whereas the 2023 and 2024 models were only available with a six-speed manual, you can now opt for an eight-speed automatic on all three grades.

This move has the potential to attract new buyers who wouldn’t have previously considered the GR Corolla because they couldn’t drive a manual. It also helps Toyota compete against other sporty two-pedal options at this price, including the Hyundai Elantra N, Subaru WRX, and Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R. DrivingOnRoad drove the automatic GR Corolla at Charlotte Motor Speedway to find out if the loss of a pedal is actually a gain.

What’s New For 2025?

Toyota has adjusted the lineup for 2025, dropping the limited Circuit Edition in favor of a new Premium Plus grade. The Core and Premium models are mostly unchanged, though the former now gets the front and rear Torsen limited-slip differentials standard (previously optional). As previously mentioned, an automatic transmission is now available across all three grades with the manual transmission still being available as the standard option. Some small exterior changes have been made to the front bumper and enthusiasts will notice some minor tuning adjustments, both of which will be discussed in more detail lower down.

Exterior And Interior Changes: Keeping It Cool

The GR Corolla looks familiar for 2025 with minimal changes that seek to improve performance. There are some slight differences on the front end to accommodate an optional sub-radiator and a transmission fluid cooler for the automatic models. 18-inch gloss black wheels are standard, while the top Premium Plus gets matte wheels. The Premium Plus also retains details from last year’s Circuit Edition, such as a carbon fiber roof, hood bulge, and hood vents. Sadly, Blue Flame is no longer available, leaving Black, Ice Cap, Heavy Metal, and Supersonic Red as the only color options.

Toyota didn’t do much inside, keeping the 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Sadly, the GR doesn’t get the larger screen that debuted on the Corolla Sedan FX Special Edition. Cloth seats come standard in the Core, but the Premium and Premium Plus trims get Brin Naub Suede-trimmed seats with gray and red stitching, respectively. This isn’t the most premium cabin in the segment if that’s important to your purchasing decision.

Powertrain: More Choice, Fewer Pedals

As before, the GR Corolla deploys the most unique powertrain in its competitive class: a 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine. It may be down a cylinder compared to its competitors, but this little three-pot is punchy with 300 horsepower and 295 lb-ft (matching the discontinued Morizo Edition). Torque is up from last year’s 273 lb-ft.

A manual transmission comes standard, now with a snappier clutch pedal, while the new optional eight-speed automatic adds a launch control feature, though it isn’t easy to use. It requires Sport mode with the traction control off, then you pull both paddle shifters to engage the system. This can only be done once every few minutes to protect the car, which feels like a safe play that might disappoint enthusiasts. Toyota also gifted manual models with the Morizo’s shorter gear ratios, which make it feel quicker on-track. Opting for the auto adds $2,000 to your bill.

A sub-radiator can be equipped for $600 (standard on Premium Plus), which should hopefully help owners avoid fire issues that have plagued earlier model years. All automatic transmission models get an additional transmission cooler, another feature that should help on the track.

Driving Impressions: Keeping The Fun

Our day with the GR Corolla began on the track with the automatic transmission, which impressed us with its quick shifts and smart programming. When left to its own devices, the Corolla seems to always know the right gear to use, and it downshifts exactly when we would want. As you’d want in manual mode, the transmission holds gears without upshifting, but it won’t give you a downshift if it detects the engine will be overreved. The first four gears are positioned identically to the manual, meaning you don’t have to relearn which gear to use for each corner on the track.

On the road, we noticed that the automatic may have one subjective flaw. The GR Corolla’s three-cylinder engine is highly buzzy with lots of vibration and harshness, especially at low RPMs. An automatic tends to keep the engine at low revs during normal driving, which is exacerbated in this application. Owners may need to take it upon themselves to manually shift occasionally to hear the three-cylinder engine at higher RPMs, where it sounds more pleasant. Our only other complaint about the automatic is aesthetic. It uses the same paddles and shifter as a standard Corolla; a GR badge on the shifter or some nicer paddles would go a long way here.

We then hopped back into the manual GR Corolla, which remains our preferred choice. The automatic isn’t less exciting, but the enjoyment of being more connected to the car caused a slightly bigger grin. Toyota’s claim of a “snappier” clutch seems to be accurate, though we’d have to drive it back-to-back with a 2024 model to be sure. We didn’t have a chance to time either transmission from 0 – 60 mph, but the automatic clearly launches harder without bogging the engine. You can still have a blast driving the automatic GR Corolla, and now more people may consider this car.

Pricing & Verdict: More For More

Pricing for the 2025 GR Corolla has increased from 2024, but you get more equipment as-standard. Toyota tossed in the limited-slip differentials, a highly important feature that was previously optional on the Core trim. The GR Corolla Core now starts at $38,860 (excluding $1,135 destination), which is a $2,360 increase over last year. For the automatic, that price increases by $2,000 on each trim.

This pricing puts the GR Corolla near the higher end of this segment, with the Honda Civic Type R ($45,595 excluding destination) and Volkswagen Golf R ($45,665 excluding $1,225 destination). You can pay less for the Toyota if you are willing to live without some interior niceties, unlike the Honda and Volkswagen that only offer a single trim level.

We still recommend the GR Corolla as one of the most entertaining hot hatchbacks ever built, but there are still some compromises to make with it. It’s smaller than competitors, less refined as a daily driver, and the interior feels less premium. Toyota has given potential customers one fewer excuse to skip the GR Corolla by adding an automatic transmission while staying true to enthusiasts with a standard manual. The automatic transmission may not be the one we’d select, but it makes the GR Corolla more appealing, not less.