GRMN Version Arrives as Most Hardcore Toyota GR Corolla Yet

We’d sort of reached a point of dull, numb acceptance around the Toyota GR Corolla’s unavailability in Europe. Yes, this all-wheel drive mega-hatch has been honed relentlessly on the Nürburgring in Germany, and is now being built in Britain, but we get it: the harsh realities of European emissions regulations mean it’s just too tricky for Toyota to actually sell it here.

And then the company goes and announces this, the new GRMN Corolla, and the cycle of pain starts all over. GRMN, as dedicated nerds will know, stands for ‘Gazoo Racing tuned by the Meister of Nürburgring’ (shouldn’t it be GRtbtMoN?), and is a badge applied to the most hardcore, focused versions of Toyota’s GR performance products. We’ve already seen it a few years ago on the Japan-exclusive GRMN Yaris, and now the Corolla’s been GRMN-ified too, for a few more markets, but still not us. Sigh.

Under the bonnet, the GRMN gets the same 1.6-litre turbocharged G16E-GTS three-cylinder as the base car, but while power remains unchanged at 300bhp, torque is up to 306lb ft, from the regular model’s 295lb ft. Toyota says it’s worked on providing the bulk of this torque increase between 3,600 and 4,800rpm, where it’s at its most useful for accelerating out of turns. This is engineering of the nerdiest order, although there’s no word on whether it brings any performance changes.

The engine, paired exclusively with a six-speed manual and the GR’s regular adjustable GR-Four all-wheel drive system, also now gets an intercooler spray system to help keep temperatures stable during hard driving. And for showing off to your friends.

Elsewhere, the GRMN has lost some weight – 30kg over the standard car, knocking the kerbweight down to 1,450kg. As well as a carbon bonnet, that’s been done primarily through ditching the rear seats, which means that yes, this is one of those ultra hardcore hot hatches with rear doors that open up to a whole lot of nothing. This treatment was previously seen on the Japan-only GR Corolla Morizo Edition back in 2022.

The two seats that remain are new lightweight GFRP buckets that have been honed by their installation in a GR Corolla competing in Japan’s Super Taikyu race series, with a “carefully adjusted seat length [that] facilitates clutch operation.” Remember what we said about it being nerdy? Elsewhere inside, you get lashings of carbon fibre and flocked material, as well as many red accents, because sporty.

Things don’t end there, though. Underneath, the GRMN gets a brand new set of monotube shocks designed to improve inner wheel traction under hard cornering, their stroke length refined down to the millimetre with repeated Nürburgring runs. Other chassis changes include a set of new Michelin PS Cup 2 tyres, 10mm wider than standard, and tweaks to the power steering and AWD system.

Finally, you can’t miss the drastic new aero kit the GRMN is sporting, which has also been developed through racing in Super Taikyu. It includes new bonnet vents, canards and arch louvres, but the centrepiece is that rear wing, which is manually adjustable through five stages of downforce.

If all this sounds a bit too hardcore for you, and you (quite reasonably) find the idea of a five-door hatchback with no back seats to be catastrophically daft, then there may be a solution. It’s officially just a concept for now, but Toyota has developed a second special edition GR Corolla called the Morizo RR (a badge we saw on the GR Yaris a few months back).

This one appears to get many of the same upgrades as the GRMN, but it throws the rear bench back in, and comes with an optional eight-speed automatic as opposed to the manual-only GRMN.

Once again, though, none of this is at all relevant for us in Europe, unless you want to go down the time-consuming and paperwork-intensive route of importing one. If so, you’ll need to source one from Japan, North America or Australia, the three main markets where it’ll be sold ‘in limited quantities’. Best start getting in touch with some shipping companies.