Toyota GR Corolla 2023: Australian price and release date confirmed

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Toyota has confirmed its highly anticipated GR Corolla hot hatch will arrive in Australia this March with a starting price of $62,300 before on-road costs.

The GR Corolla GTS variant will be the first to arrive with 700 cars secured for the Australian market between now and Feburary 2024.

It will soon be followed by the track-focused, two-seat Morizo Edition that’s limited to just 25 units and will cost substantially more at $77,800 before on-roads.

Both feature a relatively high level of specification meaning there could be potential for a future ‘GT’ grade without front and rear limited slip differentials, as seen in the US market and previously on locally delivered GR Yaris vehicles.

Sitting above the GR Yaris hatch and GR86 coupe but below the GR Supra coupe in the expanding GR range, the Corolla is now the fourth product from Toyota’s performance sub brand.

Compared to its rivals, the Corolla GTS has a higher price of entry than front-wheel-drive hot hatch rivals such as the Hyundai i30N ($46,200) and Volkswagen Golf GTI ($55,490) but undercuts AWD rivals like the Golf R ($66,990) and Audi S3 ($71,800).

GR Corolla: fast facts

Both grades are powered by the same turbo-triple found in the three-door GR Yaris, though this time the 1.6-litre donk has been tuned up to 221kW at 6500rpm, and while torque remains steady at 370Nm Toyota says this figure is available over a wider rev range, from 3000 to 5550rpm.

Those who opt for the Morizo Edition will benefit from an additional 30Nm for a maximum of 400Nm from 3250 to 4600rpm. 

Like the Honda Civic Type R, a six-speed-manual transmission is the only option available, though does come with a rev-matching function. An automatic transmission is said to be in the works though this hasn’t been confirmed by Toyota or guaranteed for Australia. 

Toyota’s GR Four all-wheel-drive system feeds this power to the ground, with a flexible torque distribution that varies from 60:40 front to rear in the default setting to 30:70 for tail-happy antics, with a straight 50:50 split available for stability on the track.

In Australia, both grades will feature a limited-slip differential on the front and rear axle but GTS buyers miss out on the carbon roof, which is offered on five-seat grades in the US. 

As far as braking is concerned, the GTS features ventilated 356mm discs up front and 297mm discs are the rear, covered by 18-inch Enkei cast alloy wheels wrapped in 235mm Yokohama Advan tyres. 

The GR Corolla Morizo Edition nabs 18-inch BBS forged alloy wheels with wider 245mm Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect tyres. 

For a full breakdown of the Morizo grade, read our separate article. 

What do the GR Corolla GTS  and Morizo Edition include?

Toyota has dressed the GR Corolla with a muscular exterior body kit measuring 20mm wider at the front and 30mm at the rear when compared to a regular Corolla.

LED headlights and tail-lights, heated and folding mirrors, rear spoiler and a triple exhaust setup are among the highlight features on the outside.

Inside, the GTS cabin features synthetic leather and suede sports seats with manual adjustment, though both front seats are heated.

The leather steering wheel is also heated, with other leather-wrapped components including the gear knob and manual handbrake. 

A 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster sits in front of the driver while an additional 8.0-inch touchscreen is tasked with controlling the multimedia, playing music through the eight-speaker JBL sound system.

Other highlight features include a wireless phone charger, wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto along with in-built navigation.

In order to strip out as much weight as possible, the Morizo Edition forgoes the rear seats along with other features such as satellite navigation, the heated steering wheel, the wireless phone charger and parking sensors.

The Morizo also opts for single- rather than dual-zone climate control and the sound system is replaced with a simple two-speaker setup.

Toyota GR Corolla: prices in Australia

All prices listed are before on-road costs.

• GTS: $62,300
• Morizo Edition: $77,800