2025 Toyota GR Corolla: hot hatch gains tighter suspension and automatic gearbox

Toyota has given the GR Corolla a mild refresh for 2025, which includes an optional automatic gearbox, a bit of fettling to the suspension and improvements to the cooling. Unfortunately, there’s still no word of it coming to the UK… damn and blast.

Let’s start with the powertrain: the 1.6-litre turbocharged three-pot still puts out 304bhp, although torque has jumped from 273 to 295lb ft. 

That extra oomph can now be accessed through an eight-speed Direct Automatic Transmission (DAT) and paddle shift pairing, which Toyota claims has been trialled and tested on various racetracks to be as close as possible to the six-speed manual. Hopefully, that includes Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit to make sure it still works even when the driver’s fallen asleep at the wheel.

On to the suspension, where certain bits have been fine-tuned. That means newer rebound springs in place to reduce inner wheel lift during typically exuberant GR drives, and changes to the rear coilovers and stabilisers to make the Corolla more, er, stable. 

Customers will also get a Torsen limited-slip rear diff as standard now, as well as a newly developed launch control system. These will work in tandem with the pre-existing all-wheel-drive system and various driving modes to distribute torque and power efficiently where and when necessary. 

Toyota has also looked to find small gains with design, so the front bumper has been remodelled slightly to have extra cooling vents and brake ducts. You can even have a sub-radiator thrown in for even more cooling as part of the options list.

No significant changes have been made to the interior, so you’ll still spot a pair of eight-inch screens, a cloud-based navigation system and over-the-air update compatibility. You’ll also get Toyota’s Safety Sense 3.0 suite, which includes… many crash avoidance technologies.

No confirmation as yet on price changes, though we do expect the starting cost of around $36,500 (£28,674) to waver a bit when the facelift drops this winter.