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When the eagerly awaited Toyota GR Corolla launched for the 2023 model year, you needed to know how to operate a manual transmission to drive one. For the 2025 GR Corolla, though, Toyota introduced an eight-speed automatic transmission in addition to the six-speed manual, broadening the car’s appeal. After testing both transmissions on the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course, the automatic and paddle shifters are almost as enjoyable as the stick shift. New upgrades also make the GR Corolla more fun to drive than before.
Photo: Connor Hoffman
For 2025, Toyota gives the GR Corolla a light refresh that includes:
The 2025 Toyota GR Corolla is available in three trims. Pricing starts at $39,995 for the entry Core Edition, which now gets standard front and rear limited-slip differentials, $43,050 for the midgrade Premium, and $47,125 for the new top-tier Premium Plus version.
JD Power previously published a review of the 2023 Toyota GR Corolla. This review focuses on the GR Corolla’s updates for 2025, specifically the automatic transmission, and how they potentially impact its overall consumer appeal.
For this 2025 GR Corolla review, Toyota provided a test vehicle equipped with Premium Plus trim and the following options:
The test vehicle’s price was $49,125, including the $1,135 destination charge to ship the car from the Toyota assembly plant in Motomachi, Japan to your local dealership.
Photo: Connor Hoffman
Now that the Toyota GR Corolla has an automatic transmission, it's more approachable for younger buyers, particularly those who haven’t learned to drive a manual (I didn’t master driving a stick shift until a college internship). The GR Corolla’s new eight-speed also felt much faster on the track while ripping around the road course at Charlotte Motor Speedway. A new launch-control function holds engine revs slightly over 2,000 rpm before launching off the line much quicker than manual-equipped cars.
Previously, buyers could only get the GR Corolla with a six-speed manual transmission. This is a fantastic stick shift; the gears move smoothly, the transmission auto-rev-matches for downshifts, and the clutch pedal engages with the right amount of bite. However, the eight-speed automatic is quicker and feels like one of the quicker-shifting dual-clutch automatic transmissions you get in more expensive sports cars.
Toyota engineers tested the eight-speed in Japanese rally races. They tuned it close to the six-speed’s gear ratios for maximum power delivery, which increases for the 2025 model year. The eight-speed finds and engages the necessary gear, whether braking into a corner or accelerating out, and you can hear the intake and turbo on manual-mode downshifts.
Photo: Connor Hoffman
Every 2025 GR Corolla features a 300-horsepower, turbocharged 1.6-liter three-cylinder engine that now delivers 295 pound-feet of torque. That amount of torque was previously exclusive to the limited-run Morizo edition from the debut model year, named after former Toyota president Akio Toyoda’s racing alias and lacking rear seats.
An increase of 22 pound-feet of torque won’t be noticeable to most drivers, but more power is always welcome in affordable, lightweight performance cars. Along with all-wheel drive (AWD) and all the car’s traction aids, the powerful three-cylinder helps pull the hatchback out of corners and blast onto straightaways.
If you get the automatic, you’ll get paddle shifters on the steering wheel to control the car’s eight gears. Pull them briefly when Track mode is on and traction control off, and the launch-control function engages. Holding the potent three-cylinder engine’s revs for a second felt like a ticking time bomb before letting go of the brake pedal and blasting off onto the track.
Photo: Connor Hoffman
The GR Corolla’s cornering capabilities have improved, as they now have standard front and rear limited-slip differentials. While the Torsen limited-slip differentials were once optional for the base Core trim, every GR Corolla now glides through corners like on rails. Toyota also replaced the previous model year’s Circuit Edition with the new Premium Plus trim.
Pushing this little hot hatch faster around each corner is what makes it so fun. Toyota engineers also added rebound springs on all four corners to help keep the car planted, and they adjusted other suspension components to make them grippier around a racetrack. In Track mode, you can switch the AWD system’s torque distribution from 60:40 to a rear-biased 30:70, which is the most fun on the track and makes it feel more like a rear-wheel-drive sports car.
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Photo: Connor Hoffman
Finding affordable fun is easy, but the GR Corolla stands out with its manual transmission, adjustable AWD system, and rally car roots. The Honda Civic Si, Civic Type R, and Hyundai Elantra N also offer manual options. However, unlike the Hondas, buyers can skip the stick if they wish, giving them another automatic choice, and this new eight-speed is a good one. If I were buying one, I’d still choose the GR Corolla’s manual over the automatic, but you’ll have fun regardless of which gearbox you choose.
Connor Hoffman has worked in the automotive industry since 2018 in both editorial and public relations. He has tested and written about hundreds of cars and helped lead the media launches of the 2024 Toyota Tacoma and Land Cruiser. Connor started his career at Car and Driver after a summer internship and has contributed to Edmunds, U.S. News & World Report, and Capital One Autos.
