5 Ways the 2023 Toyota GR Corolla Stomps On the Honda Civic Type R
The hot hatchback category has been heating up in the past year. Toyota released the fiery 2023 GR Corolla hatchback, which is a turbocharged version of its sedate commuter car. Honda also revamped the ever-popular Civic Type R, which is, of course, based on the Civic hatchback. Both of these hot hatchbacks provide driving enthusiasts with a healthy dose of performance mixed with a surprising amount of practicality. In that case, it can be hard to choose between them. However, here are five ways the 2023 Toyota GR Corolla beats out the 2023 Honda Civic Type R.
The 2023 Toyota GR Corolla is cheaper than the Honda Civic Type R
Let’s face it; price is always a factor when searching for a car. Fortunately, anyone shopping between the 2023 Toyota GR Corolla and Honda Civic Type R will have an easy time pricing these two. The base GR Corolla is priced at $35,900, while the Honda Civic Type R is priced at $43,795. That’s a pretty big jump.
However, it should be noted that opting for the higher GR Corolla Circuit trim can cost as much as the Civic Type R ($42,900 before the destination charge).
The Toyota GR Corolla has an AWD drivetrain
The Honda Civic Type R uses a sophisticated suspension geometry to dial out the torque steer you might get when hammering the throttle. But the main issue (for some enthusiasts) is it’s only available in a front-drive configuration.
On the flip side, the Toyota GR Corolla is only offered in an “GR Four” all-wheel drive configuration, which should appease most hardcore driving fans. The coolest part about the GR Corolla’s setup is the drivetrain is adjustable as well.
The GR Corolla is a little quicker than the Civic Type R in the quarter-mile
It’s clear that both of these hatchbacks are meant to tackle tight corners and long racetracks, but they are also quick in a straight line. According to MotorTrend’s testing, the GR Corolla beat the Civic Type R in the quarter-mile by 0.2 seconds and crossed the line in only 13.7 seconds. That’s impressive, considering the Corolla has one less cylinder than the Civic.
You can drift a Toyota GR Corolla
We mentioned that the Toyota GR Corolla’s all-wheel drivetrain is adjustable. There’s a little dial on the center console that can adjust the front-rear bias from the default 60:40 split to 30:70. That means 70% of the power can get sent to the rear wheels in case the driver wants to get a little sideways. However, the car can also be set to “track mode” for a true 50:50 power split.
Buying a Toyota GR Corolla comes with a membership to NASA
No, we don’t mean that if anyone buys the 2023 Toyota GR Corolla, they can go to space. However, they can go to a race track for free. Every GR Corolla purchase comes with a one-year membership to the National Auto Sport Association (NASA). That membership comes with a free high-performance driving event on a racetrack with an instructor so the driver can learn to use their GR Corolla properly.
The 2023 Toyota GR Corolla has a slight edge over the Honda Civic Type R
The 2023 Toyota GR Corolla and Honda Civic Type R are genuine rivals, and it can be hard to pick between them. However, the GR Corolla has a few slight advantages, which could push some buyers into picking the Toyota.
