The New 295-hp Toyota Corolla Sport Offers Welcomed Dying Features
We are actually getting a cool hot hatch, the Toyota Corolla Sport. Somebody ought to say Amen! American car nerds are often plagued by super-cool European hot hatches that we can only love from afar. However, the new 295-hp Toyota Corolla Sport GRMN is not only more powerful than the Toyota GR Yaris, but like Prince Akeem, it’s coming to America!
Americans have been fogging up the glass of our computer screens, looking at photos and videos of the Toyota GR Yaris. Now we have something even more powerful to look forward to that will hopefully scratch the same itch. The Toyota Corolla Sport GRMN is an AWD beast that also offers a fan-favorite dying feature.
The Toyota Corolla Sport GRMN is a very cool hot hatch
The Drive reports that this new Toyota Corolla Sport hatchback was initially supposed to get a slightly detuned 257-horsepower version of the GR Yaris’s turbocharged inline-three-cylinder, a six-speed manual, and all-wheel drive. The auto gods were kinder than that, and news came out that the Toyota Corolla Sport is actually more powerful than the Yaris.
Even though Toyota told Japan’s Car Sensor it has a “goal to improve performance” from the little three-pot, the Corolla Sport will likely be bigger and heavier than the GR Yaris. So it may not be faster, per se, but it will have more power.
The Drive also reports that the two hot hatches won’t be completely pitted against one another. The hot Corolla will share certain drivetrain elements with the GR Yaris, like the six-speed manual with auto-blip rev-matching. In case you didn’t know, this is a very cool feature. Not to mention that it’s going to have a six-speed manual.
The GR Yaris and Corolla Sport have a lot in common
According to The Drive, the Corolla Sport will share more than just the transmission and engine; it will also share some pieces of bodywork. It will have wider fender flares and a more aggressive bumper to really drive the “sport” quality home.
One of the coolest parts of this new hot Corolla is its price point. The Drive notes that, unlike so many other cool sports cars, the Toyota Corolla Sport will start somewhere between $32,400 and $37,000.
As we know, that puts the Toyota hot hatch in the 2021 Hyundai Veloster N price point. The Veloster N is cool, but our car nerd prejudice will more easily go for the spicy Toyota than a Hyundai if the money is the same.
The other comparison The Drive makes is the VW Golf R. If these price points are accurate, the Corolla Sport GRMN will be more affordable than the Golf. Thanks to the Corolla’s/GR Yaris’ 70 percent split, it’s also going to be a better raise hell machine if you want to light the back tires up.
If you’re not excited about the spicy Corolla, you’re not listening
Toyota has also mentioned a Corolla Sport wagon. This would forego the three-cylinder for a 2.0-liter four-cylinder hybrid. Although this may well be an exciting wagon, it may not have the same snap that enthusiasts are looking for.
The Corolla Sport GRMN is an AWD, six-speed manual, 295-hp turbocharged hot hatch, and we are getting it in America. It just feels so good to say. This Corolla has Europe and Asia written all over, but instead of fogging up the glass, we finally get to play.
