Hot Toyota GR Corolla Hatchback On The Way To Take On the Volkswagen GTI

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  It will be powered by a turbocharged 257-horsepower 3-cylinder engine.

• Unlike the GR Yaris, the Corolla will more than likely be FWD only.

• The GR Corolla won’t land before 2022.

Yes, these are the same people responsible for the GR Supra, the GR Yaris and Akio Toyoda’s own Century. Rumours of the coming of a GR Corolla are nearly 18 months old but good things come to those who wait. Sometime between now and 2022, Toyota will slap a boosted 3-cylinder engine to a 6-speed manual, tweak the chassis and sell it to fans hot hatchbacks the world over.

The turbocharged 1.6-litre 3-cylinder engine is a story unto itself. With 257-horsepower and a stonking 266 lb.-ft. of torque, the small mill will get the Corolla hatchback up to speed in a jiffy. This is the same engine found in the dreamy Toyota GR Yaris however there’s one big difference with the drivetrain: The Corolla will be front-wheel driven, and not AWD like the Yaris, at least according to Car And Driver.

If it’s to be priced at $30,000, AWD seems highly unlikely as in the US, the current 2020 Volkswagen GTI goes for $28,595. For the price, the GR Corolla will still get a full GR-tuned chassis, bigger brakes, appropriate wheels and tires and more.

Given how good Toyota’s TNGA global platform has proven to be, we think the GR Corolla will certainly be up to the challenge, even capable enough to tackle the all-new MK8 2022 VW GTI. Suddenly, we look forward to 2022 quite a bit.