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GR Corolla: 220kW, all-wheel-drive and manual

Hot details of the latest addition to Toyota’s fabulous Gazoo Racing family have been leaked.

SEEMS the GR Corolla has been a secret too good to keep – due for an official mid-afternoon reveal today, Toyota’s new hotshoe has already been outed online.

The information and images said to be from international press material has been shared around the world.

Everything points to the powerful 1.6-litre turbocharged inline-three and innovative all-wheel drive system from the GR Yaris having been put to further good use in its new big brother. Very good use.

According to the leaked info, in GR Corolla the ‘G16E-GTS’ engine is good for 220kW – that’s 20kW more than in its little sibling. Torque meanwhile stands at 370Nm.

No performance figures are out yet, this output should be enough to give the heavier Corolla 0-100kmh bragging rights over its smaller $54,990 sibling.

Though GR Corolla would introduce with a automated transmission have not played out. The car has a six-speed manual gearbox with a rev-matching feature.

This transmission feeds a GR-Four-branded all-wheel drive system that does without a centre differential, instead using a clutch pack between the prop shaft and rear differential. As per the GR Yaris sold here, it has front and rear Torsen limited-slip differentials.

Another commonality is ability to bias the rear wheels heavily with a 30/70 torque split. It’s also possible to equally divide the all-wheel drive system - this 50/50 split is likely to be the fastest way to get around a track. 

 The bodywork features widened front and rear wheel arches, no doubt to go with wider suspension tracks and fatter wheels/tyres. There’s a much larger grille opening at the front than a standard Corolla, flanked by big ducts. The most unusual feature is at the rear - a triple exhaust with a different-shaped central exit.

 How did this get out? A member of an enthusiast form – where, it does not say - managed to yesterday find a staging URL already live and displaying images and key details. The site was later taken down, but not before its pictures and information spread.

 Astoundingly, the GR will be the first properly hot showroom-availed Corolla since the GT models of the 1980s to the early ‘90s.