The rumors are true: the 2025 Toyota GR Corolla will add Toyota’s new eight-speed “Direct Automatic Transmission” as an option for buyers who don’t want three pedals, in addition to an appreciated torque boost, standard limited-slip differentials, and other enhancements under the sheet metal and inside the cabin. It’s a surprisingly stacked update for the all-wheel-drive, three-cylinder hot hatch that’s only been on the market a mere two years.
That new eight-speed—the same one Toyota gifted the GR Yaris last year—is of course the star of the show, though anyone who’s been following the GR Corolla thus far will certainly notice the 2025 version’s revised front bumper. As was the case with the Yaris, Toyota will offer an optional sub-radiator that aims to keep the powertrain cool during full-tilt driving. The restyled face was supposedly necessary to make room for that radiator and the automatic transmission fluid cooler, but it has also introduced new brake ducts and improved general airflow around the front wheels for better cornering stability. It’s up to you to decide whether those benefits justify the aesthetic treatment.
Back to the DAT, though. Toyota says its Gazoo Racing team tested the new transmission on circuits and rally courses around the world, honing its logic and zeroing in on gear ratios that are supposedly similar to the six-speed’s. Unlike the comparatively conventional automatics in the GR Supra and GR86 that purely rely on “sensing vehicle behavior such as deceleration G-force and speed” to determine when to shift, the DAT optimizes gear changes by learning how the driver uses both pedals. In other words, the transmission can shift proactively, before the vehicle’s dynamics change, and that supposedly results in “shifting that is similar to that of professional drivers,” per the automaker. Big claims to be sure, and we’re looking forward to evaluating them on the track sometime.
The DAT was made for the GR Corolla’s Sport mode, but Toyota claims that even highway cruising benefits from “an energetic feel” with the new gearbox. Something else that’ll surely energize drivers: the automatic’s exclusive launch control feature. The company has not yet published any change to the car’s 4.99-second 0-60 mph time, despite that new automatic and extra torque.
Speaking of which, all GR Corollas, no matter how they’re shifted, gain an extra 23 lb-ft of torque for a total of 295 lb-ft. That’s spot on with what the limited-production Morizo Edition had in the hatch’s first year, and now catches up with the refreshed GR Yaris introduced for 2024. I’m really liking this cadence of Toyota one-upping the original Yaris with the Corolla, then pushing the Yaris even higher, and now establishing parity between both in 2025. You get the sense that the company views these cars as something to continuously refine, rather than shove out and dust off its hands. That said, the latest Yaris’ “Circuit Mode,” which unlocks turbo anti-lag, as well as its World Rally driver-inspired “Donut Mode,” don’t appear to be making the jump to the four-door machine. You can’t have it all.
Moving on, the refinements extend to the chassis. Gazoo Racing’s Super Taikyu efforts drove the team to install rebound springs to the GR Corolla’s front and rear suspension, to suppress inner wheel lift. That tweak has now been lavished on the production car. Improved rear coil stabilizers enhance control when steering, while engineers also raised the trailing arm mounting point to quiet rear squat under acceleration. And, best of all, front and rear Torsen limited-slip diffs now come standard on every GR Corolla, regardless of grade. You’ve got to wonder how many people were optioning theirs without them.
Inside the 2025 GR Corolla, dual-zone climate control is finally available on the mid-grade Premium model. The interior fit and finish have also been lent a “dark and sporty vibe” (Toyota’s words, not ours) with “new trim finishes on flat surfaces and switches” to lend a “pleasing” tactile sensation. The GR Yaris got a comprehensive interior glow-up for 2024, and it seems the automaker may have taken some of the criticism lobbed at its larger hot hatch’s interior to heart. It all sounds nice on paper but, as far as we can tell, the 2025 cabin stylistically looks identical to the current one. Plus, that 8-inch center infotainment display is still an eyesore with its chunky bezels. Come on, Toyota—screens are dirt cheap these days!
Once again there are three trim levels on offer for the coming year, though options, names, and colors have changed slightly. The Core and Premium remain, but the new Premium Plus grade replaces the Circuit Edition, albeit with many of the Circuit’s trappings. Those include a forged carbon fiber roof and a bulging, vented hood but, critically, not the Circuit’s pointier rear wing. If you dug Blue Flame last year (I found it to be more of a Focus RS color, frankly,) I’m sorry to report that it’s gone for 2025: the only choices are Black, Ice Cap (white), Supersonic Red, and—for Premium and up only—Heavy Metal (gray). The 2025 GR Corolla will hit dealers this winter, and you can expect pricing information in the coming months. However, with all those upgrades and their added expense, don’t count on stickers undercutting the existing hatch’s $37,635 base price.
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