The new and improved 2025 Toyota GR Corolla represents an unexpected but much-appreciated update for Toyota’s still-young hot hatch, adding torque, suspension enhancements, and an available eight-speed auto. Just about the only negative this refresh carries is a polarizing grille treatment, though it’s all been done in the name of better cooling. Oh—and the price has gone in the wrong direction, too. The GRolla is not immune to annual MSRP increases of course, but it turns out that Direct Automatic Transmission is a pricey option.
The GR Corolla now starts at $39,995 including destination for a base manual. That’s an increase of exactly $3,000 over what the hatch cost in its debut 2023 model year, though on the plus side, every GR Corolla going forward will roll out of Toyota’s Motomachi plant with front and rear limited-slip differentials. Step up to an auto, and the price rises $2,000 to $41,995.
That’s a sizable jump compared to where we started, but then the GR Corolla has changed a fair bit since those early days, too. There’s the DAT for people who want it, but also launch control on automatic cars; an extra 23 lb-ft of torque throughout the range for a Morizo-matching total of 295 lb-ft; several chassis tweaks including added rebound springs and improved rear coil stabilizers; and the opportunity for better cooling if you equip the sub-radiator.
Those refinements don’t come free, and that’s before you get into the creature comforts afforded by the Premium spec. There, you’ll pay $42,575 for suede-like heated front seats, eight-speaker audio, and newly available dual-zone climate control, among other niceties. An auto in similar guise, again, costs two grand more. And the Premium Plus, which mostly maps to the old Circuit Edition but doesn’t appear to share its more aggressive rear wing, will set you back $46,650 or $48,650, depending on transmission.
For the hell of it, I took today’s announcement as an opportunity to refresh my memory on where the Honda Civic Type R currently sits, in terms of dollars and cents. A 2025 model will set you back $46,690, again including destination. I’d argue the mid-grade GR Corolla Premium is the trim most comparable to a base CTR, and Toyota retains its pricing advantage, even with an auto. It’s just that everything is getting more expensive, across the market. But there’s a silver lining to all this, and it’s that the era of stupid markups on these cars might just be coming to an end, if the chatter on Reddit communities holds any truth.
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