If you’ve been waiting for Toyota to release a paddle-shift option for the GR Corolla before pulling the pin on that order, the good news is it’s finally here. The bad news is the 2025 GR Corolla automatic costs more than you were probably expecting. Choosing to go with the new eight-speed auto instead of the standard six-speed manual transmission adds US$ 2,000 to the bill, which isn’t an outrageous amount. But factor in the GR Corolla’s US$ 2,360 price increase for 2025 on top of that auto premium and you might start wishing you’d just bought a manual last year and quit being so left-leg lazy.

There are a couple of reasons to be glad you waited until 2025, however. One is that while this year’s 1.6-liter, turbocharged triple makes the same 300 hp as the 2024 motor, it does get a small torque boost, the total improving from 370 Nm to 400 Nm. The new eight-speed auto also gets a launch control that the manual misses out on, though Toyota says the stick version now has a snappier clutch action. And all GR Corollas benefit from a revised suspension setup that includes rebound springs to keep the inside rear wheel planted, and changes to the rear mounting points to reduce squat under hard acceleration.


Another reason to like the ’25 is that front and rear limited-slip differentials are now standard on every model, including the entry-level Core, which costs US$ 39,995 including destination with a manual, or US$ 41,995 as an auto. Previously those LSDs came standard on Premium-trim cars and up, and were only available on the Core by shelling out US$ 1,180 for the optional Performance Package. Making them standard across the board doesn’t wholly offset the price increase, but it does help. The mid-spec Premium now costs US$ 42,575 with the manual and US$ 44,575 as an automatic, and adds a JBL sound system, dual-zone climate, and heated seats and steering wheel to the Core’s equipment tally.

At the top of the lineup, it’s all changed; last year’s Circuit Pack car is replaced by the dreary-sounding but well-equipped Premium Plus. Costing US$ 46,650 with three pedals (US$ 48,850 with two), it gets a forged carbon hood with bulge and functional air vents, a sub radiator, matte black wheels, a head-up display, and red stitching for its GR-logo sports seats.