You'll Soon Be Able to Buy An Automatic Toyota GR Corolla
I own a 2024 Toyota GR Corolla Premium, and while I adore its manual transmission, I understand that some people can’t or don’t want to drive one every day. After introducing an eight-speed “Direct Automatic Transmission” (DAT) to the GR Yaris, Toyota is doing the same for America’s GR Corolla. The 2025 model year brings other improvements, including more torque and a shuffling of available features.
Toyota dropped the Circuit Edition trim for 2025 and introduced a new Premium Plus. While the Core (base) trim gets cloth seats, the two Premium grades get suede upholstery. The nice thing about the new model is that the Core now gets heated seats and a heated steering wheel, which were previously held back in an options package. It also gets the previously-available JBL stereo and wireless charging.
Like the outgoing Circuit Edition, the new Premium Plus gets a forged carbon roof and a unique hood with functional air vents. It also adds a sub-radiator for better engine cooling and a head-up display.
The turbocharged 1.6-liter three-cylinder engine retains its 300-horsepower output but gains torque, reaching 295 pound-feet in 2025. The six-speed manual transmission remains standard, but Toyota will offer an eight-speed automatic transmission with a transmission fluid cooler for better performance. Toyota improved the suspension for better cornering and tweaked the drive mode selection to include a Gravel mode instead of the previous car’s track setting. Finally, the front and rear Torsen limited-slip differentials, which were optional for the Core before, are standard for all models.
Toyota hasn’t detailed pricing for the new Corolla yet, but it said the cars will start arriving on dealers’ lots this winter.
[Images: Toyota]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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