2025 Toyota GR Corolla Automatic Review: Ignore The Purists

For a while, it seemed like the small, fun, relatively-attainable car was dead, or at least dying. While the Miata is the go-to for many looking for whimsy at the weekend, it's far from a daily driver option for a lot of us. Meanwhile, fast cars are generally getting bigger, more powerful, and more expensive.

Toyota — and a handful of others — are bucking that trend. When the GR Corolla launched in 2022, it turned a dependable but dull little hatchback into something grin provoking. That, and a reasonable sticker price, made it an instant hit, at least assuming you could drive a manual gearbox.

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For the 2025 model year, Toyota is expanding the GR Corolla with an 8-speed automatic option. It adds $2,000 to the $38,860 (plus $1,135 destination) starting price but, more importantly, it promises to expand the entertainment to a far broader audience. Despite what some purists might think, that's a good thing whether you prefer two pedals or three.

Those in the know may spot this is a model year 2025 car from the fascia alone. The bigger opening in the front bumper improves cooling, Toyota says — for the radiator, intercooler, and brake ducts, but also for the optional sub-radiator and automatic transmission fluid cooler — though I'm not sure I'd call it an aesthetic boost.

Core and Premium (from $41,440) trims get 18-inch gloss black wheels; the new-for-2025 Premium Plus (from $45,515) swaps in a matte black finish. It also gets the forged carbon fiber roof and vented hood-bulge that the now-retired Circuit trim used to include. Toyota keeps things simple with the paint options, with just four hues: white, black, and red available across all three trims, and a gray option on the Premium and Premium Plus.

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Inside, the Corolla's straightforward cabin gets a subtle refresh for GR duties. A 12.3-inch digital driver's display is standard, and all trims get aluminum pedals, keyless entry, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, and Toyota's solid infotainment system on a fairly compact 8-inch touchscreen. That has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support.

Core trim pairs it with single-zone automatic climate control, fabric sports seats, and gray accent stitching (needless to say, the GR Corolla's cabin is fairly dark). Premium trim adds dual-zone climate control, faux suede and faux leather seats with heating in the front, a heated steering wheel, and a JBL audio system. Premium Plus trim gets red accent stitching on the dashboard and seats.

It's not a huge car, and second row space is definitely snug when it comes to legroom. Three adults back there would be an uncomfortable squeeze. A healthy 17.8 cu-ft of trunk space, though, is a solid reminder of why little hatchbacks are so useful, and that expands even further with the 60/40 split rear bench folded down.

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The main option, of course, is the transmission. Toyota — sensibly, I'd say — leaves the 6-speed manual as standard, but for $2,000 more you can have the new 8-speed automatic.

The GR Corolla's engine remains a thing of engineering joy. A mere 1.6-liters and three cylinders, its turbocharged output is 300 horsepower at 6,500 rpm, and 295 lb-ft of torque. That's 22 lb-ft more than last year's model.

As before, all-wheel drive is standard, with Torsen limited-slip differentials front and rear. They allow the GR Corolla to shift torque to the left or right wheels, depending on traction demands. While that happens automatically, a dial in the center console switches between three front-to-rear power distributions: Normal mode, with 60:40; Gravel, at 50:50; and Track which dynamically adjusts between 60:40 to 30:70.

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Toyota says there have been multiple other tweaks and improvements under the sheet metal, but I suspect you'd need a 2025 GR Corolla and its predecessor side by side (and an accommodating race track) to stand a chance of truly spotting them. Undoubtedly most obvious is the addition of launch control, exclusive to the automatic transmission version of the car.

I like Toyota's choice of automatic transmission, but I wish it had paid a little more attention — or spent a little more — on the experience of interacting with it. The steering wheel paddles are plastic, and feel cheap. There's no sense of drama to using them.

That's an issue, because frequent shifts are part and parcel of the GR Corolla experience. There's no vast well of torque, here, to rely on: it's all about keeping the three-cylinder engine in its sweet spot. With the manual, Toyota's pairing of a smooth, short-throw stick and a near-perfectly weighted clutch makes that a genuine joy to do: like in an MX-5 Miata, or a Civic Type R, it creates a sense of shared involvement with the car that adds some welcome silliness to even relatively sedate roads.

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The automatic isn't bad at it, certainly. It's not slow to downshift, chasing that torque peak, and there's no doubting that at highway speeds — where you might find yourself wishing the stick shift had a seventh gear — the GR Corolla sounds much quieter and more refined. Taking over the changes yourself is generally for the better, though, and things are still great fun. Just different.

Were it my money, I'd still pick the manual version. That's not a slight of the automatic GR Corolla, which is excellent, but more recognition that Toyota's combination of a feisty little engine and a transmission you're fully responsible for is a well-tried recipe for genuine glee. It's also — driven sensibly — slightly more economical (Toyota says 24 mpg combined, versus 22 mpg for the automatic).

At the same time, the truth of the matter is that those able to drive stick are the minority. While some people like gatekeeping happiness, I'm of the opinion that whatever Toyota can do to make cars like the GR Corolla a perennial success is to the benefit of all enthusiasts. Put bluntly, strong sales — of the auto or the manual — are what will keep this car alive.

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Do you sacrifice a little involvement in the process, by opting for a GR Corolla that can shift its own gears? Yes, though there's an uptick in convenience that goes along with that: an automatic car is just plain easier to live with, especially if you want to take full advantage of features like adaptive cruise control. In the end, just as with the automatic Miata, it's a decision between ease and engagement: quite honestly, I'm just pleased that Toyota decided it was worth giving us the choice.