2025 Toyota GR Corolla Premium Plus Auto First Test Review: Down a Pedal, Up in Quickness

Swapping a stick shift for a set of steering wheel shift paddles doesn’t ruin the Toyota GR Corolla, the hot hatchback that initially only offered a manual transmission. If you aren’t used to slinging gears yourself, the GR Corolla’s new-for-2025 automatic transmission option makes the impressively comfortable and quick super hatch even more approachable, without disturbing any of its underlying greatness. To those who are proficient with three pedals, rev-matched downshifts, and fiddling around with a car’s balance using engine braking, every once in a while the automatic GR Corolla will leave you feeling like you’re missing out.

Hole Shot or Not?

In terms of outright speed, no one is missing out by opting for the new eight-speed automatic transmission with their GR Corolla. Dubbed DAT, for Direct Automatic Transmission, this is a torque-converter automatic, not a dual-clutch unit more common among high-performance small cars these days. Toyota promises quick shifts and clever programming that responds more to driver behavior and inputs than vehicle sensors and cold calculations. It also includes a launch control function. Every 2025 GR Corolla—regardless of transmission—also benefits from the tuning previously reserved for the top-dog Morizo Edition, meaning a 295-lb-ft peak torque figure (up 22 lb-ft) and the same 300 hp as before for the turbocharged 1.6-liter three-cylinder engine.

Even so, don’t expect a huge boost when leaving a stoplight. It pulls a genuinely quick 5.1-second rip to 60 mph, outrunning the stick-shift 2023 manual model we previously tested by three-tenths of a second. But getting that number is a struggle. Paradoxically, the GR Corolla has too much grip to launch hard, requiring extreme finesse to get real performance out of it from a dead stop on dry pavement without bogging down; on the manual-transmission models, you can keep the revs just right more easily and feather the clutch for an ideal launch. To get the most out of the automatic, first put the car in sport mode, push the Track AWD mode button, and then turn off traction control (which fully defeats the electronic nannies, unlike in some competitors). Left foot on the brake, right foot on the gas, raise the engine revs to just shy of 2,000 rpm and jump off the brake.

With this barely brake-boosted technique, the GR Corolla will launch hard, but with just about any other approach (including higher revs with a full brake-boost attempt, or using Launch Control, or neutral drop), it won’t. Again, the stick-shift model is similarly tricky to launch well, but it does offer some finer control.

Grip, Grip, Grip

In our other track testing measurements, the little Toyota clings to its line as if it was executing a Bat Turn, its Michelin Pilot Sport 4s effectively doing the job of a grappling hook latched to the corner’s apex. On track, the GR’s 0.95 average lateral g and 25.1-second figure-eight numbers are impressive, and both carry forth into the real world. Even in wintery cold and wet conditions under 37 Fahrenheit, the GR Corolla feels like it grips nearly as well as it does in the dry—even on the summer tires our test car came with.

The brakes are just as good, stopping the Corolla from 60 mph in a very impressive 101 feet with consistent stops in the mid-100-foot range. Those overachieving Michelins, similarly overachieving brakes, and the GR-Four AWD system with an adjustable front-to-rear torque split all make flying over any paved terrain in any condition a snap. There are few cars on sale today that will keep up with a GR Corolla in inclement weather, regardless of price or power. Throw some winter tires on it, and you’ll be ice-racing Subaru WRXs in no time.

Point-and-Shoot Corolla

The GR Corolla, manual or auto, shines when blasting from point to point. This is the kind of daily driver whose turbo noises gently remind you that fun is just a dip into the throttle away.

On pavement, even cracked or damp pavement, you can carry huge speed through corners with confidence. The suspension is firm, but the impeccable damping keeps the Toyota unflappable, and wheel impacts are managed so well that this hot hatch is eminently commute-worthy. Mild understeer appears at the limit, but a little left-foot braking returns neutrality, or you can jack the handbrake (which the computers allow for without needing to clutch in—it simply disengages the rear end from the driveline) and really hoon the thing.

Power-on oversteer, however, is resolutely not a thing with the GR Corolla on dry pavement. Regardless of the driver’s chosen torque split (you can pick from 60:40 front/rear for Normal mode, 50:50 for Gravel mode, and between 60:40 and 30:70 in Track mode), the GR Corolla stays planted like an oak, using that grip to maintain impressive composure. There simply isn’t enough power on tap to overwhelm the balance, even with the rear-biased torque split.

As before, there is some turbo lag, and once you get into boost, maximum power isn’t around very long in each gear, yet the 1.6-liter triple is still a blast to rip around town with. Nothing-something-BOOM power delivery combined with audible turbo noises off throttle creates an endearing experience, but a small engine big MPG does not make: Don’t expect better than 18 mpg when playing with the boost.

Serious Car, Serious Comfort

Besides playing with said boost, some of the most fun you can have when cruising is when aggressively downshifting when slowing for a stoplight, hearing the engine rev. This automatic’s manual control is handled by steering wheel paddles or the shift lever itself, both of which feel great to the touch, as does the wheel. The transmission doesn’t really need the driver’s intervention at all, as its automatic programming does a great job choosing which gear to be in and how quickly to shift. Yet, if you’re proficient with a manual, there’s certainly less overall control, especially since the engine-speed limits for downshifting seem somewhat rigid. Just like its handling, the GR Corolla’s automatic option is excellent for outright speed but not necessarily for fun.

Comfort remains a surprising highlight of the GR Corolla, one enhanced by the lowered driver workload the automatic demands. Every E210-generation Corolla is objectively lacking in terms of interior space compared with its Civic and Elantra rivals, especially the shorter-wheelbase hatchback versions, yet somehow the platform (even starched up here for GR duty) delivers enough comfort that long trips are effortless and painless for occupants of average height.

The front seats, especially, are so comfortable and supportive that even a 10-hour marathon is far from oppressive (despite the lack of a center armrest). The rear of the car is tighter than the Civic Type R’s and even the regular Corolla sedan’s, though shorter riders won’t be uncomfortable; plus Toyota allows for a fifth passenger with its center belted position back there, while the Type R is a four-seater only. And although the hatchback’s cargo area bests its sedan counterpart’s, the Civic Type R’s hold is way bigger.

The infotainment systems largely complement the physical comfort of the seats, though the standard Toyota infotainment center console screen often requires hard taps to operate. In contrast, the driver’s digital gauge pod offers exactly the data you want at any time in precise clarity. Three quick-switchable pages are available with information on all vehicle systems, including engine oil and coolant temps with direct Fahrenheit values. You can select any set of data you want to appear in any of the pages, allowing a driver effortless access to data they’d be hard-pressed to get at all in most performance cars.

Value Boost!

Toyota has built a car optimized to drive several hours out to a racetrack, dominate a track day with little effort or danger, and then cruise that same long distance home in perfect comfort. Stability, speed, and cozy seats all lend themselves to making the GR many enthusiasts’ ultimate daily driver. It’s a car that does it all, helped by a raft of cooling upgrades for 2025 to keep things chill on track. Roughly $50,000 will buy you this maxed-out Premium Plus model with leather trim, heaters added to the already cushy and supportive seats, the works. It’s not a bad deal, but the $40,000 base model now comes with the performance diffs absent from the original base cars, allowing them to achieve the same ultimate daily/weekend warrior brief for a genuine bargain.

If you like composure, speed, and accessibility, there is almost no better car for the money, and the $2,000 upcharge for the automatic might genuinely be worth it to lower the skill floor for some. We still like the Honda Civic Type R just that much more—the two are so close, it really comes down to a buyer’s brand preference: Honda or Toyota?—but the GR Corolla is the only one that offers an automatic.