Jan 20, 2025

Toyota Almost Ruined The 2025 GR Corolla With an 8-Speed Auto

Prior to the launch of Toyota's GR Corolla, there was a void waiting to be filled by a vocal minority who were still mourning the loss of the beloved STi and Focus RS models. In any other healthy segment of the automotive industry these voids don't happen often and that's because the competition has been waiting at a red light for years, waiting to launch the second the road ahead is clear and the path is certain.

This is different. This isn't a healthy segment of the automotive industry. The drivers who are yearning for a rough, rally-bred, AWD, 6-speed manual hatchback are the kind of people calling in sick on the weekends to go for a drive up the mountain when they had the day off anyways. They're looking for friction, but still run a tight ship. They're looking for a vehicle that screams counter-culture but can be parked at the grocery store without offending anyone.

That's where the GR Corolla filled the gap. Now in 2025, Gazoo Racing has made some key changes and not everyone is happy that the 6-speed manual is no longer the exclusive transmission available.

So the good news is the 2025 GR Corolla can still be acquired with a 6-speed manual. The bad news is there's an 8-speed automatic available now as well!

I'm kidding. It's only bad news if you care how other people spend their money.

Opening up this car to a wider audience is a huge win from where I'm standing, especially if it means we'll continue to get rowdy little nuggets like this one to toss around.

That's not the only change though. Toyota's tweaked how the GR-Four AWD system controls work. Prior to 2025, we were able to choose between a Front/Rear torque split of 60:40, 50:50 (track), and 30:70. Now, there's "Normal", "Gravel", and "Track". Normal is 60:40, Gravel is the new 50:50 setting, and enabling Track hands the reigns to the computer which will vary between 60:40 and 30:70 on its own accord.

We no longer have a direct setting to send 70% of the torque to the rear. Of course, depending on the conditions and traction, even in the previous 30:70 setting it would vary slightly but if you're on a loose surface such as snow or dirt, it may a little more difficult to swing the rear end out on throttle.

There are a few other changes for 2025 that I've covered in my review below!