Now that the Toyota GR Corolla has been in the hands of the public for quite some time, we keep finding out more and more about what it’s capable of. The latest instance comes from the legendary Team O’Neill Rally School, who put the hot hatch through its paces in the snow.
Admittedly, its GR Yaris cousin might be a bit more suited for the job, as it was created expressly as a homologation special, but the GR Corolla’s roots still lie in rally (and it’s actually sold in the US). One definitive advantage the Corolla has over the Yaris is power. With 300 hp (304 PS / 224 kW) and 273 lb-ft (370 Nm) of torque on tap, it makes an extra 32 hp (32 PS / 24 kW) over the Yaris with the same 1.6L turbocharged three-cylinder engine.
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Onto initial driving impressions, the car was said to hold a drift very easily, and that has to do with its special all-wheel drive system. Aside from the fact that it even has AWD compared to the normal Corolla’s FWD, the system is able to bias itself up to 70 percent rearward, allowing it to kick out the rear end and maintain slides a lot easier. That being said, in practice, this was described as feeling almost too easy to drive, as it’s an electronic torque distribution system rather than a fully mechanical one.
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Their only real complaint with the GR Corolla was that the brakes weren’t amazing, at least not for rallying, though the folks at Team O’Neill were able to get used to it after a few outings. While the car would happily oversteer on the throttle, it understeered a bit under braking, which isn’t ideal in rallying situations.
In the end, the GR Corolla didn’t fare as well as the Subaru WRX on Team O’Neill’s rally course, but they did admit that the tires, weather, surface conditions, and driver’s comfort level were all significant factors in that time deficit.
Images: Team O’Neill Rally School