GR Corolla

Y’all watch Doug’s take on this bad boy yet?
https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3BeLZn26/2008-volkswagen-r32-scirocco-conversion

 

I picked up mine today! Going for a parkway cruise tomorrow and then Monday it's going in for PPF and tint.

 

latest mod, stealership tattoo delete

 

My local dealership had the gr model for a whole 2 days before it was sold by the time I got to the dealership it was gone. Maybe I'll give a it a year then reach out to my sister's boyfriend he's the GM of my local toyota dealer. See about getting a deal on one.

 

@Squatting Pigeon and @6 gearT444E

I think you two are the sole owners in this thread. Just curious how you feel about seating position, seat comfort, distances to pedals/controls/etc... basically how the driver envelope fits you. And how tall are you?

 

Thanks for the feedback. I'm 5'11" and even proportion too so good info.

Honestly the ride in my area is one thing really causing me to doubt I'd be happy with a GR Corolla as my only car. I want one really badly, but I am a bit too much of a "think it through" kinda person . The roads here in the Midwest get pretty nasty before they are re-paved. I'd be selling my Camry and replacing it with the GR, so definitely a ride difference. I have 2 1st gens, a CJ, and a Ram 2500 diesel with 9 leafs in the rear, so if the Camry goes for a GR, I'd have nothing with a smooth ride left for longer drives.

Not faulting the GR as I know the sport suspension is by intent and that's part of the appeal. We wouldn't want it if it had Camry susp. Just worried about local roads impact.

 

Offense not taken.

For a little additional context, I'm 6'3". I have the seat most of the way back (On the second to last click I think) and all the way down. The steering wheel telescopes a lot more than in my 3rd gen, and tilts quite a bit. I have my legs mostly under the steering wheel instead of bowlegged around it like in most cars. The smaller diameter of the wheel plays a role in this as well. I am towards the back of the headliner where it drops back down so I may have to play with stuff a bit to wear a helmet comfortably, but I'm confident I'll figure it out. This shouldn't apply to you though unless you really like a high seating position.

All of the controls are great. Gear shift and steering wheel feel great, clutch release point is at the top of the pedal. The dead pedal is pretty underwhelming, especially under the all weather floormat, but I at least have more space there and am not accidentally kicking the pedal arm like I was in my Tacoma - AND I feel like I can stretch my leg out fully, unlike in my SC where the dead pedal is so far forward I have to stick my foot behind the brake pedal to fully stretch it out.

The driver's seat in the CE is awesome, not sure how much that changes from the core. It's not quite racing seat, but I don't feel like I'm going anywhere. Granted I have less than 500 miles on it so I haven't gone too hard into corners as of yet, so this could still be honeymoon impressions. To Pigeon's point, I do wish it had lumbar adjustment (I thought it was supposed to, but I either am blindly missing it or I misread). In my opinion, that would go a long way for adding comfort to road trips.

On road noise, there's definitely more road noise than my Tacoma which I attribute less to sound dampening and more to proximity to road. The tires are great, but you definitely start hearing them around 60-70 mph. Comparing to the Taco again, I'd say it isn't too much louder because you could really hear the wind at that point, so cabin ambient sound level is probably about the same - maybe a touch quieter. Regarding ride quality, I'm probably not the best measure of that. It's definitely stiffer than my Lexus, but hitting potholes or bumps in the Lexus actually feels more jarring. I might honestly compare it to the stiffness a 1st gen suspension but without the body roll. So hey, at least you will be able to maneuver around them!

There are also the creature comforts that I like a lot more than I expected - like the auto rev-matching and the lane keeping assist (which I swore I would hate but actually almost immediately became a fan of), plus stuff that is standard nowadays like wireless carplay.

This is my DD, or at least it will be once I get it back from PPF. But I'm coming from a 24 year old Lexus which is missing those comforts, is worse on gas, and is absolutely less practical than a Camry, so this was definitely a more practical move for me. More fun, too.

 

I'll get more though.

 

Awesome feedback. Thanks for taking the time to type that up.

Sorry about missing you being a member of the group of natural born bada$$es that already have a GR. Especially since you're a CE owner!

 

Sure thing! The way I see it, since you can hardly test drive one of these without putting down a deposit and waiting 6 months, the least I can do is provide as much detail as possible to those curious to help you feel more informed when deciding whether to make a deposit and/or wait for 6 months yourself.

 

Not to make you guys jealous (or hate on me ). but as a retired Toyota employee I can get one for below MSRP. Models in demand we get no actual discount, but we get dealer cost, which is usually a decent amount below MSRP. We have to keep the vehicle for at least 1 year. I also have about $1200 in credit from my Toyota Visa points, so I am hoping to be somewhere around MSRP-$3000.

I have to email specs to Toyota Corp to get an actual cost. I am planning to decide and start the process in the next 60 days or so. Got some family stuff in between.

 

Seize the opportunity. I won't hate you unless you buy it, hammer on it for 200 miles, and then sell it back to the dealership for them to mark it up $10 grand.

 

Do it. Take advantage of your situation. You could probably still make money on it after driving it for a year.

 

2 Morizos sold today on the online auction sites: $65.5k and $67k, before fees.

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/rMabWLJ4/2023-toyota-gr-corolla-morizo-edition
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2023-toyota-corolla-gr-morizo/

 

Sucks to be that guy that was hyping it up so much because he spent over $90k on his. I had a shot at a Morizo at MSRP but ultimately passed on it. I really want the gearing and wheels, maybe even the suspension, but I wanted all the other creature comforts of the CE.

I FINALLY got mine back from tint and PPF. Still getting through that break in period, but should be good to go come Thursday. I absolutely love the forged carbon with the gloss PPF. So much more depth and character to it that the matte concealed. It really just looked like a dirty roof before, but now it stands out as a centerpiece.

 

Since I made my posts in this thread, I started watching inventory within 250 mile radius of my home. I was expecting it to be very sparse.
Looks like Toyota may have overestimated the demand for Circuit. There are usually 10-15 available within that 250 mile radius. Core Editions, usually only 1-5, and several of them are usually labelled "Sale Pending".
I live in Southern Indiana, so that radius picks up Nashville, Louisville, St Louis, and close to Indianapolis.

When priced, most of both trim levels are priced very close to MSRP. Some have no advertised price, so I assume above MSRP.
One knucklehead dealer has over $72,000 marked on a Circuit Ed.

 

Finally got to drive a GR Core model today. PDI.

I already knew the modern toyotas had good handling and cornering characteristics but it still surprised me. You can hold the throttle full corner and not worry about breaking free.

It's a tough transmission to upshift smoothly for me, it would take some practice and no steel toed shoes.

I don't care for the car as a whole personally, but for a track day car its remarkable. It would hide all of my short comings.

I hope Toyota stands by it and continues with 3 performance cars per market for the next foreseeable future.