- Toyota will keep the circuit version of the GR Corolla around for another model year.
- Originally, the 2024 lineup was limited to only the base Core and hopped-up Morizzo versions.
- It is unclear whether the circuit will continue in 2025.
Originally, the mid-tier circuit version of the Toyota GR Corolla was only supposed to exist for the hatchback’s inaugural model year. But now, buyers will continue to choose between three possible trims for at least one more trip around the Sun.
Toyota has announced that it will be bringing back the GR Corolla Circuit Edition for the 2024 model year. Only 1500 examples of this trim were made available in 2023, and according to a brief press release, Toyota says that customer demand changed the company’s strategy. A Toyota spokesperson said in a release, “When Toyota GR fans speak, we listen, and we plan to increase GR Corolla volumes and continue offering the Circuit Edition as part of the GR Corolla lineup in 2024.” “
Every corner of the GR Corolla lineup is an absolute hoot, but the Circuit Edition is really the sweet spot for us. It rings in some $7000 above the base model, but it’s also $7000 cheaper than the hardcore Morizzo version. The Circuit variant lacks the Morizzo’s stiffer gearing and extra torque, but it still has plenty of driver-focused goodies, like a Torsen limited-slip differential, a carbon-fiber roof, and heated sport seats wrapped in suede and leather. , No matter the trim, the GR Corolla’s 1.3-liter inline-three makes 300 horsepower.
Thanks to a slew of changes under the skin, the GR Corolla feels better than a simple sum of the parts. During our testing, we balked at its chassis balance, which reminded us of BMWs from the ’90s. Whether it’s slow or fast, there’s always tons of fun to be had in this hot hatch.
However, it is unclear what changes Toyota plans to make for 2024. In the release, it is mentioned that the 2024 Circuit Edition will “carry over some of the standard features of the 2023 model,” but declined to be specific at this time, saying only that we will get more details later this year . Don’t take the circuit version’s existence as a permanent guarantee; Toyota said 2025 model-year production is “still under consideration.”
senior editor
Cars are Andrew Kroc’s jam, along with boysenberries. After graduating with a degree in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2009, Andrew cut his teeth writing freelance magazine features, and now has a decade of full-time review experience under his belt. A Chicagoan by birth, he has been a resident of Detroit since 2015. Maybe one day he’ll do something about that half-baked engineering degree.