We put Toyota's new and improved 2025 GR Corolla 5-door hatch to the test at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. These 10 updates make it even better.

Toyota once offered the GR Corolla with a six-speed manual transmission. To attract a broader range of buyers, the automaker is introducing a fast-shifting eight-speed automatic and adding more standard handling upgrades to this hot hatch.

The 2025 GR Corolla tempts enthusiast ire with a new automatic gearbox option, but Toyota won't let stick shift zealots set the agenda.

The 2025 Toyota GR Corolla enters its third model year on sale equipped with various small improvements and a major one: an optional automatic transmission. Whereas the 2023 and 2024 models were only available with a six-speed manual,

Strategic tweaks and a new automatic transmission mean a sharper drive with wider appeal, but the GR Corolla's fundamental charms haven’t changed.

Toyota added an optional eight-speed automatic to its GR Corolla hot hatch for 2025, though the automaker expects that just 22 percent of consumers will choose the $2,000 option.

The latest Toyota GR Corolla is packed with updates aimed at enhancing performance, including suspension improvements, better cooling, and even a new transmission option. However, the core of what makes the GR Corolla great remains unchanged—the simple formula of a six-speed manual transmission.

Toyota knows how to please car enthusiasts, and they are no stranger to performance cars. Case in point is the new 2025 Toyota GR Corolla. This is one of the cheapest road legal race cars you can get your hands on today.