Comparison: Toyota GR Corolla vs. Hyundai i30 N vs. VW Golf R

German publication Motorsportotal.com has recently published an article comparing the GR Corolla, Hyundai i30 N, and the VW Golf R. With anticipation for these cars being high, it is necessary for one to know which hot hatch is the better deal for the price. All these cars are anywhere from $35,000 to $49,000. While it is a significant amount of difference, most of these cars have the same power and all come in a manual 6-speed transmission. Let’s look at what Manuel Lehbrink, the reporter who compared these cars, said about these models.

According to him, the Toyota GR Corolla lies right in between the 320hp Golf R and the 280hp Hyundai i30 N. All three have small turbo engines none of them bigger than 2.0 liters. In this case, the GR Corolla has the smallest engine with it being a turbocharged 1.6-liter 3-cylinder engine.

Surprisingly, this small engine makes more power than the bigger 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine in the Hyundai i30 N. The similar engine is in the Golf R which makes 40 more horsepower than the Hyundai i30 N.
While the price for the GR Corolla has not been officially released for the U.S market, we can expect it to be somewhere along with the $40,000 ballpark for the Core Model. So the GR Corolla would be a better buy for the price. The Hyundai i30 N is starting at $50,000 and has less horsepower. The Golf R has more horsepower with an MSRP of $44,000.

Time will tell whether the GR Corolla is better than the Golf R. While Lehbrink doesn’t really say which is the better buy, it seems as if the Hyundai i30 N is an underperforming and overpriced car compared to the Golf R and GR Corolla.

A lot of the specs for the GR Corolla are still not available so we hope to see that in the coming months. Things like price, performance, different variables, etc. are still not available so until those numbers are released, we can’t really say which is the better buy.

What do you think? Which one do you think is the best? Let us know in the comments section below.

Harutiun Hareyan is reporting Toyota news at Torque News. His automotive interests and vast experience test-riding new cars give his stories a sense of authenticity and unique insights. Follow Harutiun on Twitter at @HareyanHarutiun for daily Toyota news.