I've Owned Both a BMW M2 Comp and a Lexus IS-F, But Here's Why My Automatic GR Corolla Is The Most Fun Car I've Ever Had (And Yes, It Makes Funny Noises)

The Toyota GR Corolla is a freak. An amazing  rally-bred hatchback bolted to a commuter-car skeleton. This is a car that shouldn’t exist, a turbocharged, all-wheel-drive, manual-transmission anti-hero to the crossover lovers everywhere. But here it is, thrashing backroads with the grace of a honey badger on Red Bull, proving that joy doesn’t require a six-figure badge or a carbon-fiber diet.

Now, let’s hear from someone who’s lived it, 

“Just thought I should share my personal experience with the 2025 GRC in automatic form for whomever interested. In terms of sports cars, I came from an 2008 Lexus IS-F and a BMW M2 Comp. So I’m using these as my reference points. Although to me, the GRC objectively sounds like a lawn mower, I find it to be really charming and playful in that sense. It is also not objectively the fastest car I own, but somehow it feels that way to me. I have never felt more connected to the corners and glued to the ground the same way I feel in the GRC. And when you put the car in GR-Four Track and switch to paddle shift mode (from ‘Drive’ to ‘Manual’) the GRC will jolt you between upshift, which feels just like a DCT at full throttle, and this is incredibly fun. Unlike the DCT, however, the shifting is very smooth and predictable when simply cruising around town. 

“In automatic form, the car will also let you sit at redline for as long as you want, if you’re in ‘Sport’ mode, and the soft limiter will begin to come in as you approach redline. This creates the sound and feeling that you get when you bang off the rev limiter on an ISF. But what’s also interesting is that the car makes the same sound at ~5k rpm, which is nowhere near redline, like it’s playing with you before actually ripping to redline and then doing the same thing. Lastly, if you let off the throttle at ~5k rpm, it makes a fart sound that’s quite funny and weirdly rewarding when you see the tachometer leaves behind an rpm peak indicator like some sort of high water mark or personal record that’s waiting to be broken. There’s a lot of other quirks I’ve discovered with the GRC in automatic form that I can’t quite fit in a post, but I’m looking forward to many more fun years with this car. I know the automatic GRC is not often touched on, but it is absolutely awesome. Good luck to all of those interested in this car, I hope you will join us in ownership of this amazing machine.”

Raw Performance That Outshines Lexus IS F & BMW M2

This owner’s journey, from a snarling Lexus IS F and a precision-tooled BMW M2 Comp to a Corolla that gargles gravel, speaks volumes. The GR Corolla isn’t just a car; it’s a vibe. A vibe that laughs at the IS F’s V8 theatrics and the M2’s Teutonic polish. Where the Lexus bellows, the GRC buzzes. Where the BMW slices, the GRC slogs. But in that slog is magic: a raw, unfiltered connection to the road that modern performance cars have airbrushed out of existence. Toyota didn’t engineer this thing, they weaponized it.

Engine, Design, and Performance Innovations

• The GR Corolla is equipped with a 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine producing 300 horsepower, paired with a six-speed manual transmission and an advanced all-wheel-drive system. ​
• Drawing inspiration from Toyota's rally success, particularly with the GR Yaris, the GR Corolla incorporates technologies and design elements aimed at delivering a dynamic driving experience. ​
• To improve rigidity and durability, the GR Corolla features additional spot welds and structural adhesive, contributing to its agile handling characteristics.

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, the GR Corolla’s “poverty spec” roots. This is still, at its core, a Corolla, a car designed to ferry accountants to Costco, not shred canyon roads. The interior? A symphony of hard plastics and parts-bin switchgear. The infotainment? Straight out of a 2018 Camry lease special. But here’s the twist: That cheapness is its superpower. By starting with an econobox skeleton, Toyota’s engineers had to work for every ounce of performance. The result? A car that feels alive in your hands, where every rattle and thrumbly exhaust note reminds you it’s built to be thrashed, not coddled.

Compare it to the M2 Competition, a car so clinically competent it could perform open-heart surgery mid-drift. The BMW is faster, yes—its S55 twin-turbo inline-six churns out 405 hp to the GRC’s 300—but it’s also sterile. The GR Corolla, with its gravelly three-cylinder soundtrack and rear-biased GR-Four AWD system, demands participation. It’s the difference between watching a Formula 1 race on TV and riding a bull at a rodeo. Similarly, the 2008 IS F, a car that once defined “sleeper sedan”, now feels like a relic next to the Toyota’s agility. The Lexus’ 5.0L V8 is a sledgehammer; the GRC’s 1.6L turbo is a scalpel.

Manual vs. Automatic for a Pure Driving Experience

The manual vs. automatic debate? Forget what you know. While the six-speed stick (a rarity in 2025!) is the purist’s pick, the automatic, a beefed-up Aisin unit with paddle shifters, is a dark horse. As our quoted owner notes, in “GR-Four Track” mode, the transmission slams gears with DCT-like aggression, yet it’s docile enough for Walmart runs. It’s a Jekyll-and-Hyde act that even BMW’s vaunted DCT can’t match. And that 5k-rpm fart noise? That’s the GRC trolling you, turning a mechanical quirk into a game. Try getting a German engineer to sign off on that.

What Toyota understands, and brands like BMW and Lexus have forgotten—is that speed isn’t everything. The GR Corolla’s genius lies in its imperfections. The way the turbo whooshes like a vacuum cleaner on steroids. The way the steering wheel vibrates just enough to remind you it’s alive. 

The Gritty, Imperfect Masterpiece of Unbridled Driving

The way it goads you into chasing that “high water mark” on the tach. This isn’t a car you drive; it’s a car you brawl with. And in an era where even hot hatches are going soft (looking at you, AMG A45), that’s revolutionary. So here’s to the GR Corolla: the underdog that out-charms its betters, the parts-bin special that punches up, the econobox that refuses to grow up. It’s not perfect. It’s not polished. But in a world of sanitized speed, it’s a dirt-stained masterpiece. 

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.