Cars

2025 Toyota GR Corolla: A New Era with Automatic Transmission

The 2025 Toyota GR Corolla marks a pivotal moment for the performance hatchback, as Toyota introduces a new optional eight-speed automatic transmission. This addition, while stirring debate among purists, expands the model's appeal by offering a more accessible and comfortable driving experience. The vehicle maintains its spirited character with features like heavily bolstered sport seats and steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters, ensuring that even with the automatic, the GR Corolla remains a thrilling machine designed for dynamic driving.

This latest iteration of the GR Corolla emphasizes both performance and convenience, blending the raw excitement expected from a Gazoo Racing product with the ease of an automatic gearbox. The focus remains on providing a responsive and controlled driving experience, whether navigating daily commutes or pushing limits on a track. The integration of advanced features such as launch control further highlights Toyota's commitment to delivering a high-performance vehicle that caters to a broader range of driving preferences.

The Evolution of the GR Corolla Drivetrain

For the 2025 model year, Toyota has made a significant decision regarding the GR Corolla's transmission options, introducing an eight-speed automatic alongside the existing manual. This move streamlines the driving process, removing the need for a clutch pedal and replacing the traditional stick shift with a straightforward PRND selector. This evolution is aimed at broadening the car's appeal to a wider audience, including those who prefer or require an automatic transmission, without sacrificing the core performance identity of the GR Corolla. The implementation of paddle shifters on the steering wheel allows for manual gear selection, providing an engaging experience for drivers who still desire control over shifts, making it a versatile option for various driving scenarios. Furthermore, the inclusion of launch control ensures that the automatic variant can still deliver impressive acceleration, maintaining the car's reputation for rapid take-offs.

The introduction of an automatic transmission in the 2025 Toyota GR Corolla represents a strategic update that addresses changing consumer preferences while attempting to preserve the vehicle's high-performance ethos. By swapping the three-pedal manual setup for an eight-speed automatic, Toyota aims to attract drivers who might have previously overlooked the GR Corolla due to its manual-only offering. This automatic gearbox simplifies operation in congested urban environments and offers a more relaxed driving experience during longer journeys. However, it also incorporates paddle shifters, enabling drivers to manually control gear changes for a more dynamic and involved feel when desired. Bolstered sport seats are standard, providing excellent lateral support crucial for maintaining driver stability during aggressive cornering. These seats, combined with the quick-shifting automatic and launch control feature, mean that the GR Corolla still delivers exhilarating performance figures, evidenced by its impressive skidpad capabilities, allowing drivers to fully exploit the car's handling prowess.

Performance and Driver-Focused Enhancements

The 2025 Toyota GR Corolla is engineered for exhilarating performance, a fact underscored by its ability to achieve a 0.97-g orbit around the skidpad, a testament to its exceptional grip and stability. This impressive handling is complemented by generously bolstered sport seats, meticulously designed to keep occupants firmly in place during high-G maneuvers. Beyond raw grip, the vehicle's driving dynamics are further enhanced by the inclusion of paddle shifters on the steering wheel, offering drivers a more interactive and controlled gear-shifting experience. These shifters, combined with a sophisticated launch control system, allow the automatic variant to deliver rapid acceleration and a thrilling start off the line, cementing the GR Corolla's position as a serious contender in the hot-hatch segment. This blend of features ensures that the vehicle remains engaging and capable, catering to enthusiasts who demand both performance and a degree of driving convenience.

The 2025 GR Corolla is meticulously crafted to deliver a compelling performance driving experience, even with the new automatic transmission option. The robustly designed sport seats are a standout feature, providing crucial support and comfort that keeps the driver and front passenger securely positioned during spirited driving, especially evident in high-lateral-G situations like the 0.97-g skidpad performance. This level of stability is vital for maintaining control and confidence when pushing the vehicle's limits. The steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters are a key component for those who desire manual control over the automatic gearbox, allowing for quick and precise gear changes without removing hands from the wheel. This feature enhances driver engagement and responsiveness. Furthermore, the integrated launch control system is critical for maximizing acceleration from a standstill, ensuring consistently quick take-offs. These thoughtful design choices and performance-oriented features collectively ensure that the 2025 Toyota GR Corolla, irrespective of its transmission, offers a dynamic and thrilling driving experience that appeals to a wide spectrum of automotive enthusiasts.

Craftsman 21-Inch Tradestack System Tool Box on Sale at Amazon

For individuals who frequently undertake projects away from their primary workspace, efficiently organizing and transporting tools is crucial. While a standard toolbox suffices for a small assortment of instruments, those with a more extensive collection benefit immensely from a comprehensive storage system. The Craftsman 21-Inch Tradestack System Tool Box, now available at a substantially reduced price on Amazon, presents an excellent solution for these needs.

This particular Craftsman toolbox, characterized by its iconic black and red design, measures over 21 inches in length, 14 inches in width, and 12 inches in height. This generous sizing allows for the organized storage of various tools, from smaller items like tape measures and screwdrivers in its integrated removable tray, to larger power tools such as cordless drills and impact drivers within its spacious main compartment. Crafted from robust plastic, the toolbox offers exceptional protection against dust and water, ensuring the safety and longevity of its contents. A key advantage of this model is its seamless integration into Craftsman's proprietary Tradestack System, enabling users to combine it with other storage units, including rolling bases and carrying cases, for unparalleled ease of transport.

Customer feedback highlights the product's practicality and durability. Users commend its stackable design, which simplifies tool organization and mobility, and its sturdy construction, which ensures it can withstand rigorous use. The removable shelf for smaller components is also frequently praised for enhancing organizational efficiency. This limited-time offer on Amazon, making the Craftsman 21-Inch Tradestack System Tool Box available at 39% off its original price, provides an opportune moment for anyone looking to upgrade their tool storage and streamline their workflow.

Acquiring dependable tools and effective storage solutions is an investment in productivity and efficiency. Such practical acquisitions not only simplify tasks but also contribute to a more organized and stress-free work environment, fostering a sense of accomplishment and readiness for any challenge.

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2025 Toyota GR Corolla Automatic: A Hot Hatch with Mixed Reviews

The 2025 Toyota GR Corolla introduces an optional eight-speed automatic transmission, a move designed to attract a wider audience to this high-performance compact car. While this aims to make the energetic hot hatchback more accessible, particularly for daily driving, initial tests reveal that the automatic variant doesn't quite match the manual's performance metrics. Enthusiasts might find the traditional six-speed manual gearbox still offers a more engaging and ultimately faster driving experience, reinforcing the car's core identity as a driver-focused machine, even as Toyota explores new avenues for broader appeal.

Toyota's decision to offer an automatic transmission for the 2025 GR Corolla is part of a strategy to expand its market reach. The vehicle maintains its exhilarating 300-horsepower turbocharged inline-three engine, now boasting an increased torque output of 295 pound-feet. This robust powertrain, coupled with a driver-configurable all-wheel-drive system and exceptional chassis dynamics, allows the GR Corolla to transform winding roads into an exciting rally stage. The automatic transmission's shifts are commendably swift and intelligently managed, especially in Sport mode, and its additional ratios contribute to keeping the engine within its optimal power band while providing a more relaxed cruising experience on highways.

Despite the sophisticated engineering of the new automatic gearbox, performance comparisons against the manual version reveal some interesting discrepancies. When initiated with a 3500-rpm launch control start, the automatic GR Corolla achieved 60 mph in 5.0 seconds. This is slightly slower by a tenth of a second compared to the slowest manual GR Corolla tested, and notably 0.6 seconds behind the quickest manual variant. The automatic's performance consistency in testing was also noted to vary, and it couldn't surpass the manual in quarter-mile times, indicating that the traditional gearbox still holds an edge in outright acceleration.

Moreover, the automatic model carries an additional 72 pounds, pushing its curb weight to 3345 pounds, which marginally impacts fuel efficiency. The EPA highway rating for the automatic stands at 27 mpg, one mpg less than the manual's 28 mpg. While our 75-mph highway test recorded an impressive 35 mpg, the overall practicality for relaxed long-distance cruising is somewhat diminished by the car's inherent characteristics. The cabin noise, measured at 29 sones at 70 mph, combined with a firm ride over imperfect road surfaces and the absence of a central armrest, suggests that the automatic GR Corolla might not be the ideal companion for extended, leisurely journeys. Furthermore, the automatic transmission adds approximately $2000 to the vehicle's price, pushing the top-tier Premium Plus model's tested cost beyond $50,000.

Toyota deserves recognition for its initiative in attempting to diversify the GR Corolla's appeal. The 2025 model also benefits from subtle chassis refinements and improved engine cooling, showcasing a commitment to ongoing development. However, for a vehicle celebrated for its raw driving engagement, the addition of a two-pedal setup, while offering convenience, doesn't quite capture the full essence of the GR Corolla's spirited character. The manual transmission remains the more harmonious pairing for this delectable driver's car, delivering the untamed spirit that its enthusiasts cherish.

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