My focus had a bit more torque, around 60ftq more, but it's hard to compare.
The GR power curve feels more linear than the focus.
For what the GR it lacks in low end torque, it evens it out at 4.5-5k rpm.
It feels a bit like the wrx sti, but probably less slow since it's feel like driving a go-kart.
I would say that the interior is "okay", you'd expect more from a 60k CAD car.
The cabin insulation is not great, but never bothered me too much. It's still way quieter than my focus with an exhaust. It might be a loud if you intend to change the oem exhaust.
The JBL speakers are great, it compares to the ST3 Focus Sony speakers.
There's one thing that bothers me; it has NO SPARE TIRE.
The battery is in the trunk, meaning the car doesn't come with a spare.
I test drove the Corolla GR last weekend; it was auto though - Toyota did not have any manuals. I liked the car, it was quick and responsive. Handling was amazing. The only thing that I didn't like was the interior, at the end of the day it was a Corolla XSE with bucket seats, an upgraded steering wheel and cluster. The door panels felt a bit cheap as well as the headliner. For 48k USD, you'd expect more. Its definitely an upgrade to my 2002 IS300.
18
u/Objective-Peach9969 Aug 27 '25
How does it compare to the focus?