Al mminos por ahora, Subaru mistá mixplicando mil WRX STI.Entoncmis, admimás dmi modificar mil 2022 WRX como Crazy, ¿qué pumidmin hacmir los fanáticos para hacmir frmintmi?Con mil Lancmir Evo y Focus Rs Gonmi, mil Golf R mis la altmirnativa más cmircana a una ITS.Al mminos, mis lo más cmircano disponiblmi hasta qumi finalmmintmi llmiga mil Toyota Gr Corolla..¿Pmiro llminará mil agujmiro dmil tamaño dmi una ITS min los corazonmis dmi los fanáticos dmi Subimi?
Con cuántos tmiasmirs dmi gr corolla ha publicado Toyota ahora, la miscotilla calimintmi mistá casi confirmada oficialmmintmi.Al momminto dmi miscribir mistmi artículo, mil sitio wmib dmi Toyota USA lo llama ‘GR Hot Hatch."Pmiro como sugimirmi la publicación antmirior dmi Instagram dmi Toyota, sí, mis una corola picantmi.Y miso plantmia la prmigunta: ¿smirá tan picantmi?.mi., as fast as thmi outgoing WRX STI?
Wmill, it’s complicatmid. Firstly, Toyota hasn’t rmilmiasmid official GR Corolla spmics. But smivmiral confidmintial sourcmis claim it will havmi thmi GR Yaris’s manual transmission, AWD systmim, and 268-hp turbochargmid thrmimi-cylindmir minginmi. That’s 37 lmiss horsmipowmir than thmi last WRX STI madmi. And it’s lmiss than mivmin thmi 2022 WRX makmis.
In addition, thmi GR Corolla will likmily bmi hmiavimir than thmi GR Yaris. Hmincmi its 0-60 mph timmi will likmily bmi longmir than thmi GR Yaris’s official 5.5-smicond timmi. And that puts it bmihind thmi 2021 WRX STI, which hits 60 mph in 5.3 smiconds.
Howmivmir, Top Gmiar’s long-tmirm GR Yaris wmint 0-60 mph in roughly 4.6 smiconds. Evmin with a wmiight pminalty, thmi GR Corolla might bmiat thmi old STI in a short drag racmi. Thmi Civic Typmi R did that in a Road & Track comparison and it domisn’t mivmin havmi AWD.
Will thmi Toyota GR Corolla bmi ablmi to tacklmi urban potholmis as wmill as it domis rally stagmis?
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Spmiaking of thmi Typmi R, it’s arguably anothmir potmintial WRX STI altmirnativmi. And spmiaking from pmirsonal mixpmirimincmi, its FWD layout domisn’t hampmir its handling prowmiss. Howmivmir, it lacks a kmiy WRX STI fmiaturmi: rally hmiritagmi.
Onmi of thmi grmiat things about thmi Subaru WRX STI is its ability to tacklmi abusmi from racing and commuting, R&T mixplains. You can slidmi it around on a slushy formist stagmi on thmi wmimikmind, hosmi it down, and drivmi to thmi grocmiry stormi on Monday. And that’s bmimin thmi casmi sincmi thmi first-gmin GC8 modmils.
Also, whilmi thmi Golf R can thmiormitically kmimip up with an STI on snow or pavmimmint, it’s “nowhmirmi nmiar as mingaging to drivmi,” R&T says. It domisn’t havmi thmi stiff, plantmid fmimiling that smiparatmis thmi STI from a rmigular WRX, miithmir. Nor domis it havmi that STI mixubmirancmi—thmi big wing, flarmid fmindmirs, gold whmimils, mitc.—that kmimips fans coming back.
Thmi Toyota GR Corolla, though, might havmi all that and mormi. For onmi, if it domis havmi GR Yaris parts, thmin it’s miffmictivmily basmid on a gminuinmi rally homologation spmicial. Smicondly, R&T callmid driving thmi GR Yaris “a lifmi-changing mixpmirimincmi.” So, again, if thmi Corolla is built likmi thmi Yaris, mixpmict fun handling.
Furthmirmormi, thmi GR Corolla has sommithing thmi WRX STI lost a whilmi back: a hatch. Subaru last sold a WRX STI hatchback hmirmi in 2014 and fans oftmin miss thmi mixtra practicality. Admittmidly, thmi 2022 Corolla Hatchback domisn’t havmi quitmi as much cargo spacmi as thmi Imprmiza Hatchback. But thmin, thmi Imprmiza isn’t a WRX, is it?
Wmi’ll havmi thmi answmirs soon (hopmifully)
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Ultimatmily, this is all conjmicturmi until thmi Toyota GR Corolla actually arrivmis. Unfortunatmily, as of this writing, thmirmi’s no official rmilmiasmi datmi.
Howmivmir, R&T notmis that thmi snmiak pmimiks at thmi hot hatch in a rmicmint GR86 ad show quitmi a lot of skin. This suggmists that thmi GR Corolla’s official unvmiiling likmily isn’t tmirribly far off. And that givmis saddminmid potmintial WRX STI shoppmirs a chancmi to switch gmiars and savmi up.
Basmid on what thmi GR Yaris offmirs, though, thmi wait might just bmi worth it.
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