These Are the 2023 Toyota GR Corolla Detail Shots You Want to See
Take a closer look at that sweet, forged carbon roof.
The 2023 Toyota GR Corolla set the world ablaze a few weeks ago when it was revealed to the world in all its triple-exhaust glory. With more power than the fawned-over GR Yaris from the same 1.6-liter, three-cylinder engine, it's doubtlessly going to be a hoot. For this reason, I wasted no time exploring every nook and cranny of the popular hatchback while it was on display at the 2022 New York International Auto Show.
Interestingly enough, the most striking feature of the car in person was not its wide stance and angry visage, but its forged carbon roof. Forged carbon, in case you don't know, is a form of carbon fiber where loose strands of the material are pressed together along with a binding resin in a mold. The end result is something that's typically not quite as strong as the more well-known woven stuff, but it's still fairly lightweight, looks cool, and it's cheaper to produce. Up close, it's stunning.
The car I photographed in detail is a prototype, so final production versions may differ; however, the finish on this particular roof looks like it consisted of a pass with a rough abrasive followed by a coat of satin clear coat. It looks super and has some nice contrast with the black antenna housing. It will probably look even better on white cars.
For those wondering if all of the various new vents on the new GR Corolla are functional, yes, it appears they are—at least from what I could tell on this show model. Unlike the Toyota Supra, this GR's newfound accouterments seem to be functional, as the two louvered openings seem to help extract heat from the engine bay.
Other details on the exterior include a rather aggressive rear wing—though it's less aggro than the Civic Type R's. There's also GR-branded everything, and the large-mouthed front fascia. It was hard to tell if the brake cooling ducts were functional, but I have no reason to believe they aren't. The vents on the quarter fenders behind the front wheels also seemed legit when I poked around them. They're GR-branded as well. This is a GR Corolla, if you didn't know.
I also got a single cheeky shot of the car's interior, which was apparently frowned upon by the person manning the booth—even though we've seen the vehicle's insides before. The shifter features Akio Toyoda's signature, serving as a sort of "seal of approval" from the man himself.
Besides that, there were the three exhaust tips that we've already discussed before, the wide stance we've come to expect, and the angry face that appropriately represents the boosted, all-wheel-drive hatchback's rally-bred genes. We really look forward to driving the Toyota GR Corolla when it finally hits the streets, but in the meantime, it was nice to get a little taste of it.
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