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How was it!: Your GRC Driving Experience

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#1 ·
What was it like driving your (or another’s) GRC for the first time! Does it live up to your personal hype?
 
#4 · (Edited)
My expectations were too high, but that's not the car's fault. Imagine an STI, but engineered this decade and not 20 years ago. It doesn't hide its economy car roots, nor does it have a high sense of humor (much more serious/refined than, say, a Fiesta ST), but it still felt very capable/special, thanks to its unique drivetrain. Can't really say much more beyond that after a 5 minute drive in rush hour traffic. I don't think you guys will be disappointed unless you pay a markup.

My biggest takeaway: If Toyota starts selling the GR86 with the G16E instead of the FA24, I would strongly consider buying another.
 
#41 ·
I didn't know where else to put this and didn't really want to make a whole new thread, but I've encountered my first issue with my GRC.

There is an incredibly annoying high-pitched whine that comes from the passenger side vents. It goes away when the climate control is turned off. I think it is from the blower motor. According to the Corolla hatchback forums this is a common issue. They also say a lot of dealers will not do anything about it. I'm going to bring it up when I take my car in for its first service.
 
#44 · (Edited)
Just googled, this thread says it's 15.7 khz, I assume the switching power supply for the fan.

I don't have my car yet, but I'm old so I know I can't hear frequencies that high lol.

 
#45 ·
Just googled, this thread says it's 15.7 khz.


I don't have my car yet, but I'm old so I know I can't hear frequencies that high lol.
It's super piercing and annoying. Just BARELY a frequency that I can hear. Maybe it will go away over time like theirs did.
 
#46 ·
@Sparkko since you're an owner, had a couple questions!

How is clutch and throttle feel on your grc?

On my current toyobaru dd... throttle feel is 20% application = 80% throttle, the throttle mapping is a bit absurd.

Clutch feel is also just okay, bite point is very narrow and vague feeling with plenty of dead travel.

Im hoping these inputs feel a bit more refined on the grc as I barely see any reviewers touch on these.
 
#47 ·
The clutch is firm but not too firm and the bite point is right in the middle and not vague. The throttle feels great and very linear. You do get better throttle response in the "sport" driving mode.
 
#51 ·
Most modern turbo cars have little to no lag [due to advances in turbo design/technology, and engine variable valve timing]. Generally speaking, the lower the peak capability of the turbo, the smaller the turbo, and less lag. I owned a 95 Mitsu Eclipse GST from new, and that had a ton of lag, and the peak power of the turbo was 250whp. I also owned (still have it) a 2008 Mazdaspeed3, and it has little to no lag, and the stock k04 turbo is good for 400whp. It is a 2.3L vs the 2.0L though. The bigger the engine, also the less lag...

Anyway, I haven't heard of lag complaints on modern cars in over a decade, and have heard no complaints of the lag on the GRC or GRY... and the turbo is like capable of 400whp also (with every bolton and modified stock turbo), time will tell, but it's for sure good to 340whp. You also want linear power delivery for a track car, which the GRC is suppose to be a very good car for track.
 
#55 ·
Damn Ozzies! They get all the cool stuff. The GRY, GRC, a plethora of diesel Land Cruiser’s, countless Toyota diesel trucks. In a huge rotary community. Curse them! I’m so jealous.😁
 
#57 ·
I'm interested to hear what a normal person has to say after driving all of them. Should be a different perspective than a car reviewer.
Driving my buddy's focus ST last night and then hopping back into my GR, that car just felt SUPER heavy, in a sense of the steering was heavy, and the engine did not seem as willing to rev, his car is older (2015). The brakes were not that responsive. And that stick was night and day difference in feel and heft when chaging gears compared to the GR.

Now I know that 2.0t in the ST was in every other ford vs the angry 3 cylinder in my car. It just really hits home how special the GR is. While most car makers just take engines from other cars and plop them into their performance cars, Toyota did the opposite and took their special engine and put it into the car.

Overall the GR just feels uber special, the effort that toyota went to, just hits home every time I start the car and drive it.

Also another note hearing the exhaust of the 3 cylinder when somebody else drives it, especially in a parking garage! I was literally jumping up and down with excitement at how awesome it sounds.
 
#58 ·
Driving my buddy's focus ST last night and then hopping back into my GR, that car just felt SUPER heavy, in a sense of the steering was heavy, and the engine did not seem as willing to rev, his car is older (2015). The brakes were not that responsive. And that stick was night and day difference in feel and heft when chaging gears compared to the GR.

Now I know that 2.0t in the ST was in every other ford vs the angry 3 cylinder in my car. It just really hits home how special the GR is. While most car makers just take engines from other cars and plop them into their performance cars, Toyota did the opposite and took their special engine and put it into the car.

Overall the GR just feels uber special, the effort that toyota went to, just hits home every time I start the car and drive it.

Also another note hearing the exhaust of the 3 cylinder when somebody else drives it, especially in a parking garage! I was literally jumping up and down with excitement at how awesome it sounds.
I agree with everything you said about the GR, it does feel special with the way it drives and how it sounds.
I have to praise the steering feel and ratio. It's just right. It's sharp and the initial steering response is quick - which is a big deal, because the 22 WRX dead zone is horrible. :sick:
The steering maybe a little numb but all modern cars are like this. I believe this car makes the steering feel/weight lighter at low speed/parking lots and firms up as you pick up speed.

The cold start almost gives me goosebumps every time. I like how the car tells me when its ready to start moving once the waste gate and middle exhaust flap closes.
 
#63 · (Edited)
Ok so I just got my car today.
Full disclosure- Bill Wright Toyota of Bakersfield, CA. $5k over. Family friend works there. I drove it from Bakersfield back to Corona, CA and then drove around town to break it in a little more for a total of approx. 250 miles for the day.

If you don't want to read the full review- Bottom line is- The GRC is an absolutely fantastic final salute to manual ICE cars. North America was up in arms about not getting the GRY, and Toyota responded to the best of their abilities.

Im going to try and keep it short and sweet with bullet points of GOODS and BADS-

GOODS
1. The overall package- 3 cylinder, 300hp, 273lb ft of torque. Hot hatch/Pocket rocket/4wd. All that works so so so well in this car.
2. This car is SUPER NIMBLE. It will do anything in its power to "stay on course", and it does it extremely well. After all, that's what a "rally" car is supposed to do. So if you're into drifting and letting the tires spin, go elsewhere. This isn't the car for you. The motive for this car is to stay as straight as possible.
3. FOUR THOUSAND RPM. This is the magic number. 4000. When it hits the 4k mark, its a totally different animal. Boost kicks in, the car flies, it feels almost effortless to me. I really think Toyota learned a lot from BMWs approach with the Supra, and put its own twist on this car to complete the GR Family.
4. Exterior- its gorgeous. Just about every angle. You can catch a weird angle if you try hard, but overall, its quite sexy.
5. Interior- I've seen some reviews about it being a cheap interior. No. Not really. It can use 2 key improvements- leather seats and an arm rest. Other than that, its actually a pretty good interior. Is it a Supra or a Corvette or even a Golf R? not quite- But its solid. And its a Toyota in and out, so it works.
6. Gearbox- feels very nice and confidence inspiring. I think the Manual gearbox handle is maybe a half an inch too long, but nothing I can't get used to. The GR shift knob feels really nice in hand. '
7. Seats/seating position- fantastic! Im 6'3, 270 with a slipped disc. I drove 2.5 hours non stop. Pretty comfy for me. Im happy about that. It aint my 2021 Sienna, but its still very good. My right knee rest is better than the Sienna.
8. JBL sound system- WOW. I had a whole list of sound upgrades from sound deadening, to speakers, to woofer for this car because I knew it came with JBL sound which I also have in my 2021 Sienna XSE. This sounds MUCH BETTER. I don't know if its an upgraded system or if its because the car is smaller. Whatever it is, It doesn't need to be touched. Its a huge upgrade from whatever Toyota had going on pre-2021.
9. Exhaust- Sounds SO NOICE in the cabin. It sounds pretty damn good for a 3 cylinder outside as well. But on the freeway, it sounds perfect. Exactly to my liking. Its not overbearing like these aftermarket exhausts, but it does let you know that you're driving something special. No pops, no gurgles, no fake-ness. It is what it is and that's the most beautiful feature- straight from factory!

BADS-
1. ARMREST!!!!- Dude this isn't a deal breaker considering how great the car is otherwise, but oh my god, does it need an armrest! Im confident this is going to get worked out by a 3rd party FOR SURE. Its severely lacking. This is a very good daily driver car- and not having an armrest is absurd.
2. Leather seats- It should have been standard with Toyota's softex at the minimum. But Im totally willing to spend some extra cash to see if Katzkin is able to fix this.
3. Moonroof.....im spoiled. wish it had one.
*Its missing some creature comforts. A couple of those, I believe, can be corrected via aftermarket.

Honestly, I don't think there's much else besides these 2 issues.

Now Ive had a 1999 Toyota Solara TRD Manual with a TRD supercharger, 2006 Nissan 350Z Touring, and a 2013 BMW 328i inline 4 to compare to. This GRC is faster and more complete package than all 3 of these cars. Of all the cars Ive had the privilege of driving- Solara, Z, 2020 Jeep Wrangler, 2020 Audi Q8, s2000, bmw 328i----Im pretty sure this is the one Im going to baby and have the most fun driving.
**Ive also had a 2006 Suzuki Swift Manual for 6 years. (you can't get this car in North America.) The gear handle length and the clutch, in my opinion, was very balanced. It wasn't a rally car but it was a great economy daily driver. And I drove it for 6 years so I have a biased opinion towards it. As of now, I wish the GRC was similar in terms of Arm, hand, clutch/foot position...but after driving the GRC for 250 miles in the 1st day- no stalling- I can tell Toyota knows what its doing- And Ill get used to it very quickly.

OVERALL- 8.5 OF 10. This car is a must buy if you're looking in this segment. Good luck and Cheers to all!
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#65 ·
Great write up! This is what I am looking for, actual owners giving their unbiased driving opinions on the car. I agree that the armrest should be standard in the car, I use mine constantly but certainly not a reason to avoid the car. Aftermarket will take care of that issue. Enjoy your car! Can't wait for mine to get allocated.
 
#64 · (Edited)
You forgot no seatback pockets. If you have them, please post a pic, here:

No one seems to have them, yet it seems to be on the Monroney window stocker, and on the build your own gr corolla website.
 
#66 ·
I have absolutely no issue with not having a sunroof, or leather, or an armrest.

No sunroof is what seperates a sports car to a luxury car when it comes to performance cars. Example, DC5 RSX-S only comes with sunroof, DC5 Type-R does not. Entry luxury vs drivers car. CTR has no sunroof, the new Integra Type-S only comes with sunroof. Same engine on both pairs, excluding 5-15hp. The Mazdaspeed3 no sunroof ever. The Ford Focus RS no sunroof ever. The EVO, no sunroof ever. The 350Z no sunroof ever, buy the G35 if you want sunroof, or get the convertible which is a touring car. GR86/FRS/BRZ no sunroof ever. I could go on forever. No sunroof keeps the weight down, and lower center of gravity. It's about 100lbs extra, when you include the rails, glass, motor, extra structural bracing. Counterproductive when they put carbon fiber/aluminum in the roof to decrease weight... then they put in a sunroof??? Sunroof would make no sense.

Same exact thing goes for the leather. Leather does not allow you be held in the seat, on the turns. The only car in the above list having leather, is the 350Z, but that's more of a touring car clearly. I hate leather for that reason. I want a drivers car, leather ruins it.

Same goes for a manual handbrake. The DC5 was known for having a faulty handbrake (it was misadjusted from the factory), honda is known for weak brakes, and then they go and put in an electronic brake on the CTR. TOTAL DEALBREAKER!!! A drivers car needs to have a manual handbrake.

Armrest... if it's flush to the center console, then ok fine. Otherwise, center armrest gets in the way. The number one complaint on the Fiesta ST was that it had a center arm rest, and that center arm rest completely ruined the car, because your elbow would keep hitting the armrest when trying to drive. JUNK! No center armrest is fine, since it can get in the way if not designed correctly, aka not flush with the center console.... sure, some companies can pull it off (like the 2nd gen DSM had it flush to the center console). Could Toyota put in the extra money and weight to do it... sure, they could... but capared to seatback pockets, it would likely cost more than seatback pockets and be more weight (arguably).

No seatback pockets... now, that's just stupid.

This is all my opinion. Everyone has different thoughts/opinions. For me, seatback pockets are an issue, the rest is fine.
 
#72 ·
I have absolutely no issue with not having a sunroof, or leather, or an armrest.

No sunroof is what seperates a sports car...
The focus RS has a sunroof and Evo had sunroof as well. My current hot-rod WRX has one and I personally love it, but as you noted its not a performance option. But, funny thing about the ARMREST. My WRX does have an armrest, but I'm 6'2 and my arm does not and really could not touch it. They have "armrest extensions" available as a factory accessory, but WRXs don't have "usable" armrests on the 02-07 versions. I think the armrest thing will be a forgotten issue sooner than later. It looks odd not to have the storage of an armrest sitting there, but the actual usable armrest certainly wouldn't sway me at all and I think most buyers will forget about it.
 
#68 ·
My driving experience is so far awesome. The car is special and you can feel it. Steering is lighter than I expected, but as you start driving it doesn't feel as light, clutch is super easy to use, shifter feels good for a cable.

I mean, with 50 miles so far, and half of that with my wife in the passenger seat, and my daughter in the back, not a lot I can do.

Not really driving experience, but I wasn't excited about black (I preferred either of the other colors first), but from the front, in black it looks far more menacing than the other colors.

I think with some bronze wheels it will look great.
 
#69 ·
...Not really driving experience, but I wasn't excited about black (I preferred either of the other colors first), but from the front, in black it looks far more menacing than the other colors.

I think with some bronze wheels it will look great.
The best thing about getting a black car, is that you can get a vinyl wrap in any color you want, and the under the hood and door jams won't look odd being black, vs other colors. You'll also have the best paint protection you can get, you don't have to wax the car ever again, resale value will never take a hit for paint deterioration... and if/when the color wears down, rewrap it. If you get in an accident, insurance covers having to rewrap the damaged panel/bumper.
 
#70 ·
Have owned many cars and trucks and have driven hundreds of others.
But the car to compare this closest to would be the 13' sti hatch I used to have.
Still breaking the grc in but the chassis is stiff like the sti. The sti edges the grc out ever so slightly in that it was a tad stiffer than the grc.
Nimbleness on the road is the same.
Cargo space wise the sti cargo area is more than double the size of the grc cargo area. Both drive and handle similarly.
Definitely rode lower in the subie than the grc. But I plan to get a seat lowering kit for the grc because it's needed imho.
 
#71 ·
Have owned many cars and trucks and have driven hundreds of others.
But the car to compare this closest to would be the 13' sti hatch I used to have.
Still breaking the grc in but the chassis is stiff like the sti. The sti edges the grc out ever so slightly in that it was a tad stiffer than the grc.
Nimbleness on the road is the same.
Cargo space wise the sti cargo area is more than double the size of the grc cargo area. Both drive and handle similarly.
Definitely rode lower in the subie than the grc. But I plan to get a seat lowering kit for the grc because it's needed imho.
I had a 08 STI, I feel like the GRC is stiffer, which makes sense, the 08 was notorious for having been made too soft, and they updated it really quick.

so stiffer than an 08 STI, but not as stiff as a 13 STI.

yeah, the STI cargo area was monstrous comparatively to the GRC. even with cloth seats though, I prefer the GRC interior.
 
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#82 ·
Welp. I'm officially back on the list at my dealership for a 2025 or 2026 Circuit edition equivalent. I've enjoyed driving this car so much that I want a higher trim version to keep long term. Especially since this will most likely be the last fully ICE hot hatch that Toyota will be able to produce. Hoping for some quality-of-life improvements to the car in future model years.
 
#83 ·
Smart, and probably pretty common. I come from the 2002 WRX era and there were a LOT of folks that traded up when the 2004 STI came out. I expect Toyota brings a variety of special editions. I would expect MSRP bumps though! These Core models that are 3 options for around $40k will sound cheap as these start coming in at $50k+. Its similar to the WRX/STI story. You can normally buy a WRX and get to STI levels of performance for less money. But the total package of the STI is usually better value. I'm holding out for an upgraded one. I'm in line now and I'm hoping the very few in front of me take a Core so I can bump to #1 for a Circuit or whatever is next. I won't take a Core.
 
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