Did this Kill the STI? 2023 Toyota GR Corolla Circuit Edition Reviewed 

Im gonna say what no one else wants to say: The STI killed itself. It was like putting Moviestop against Netflix. This GR Corolla is what Subaru WRX and STI enthusiasts deserve, without all the reliability issues. Great review Ryan!

It would be a kick in the pants to drive, but at my age it’s too hard to get in and out of. Great review Ryan

The price point was mentioned here as reasonable, $42-43k for the Circuit and $49-51k for the Morizo. But, one thing is not mentioned that I found out from finally talking to an honest dealer is the final price. Since this is a premium vehicle and there will be a limited number built paired with high demand, expect the dealer to add $10-20k to the final price. They are currently doing this with the top trim level Tundra. At this high price range I was starting to see low mileage RS7's show up in my regional car searches just for comparison.

I happy this GR-Four is here. I would like to see the Celica GT-4/AllTrac make a return as well!

YES!!!!! Have been waiting for this from none other than, Ryan Douthit!!! As a current 2020 STI owner... I have been itching for this review...

Glad we get this (especially the Morizo edition). Will be interesting to see how it stacks up to the competition. Shame STI and RS offerings are no longer around to bolster the segment, maybe this will reinvigorate it to a degree.

That's so cool! Two of my favorite channels tested this same car, just like with the Lexus RX 500h F Sport!

Great review!! Where did you get that shirt!? It's awesome 😎👍

Happy to see you review this monster. Not a practical car for me but enjoyable to get your take.

Seeing the body roll sway bars would be my first upgrade for the track

16 year old boys all the way up to 23 year old boys are begging their parents to buy this for them. Toyota nailed it for building a car for this specific teen-early adult demographic. But as someone who’s worked in the schools as a shop teacher, teens also crave V8 muscle. Watching their eyes light up when they hear a V8 fire up is priceless.

I'm so excited! I want one so bad! Sadly, the dealerships pricing on this will suck...

In your words “Toyota is turning the upside down!” Why can’t Subaru turn the world upside down with a MANUAL Crosstrek (turbo) version of this vehicle!? Don’t they realize the sales and buzz this would generate?

Detailed review 👍

LOL I would have liked to have seen you race Tommy/Roman from TFL, but it almost looks like you drove the same car they had. Nonetheless, your take on this was great. I wish they had this back in the mid to late 80's. I liked my Accord Hatchback a lot, but this would have def. taken things to the next level.

Thanks for the review Ryan. Any turbo lag?

Ryan, This is the consolation prize for markets unfit, undeserving and unworthy of the GR Yaris. Still, it is one of the shiniest silver medals ever issued. It may not be the 'Apex' 0:52 of Corollas but it is certainly the pinnacle. 😉

I can’t wait to see the RU-vid videos that compare the Toyota GR Corolla, Honda Civic Type R, old Subaru WRX STi, Hyundai Elantra N, and Mazda3 Turbo AWD Hatch both as family cars and fun back road weekend cars

I really like this car but getting this car would be a nightmare with all the dealer markups.. I am hoping Subaru would resurrect the STI to make this segment competitive .

Thank god for this video I’ve been trying to get rid of my chlamydia for months!!! 😂

The more I see about this car the more I'm glad I got a 22 Veloster N DCT before they stopped making them, for MSRP BTW.

I love that you review such a wide range of vehicles! Where else can I see reviews on Hot Hatches, Pickups, and SUVs?! Thanks.

This car is going to be better than an Sti on the track. Toyota really gave the fans what they wanted. Hopefully the following years they will increase the number of units produced.

Yeah it’s not the same as an sti, but it’s a hatch so it’s pretty close. The next sti won’t be gas powered as we heard so this is pretty nice

The STI died because Subaru can't get that kind of performance out of a boxer/AWD combo while meeting fuel mileage and emission requirements. If there ever is a new STI (probably a hybrid hothatch) you'll likely be able to get one custom built in 2-4 months instead of waiting 2-4 years for something that might match what you're looking for. Good luck getting Toyota to allow you to buy one of these, especially anywhere near MSRP.

When the current WRX came out. I told my wife I wanted to buy it but after watching several videos it really put me down. Pathetic output (torque and horsepower) . This GR Corolla is an instant winner. No longer do I have faith in Subaru product. People asked me what about reliability? This Corolla would not be less reliable than any Subaru. With a specific output (power and torque per liter of displacement) and torque higher than the Porsche Turbo S, it puts many "exotic' euros to shame.

Looks like finding one of these things will be similar to finding a unicorn.

Good luck getting one these, every dealer is marking them up by $15-$25k above msrp and if you weren’t lucky enough to be the first 2-3 people on the list you’re looking at a 2 year wait for a 2023 car.

Ryan wearing that sick Initial D shirt. He knows what he's doing.

I see in few weeks or months the 500hp bolt on Corolla's in USA...this 3 Cylinder Engine is incredible

I just wish the back window wasn’t so slanted down.The trunk would have much more space if it was more like the golf.

Definitely, best of the group ! People drives sporty cars still prefer this one over Supra ..

For my heart, review a razvani tank car's this time pleaes 😌

When you were sitting in the backseat, was the driver seat adjusted to be where it would be if you were the driver?

Of the 5 people I know that bought cars like this (Honda Civic Type R to be specific), not a single one uses it on a track. I am extremely grateful that car companies still make exciting vehicles, but let's not pretend that anyone who makes enough money to buy one has the 16 year old brain of someone who would use it as intended.

I’m and evo and sti guy I’ve had 2 evos and I have an sti now the only way I would get this car and I do like it would be a straight up trade for my limited 17 sti wingless with 43k miles for a new gr Corolla cause I know they r going to make this gr 50 to 60 mark up

Love that it looks like a rally car.

My only complaint is dealer markups. If you know of any dealers that will be msrp please leave a comment

Awesome car and I’m glad Toyota is releasing the GR lime, but the engine sounds way overworked and I don’t see it lasting as long due to the turbo and relatively new 3 cylinder engine

Performance wise, would You say that it is similar to a 2022 WRX?

Ouch that price tag with that 0-60

I've had a WRX in my driveway since '02. Looking to replace my aging hatch with the STI. The new WRX looks like Subaru found a discount coupon for plastic cladding. After keeping my '02 for 17 years I bought it's '05 twin to tide me over for the new model. Oh well, GR is looking like a viable replacement

Can you do a offload test on mercedes benz E220 All Terrain?

Ryan, STi-killers are in the boardrooms/upper management of Toyota and Subaru...however, this GR Corolla is a STi beater...

I want a core edition with performance package and the "winter" pack. Time will tell if I'll ever be able to get one...

Did this Kill the STI? Nope. Ya' can't kill something that's already dead. I've been bugging two local Toyota dealerships for the last couple months to let me pre-order order one, to no avail (maybe because I've said that I won't pay over MSRP. Hmmm ;). Love the review, though!

Toyota wins. But what I don't get, instead of building hardly any with MASSIVE dealer markups... Why doesn't Toyota build a bunch of these to be meet the demand?

16:49 that smile

I want it, ordered one, but will have a very hard time selling my STI...

I feel like in this economy they should start direct from manufacturer pricing. Skip the dealer all together. It's a crime that they can mark up vehicles so much higher than msrp.

Toyota Performance and Racing heritage is back. Also there were many performance Corollas before the Apex model

Between Toyota giving us the STI like hot hatch that everyone's clamored for for years and Subaru dropping the ball on the new WRX (and killing the STI), I've lost faith in Subaru when it comes to performance. I loved my STI when I had it but I'm greatly considering the GR.

Glad I was able to put my deposit down to secure the Circuit edition. 2023 can’t come fast enough!

For me, they missed the mark. On calling this, The new Celica AllTrac Turbo. Man, I miss my ST-185.

High mark up nice reveiw

Toyota just made the game interesting. Finally, AWDs hot hatches are back, baby. VW ain't alone in North America anymore.

The Circuit Edition is the heaviest trim. The Morizo Edition is Lighter than the Core Model by only 76 lbs...

How much did they save on the car by removing one cylinder and cutting the back? Maybe a couple of grands? This car could have been a lot better and a lot more useful and practical if they had kept the 4 cylinders and made it a little longer and boxier in the back.

That price is outrageous. for that price I brought a low mileage boxsters S

whew ! they should have used paddle shifters than golden stick shifter

My STI still running and when the engine goes I’ll just slap in a new one. I’ll never get rid of this car.

Don't forget about the Dealership Markup.

For the extra 8-10k ill save on a WRX. I’ll stick with my WRX and blow the doors off this with performance and handling upgrades.

why do interior designers always put the cupholders right where my arm goes when shifting?

I m pretty happy with my loaded (sport-tech) 2019 STI, now with an extra 60ph thanks to cobb and an adjustable coilover set, thanks to Cygnus performance, and no of the modern distractions like lane assist, adapt cruise ctrl. Looks nine though with a hatch.

Toyota is always under performing, but simply seeing how the wheels are positioned so closely to the corners of the vehicle, Toyota fans can hold out hope.

A Corolla model with look and performance, the WRX has to watch out

I doubt it. Good luck for trying to get this car.

Apparently you can't get a GR Corolla unless you are on a list, and you will still pay an ungodly sum for it, and they are producing in very limited supply, so WRX would be something you could actually purchase, so doesn't make sense to discontinue it?

The STi was plagued with problems and nobody wanted to deal with that anymore. It's really bad when my dealership doesn't want to take a trade in because it has a cobb accessport and they say it's because the car might blow up.

Yep, it's a sti killer with that msrp. Super high

the gr corolla in my opinion is like the perfect rally and circuit car. Does both excellently

Seems like this is marketed towards those who are looking for a WRX upgrade/STi replacement and not those who already have an STi. I'm curious to know if those who already own an STi would trade their cars in for the GR Corolla?

Definitely better than the Subaru STi. Not a bad compliment coming from a Subaru enthusiast.

its good but how much can you mod the engine small as it is before ..It Blows!!!

I feel personally attacked everytime you rub it in that you're legs-torso-proportionate.

i want this car bro.

What a cool car! Great job Toyota.

Let's hope the entire underneath doesn't rust away like my new Matrix did. 💀💀💀💀

easy 20k dealer markup esp in this crazy market

Prices will be super high what with the normal dealer gouging.

if you could get one for msrp, they'd be worth it. Since Toyota isn't doing anything to curb the "market adjustments" from the dealers this is going to be a short lived car because the target market can't afford it.

What do you guys think the resale value for the circuit edition will be in 5 years? Do you think it will be over $70,000

Stop thinking this is a car for Subaru per purist there’s Toyota purist that have been dying for something like this this has nothing to do with Subaru. This is the win for Toyota enthusiast

So the engine is half the displacement of the STi? Thus the little 3 is working twice as hard to get that output. And let’s not forget the importance of the H4’s low center of gravity and the symmetrical layout, vs. transverse layout.

I'm a fan of hatchbacks and love that the American version of the yris is here. Too bad I have to wait maybe a year for a used on since at my age it's hard to afford one of these even at msrp price.

"set my internal temperature" As opposed to what? "It's a little chilly today, can you set my external temperature to 85"?

Hp per cylinder is on par with the Bugatti Chiron and how often does one see one of those on the street unless you live in Monaco or Dubai and that’s this vehicle with its limited production and therefore high price most of us can’t get this so while the hype is great it might as well be a $3.8 million Chiron

I purchased my Focus RS with 5k miles for $32k second hand, has more horse power and torque and personally I think it looks better than the GR, sadly its not available anymore but I sure am glad that there is still a turbo awd manual hatch to be offered in the US. The GR would be a nice garage buddy to my RS though and my other two subarus.. haha.

44k USD for that?? lol.... I'll wait for the electric STI.

I wonder what is the point of making a high pressure 300hp 1.6L instead of 2L, 2.4L, 2.5L like others?? Only thing i see is weight.

In reality the new STI was to be launched somewhere in 2024 ,and since Subaru invest millions on the development of the STI only to he sold for a couple of years (Because products coming from japan are delaying and back ordered , so theres not a lot of inventory on cars / parts/ accessories ect ) Toyota (who owns 40% of Fuji Heavy Industries) aproached Subaru and suggested not to launch the STI ,because it would affect how the New GR Corolla sell in America, and Subaru decided it was a best decision from an economic point of view. Subaru will bring back the STI perhaps as a Hybrid or as an electric vehicle following the steps of other manufacturers like Audi with the E-TRON , Porsche with the TAYCAN , and Ford with the MUSTANG MACH-E. WHY YOU ASK? By 2030 the auto industry has to change to electric vehicle or hybrids , the internal combustion engine its on its last years of production. So Subaru decided not to invest millions on a single vehicle only to be replaced in a few years. I know this because i work as Service Advisor at a Subaru dealership, and when we asked why the new STI keeps being delayed ,this was the explanation given. Now Subaru still makes all the STI accessories to turn your 2022 WRX into a STI , STI Brakes, STI wings, STI spoilers, STI strut bars, STI shock absorbers, STI grill , STI exhaust, STI interior . So the STI was put on hold so the GR Corolla could get some sales , after all its just a limited production vehicle. It wont be around for long.

If only Subaru would build the new Impreza hatchback to compete with this.

Looks like a Toyota Yaris with Lexus is front bumper- but packs a punch lol

Its funny how Toyota and Subaru made the 86 and now Toyota is practically destroying Subaru's best sports car...

Front facia has Mitsu EVO blueprint

It doesn't have a physical key?

Gr corolla in America definitely over priced. I prefer gr yaris. Smaller, cheaper, and base mode come with more standard feature, like carbon roof and LSD then cost even lower than core GR corolla. I got my sti new last year for 40k drive out with extended warranty.

I’m gonna rush out and trade my 21 Sti for this! 😂🤦🏼‍♂️

Except Americans will be price shocked when they see dealers asking for $48-55k each. As expensive as BMW 3 series.