It’s a little known fact that petrolheads secretly love a sports wagon. It’s akin to that one guilty pleasure Taylor Swift song – a.k.a. Shake It Off – that you’ll immediately skip if you’re in the car with other people, but jam at full volume on your own. As such, it looks like Toyota might be looking to release a spicy GRMN version of its Corolla Touring.
Before we start, we’d be remiss not to mention that the Corolla Touring isn’t currently available in the states. However, that shouldn’t subtract from the vehicle's credentials or the fact that a sportier version could be on the way.
For the uninitiated, the GRMN callsign translates to Gazoo Racing Meister of Nürburgring. While the GR signifies some of the Japanese automaker’s racing DNA has been injected into the automobile, we can only guess what updates the Corolla will get.
According to Spyder7, the exterior will likely include a large-diameter matrix grille to provide optimal cooling performance. Along with the new front fascia, other mods could possibly include an under spoiler, rear spoiler, rear diffuser, and side skirts. While we’d wager the exterior alterations are mostly for aesthetics, things will likely be a bit different under the skin.
Under the hood, it will likely sport the same turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-three-cylinder engine from the GR Yaris. And that’s a good thing, because with 257 horsepower (192 kilowatts) on tap, it’s the most powerful three-cylinder engine ever fitted to a production car. Following the same pattern, the new model will likely also receive the GR Yaris’ AWD system.
While the Corolla Touring GRMN is expected to debut sometime around September of 2021, let’s wait and see what happens. Should the sporty wagon materialize, we’d wager that enthusiasts would bite your arm off to get behind the wheel.
