2024 Subaru WRX TR vs Toyota GR Corolla / Back for Blood

[Music] it's okay to play your role the standard Subaru Rex is an affordable sport compact that's incredibly easy to live with the gr Corolla is neither of those things but it packs more capability and Charisma however Subaru just struck back with the new WRX TR and that changes things they've stiffened the suspension rened the steering upgraded the brakes the tires added ultra suede seats and increased the price considerably but not as much as we were originally thinking still it's asking for more money than a gr Corolla premium initially buying a gr Corolla was like fighting an anime character just when you thought you won you get obliterated by the power of friendship or in this case dealership thankfully markups and B have dropped considerably for the gr Corolla this year with MSRP being easily possible depending on your region something that I can only dream of when I bought mine last year the Toyota's 3 cylinder is boosted into Oblivion and it will help the Corolla retain a straight line advantage over the WRX since the tr's powertrain is a carryover but outside of that the list of strengths for the Subaru has grown considerably a couple of those changes are visible on the outside like the TR exclusive 19-in Wheels with grippy tires and the big Brembo brakes feature-wise these are comparable both are going to have LED headlights though the WR Rex will get those as steering responsive while the Toyota boasts optional parking sensors both will come with fog lights proximity entry and childish body panels yet I think the widebody Frankenstein gr Corolla comes with more personality whereas the WR Rex still looks like it's having an identity crisis that's all just an opinion so let me know your thoughts if you want the gr to be more aggressive you can get the expensive circuit Edition which gives you a bulging hood and carbon roof briefly I'd like to thank the helpful folks over at Royal on the East Side in Bloomington Indiana for letting me test drive the Subaru for today's review Royal East has a knowledgeable staff their new cars are priced aggressively and they're dedicated to the community check them out there's no denying that hatchbacks offer more versatility but the subar length and packaging lend it the advantage when it comes to practicality the trunk is wide and reasonably long you can also fold down the seats if needed and those rear passengers have much more leg room than what you would get with the Toyota even myself at 6'3 can fit in both rows okay in the Subaru the cargo floor of the gr is also High making space more limited when all rows are in place its sole utility advantage over the WR Rex is that when you fold the seats down the space face is flat and highly usable it was great to have when I was moving yet many rear passengers will be short on leg room while it hasn't received many positive reviews from my friends the back seat has done its job for me one thing I appreciate about the gr Corolla is its Simplicity there's analog controls for everything I need the infotainment system is simply laid out with standard Wireless Apple carplay Android auto and because of how straightforward it is it shouldn't age poorly but there are some comp promises while the premium grants you some nice ultra suede in leather seats the rest of the Interior is very much a cheap eono box with a few cool details like a physical handbrake full digital gauge cluster and a slick gr exclusive steering wheel the premium gets that heated along with heated front seats a JBL sound system and a wireless charger that doesn't really work if your phone has a big camera bump no doubt Toyota spent their budget on performance not the refinement cheap dark Plastics are everywhere build construction and panel fitment reflect that of a $25,000 car that upgraded audio system doesn't have a subwoofer and you'll even need to go third party if you want a center console at least the seats are supportive enough for long Journeys and at 6'3 space is sufficient so long as nobody that I care about is sitting behind me the great thing about the wrxt is that there is a little more flare on the inside along with a qu quality advantage and it's a little easier to live with you have increased storage an armrest that's awkwardly low but present nonetheless along with better materials like suede on the dashboard some more contrast stitching and padding and ricaro bucket seats that offer great thigh support but lack lumbar adjustments something the gr Corolla doesn't have either these seats though give me more of a reassuring hug the Harmon Cardon sound system also gives me more of an assertive thump with a standard subwoofer the base is improved though I will say at higher volumes I think this does distort more with the treble while the cabin of the WR Rex doesn't have the upscale layout or tactile controls of the Civic SI and type R the only letdown to me in this interior is the infotainment system so for 2024 all of them will have an 11.6 in screen that comes with a simple UI and wireless carplay Android auto as standard but the response time and brightness are unimpressive iive and it embeds some of the Dual Zone HVAC controls it already feels a little dated but it's certainly less frustrating than what you'll get with some of the VW products I also like the analog gauge cluster though I maybe wish it had a more special theme for this car on its own for $43,000 you're not going to be blown away by the W Rex's interior but compared to the gr Corolla you'll be a little more pampered but if you're buying cars like these that's not the main objective it's the experience behind the wheel that carries more of the weight and thankfully the WRX TR has been lifting Just Not underneath the hood you'll find the same 2.4 L turbocharged boxer 4 this turns out 271 horsepower and 258 lb feet of torque this is mated exclusively to a six-speed manual transmission and I'm thankful because the previous performance WRX for this generation was the CBT only GT stock you have plenty of passing power and this transmission is well geared to keep you in its ideal rev range which tends to be right there in the middle your red line is at just 6,000 RPM and there's really not a lot of character to it with a mild launch I manage 0 to 60 and 6 seconds really knock its teeth you can get into the mid fivs the nachy shifter is fun to row to a degree it feels very manly here with the short throw kit especially the Rev hang is minimal it's pretty easy to heal toe downshift which you'll have to get good at cuz there's no Auto rev matching the clutch of this is also easy to use it's lighter than what you'll find in the Toyota and it bites in a linear fashion start to push the car and even with a short throw kit it's not not easy to snap off gear Changers and there's more drivetrain shock during spirited driving mainly shifting into second and third with all manual transmission WR Rex's you're going to have a pretty straightforward all-wheel drive system it comes with a viscous limited slip Center differential with open diffs in the front and rear but unlike the Toyota this is a true full-time system before any wheel slip it's locked in at a 50/50 split and chances are you're not going to overheat it on the track and it can now keep up in the corners so this have 5% stiffer Springs with r and dampers and steering now the ratio is exactly the same but wow it does actually respond quicker this changes Direction fast and doesn't feel as prone to under steer and pushing as it did before body roll is minimal the steering is direct though it still feels just a little too light and vague you notice it more on Center I won't say it's completely numb it might be better than the regular WR Rex but it doesn't really improve the entertainment well I don't have much of a chance to really beat on the brakes the large rotors and the front six piston brake calibers should make this suitable for track use and especially here on a back road The Firm brake pedal is easy to modulate and reassuring this is C certainly a more capable WR Rex but I was hoping for a few more changes to the steering it just doesn't build up very much in weight nor does it offer a whole lot of other feedback so the car as a whole is maybe just a little bit more fun I think this package is more so for the people that actually plan on tracking their WRX but just like any of the other trims take it around an imperfect twisty Road and you really get to feel how insanely confident these cars are and because of the stiffer suspension it stays a hair more composed than its lesser brethren now on the spookiest Road I could find the WRX TR will transmit most things into the cabin that said the small to mediumsized imperfections are still absorbed fairly well it might not be as forgiving as the regular WRX but even compared to something like a Civic SI this really isn't any more abusive even hitting some small pot wols I'm surprised this with the 19in wheels isn't crashing through the cabin and deteriorating the discs in my spine and because it's a Subaru with a low Hood the windshield the windows they're all fairly large this is very easy to see out of at 65 mph we're revving 2400 RPM wind noise is pretty prevalent tire noise is there it's maybe a little bit quieter than what you'll find with the gr Corolla but if you want something more Serene a GTI or actually at this price point a Golf R would be a much better bet and new for 2024 all wrx's will come with adaptive cruise control and Lane centering which in my experience with these new Subaru has worked pretty well but if you're shredding Corners you'll definitely want to shut off the lane departure prevention as it will cause your ears to ring mother as hard as Subaru tries the gr Corolla still has the advantage in farm the gutsy 1.6 L turbocharged inline 3 might be a little more laggy at low RPM but above 3,000 on the tack you are in go mode 300 horsepower is more than enough for this petite hatch and it all gets routed through a six-speed manual transmission that doesn't offer quite as much feedback as what you would get with the Dr Rex but it's smoother you feel some of the engine vibrations at mid to high RPM and there's a small thk into each gate the clutch is also maybe a hair heavier and more vague but also easy to modulate and it comes with an anti-stall that feeds it revs and makes it even easier to take off around town both of these will come with a hill hold so rest assured if you're a beginner the throws of the Toyota are also a little shorter than what you would get with the stock Subaru with aggressive gearing and that engine that loves to pull right up to that 7,000 RPM Red Line This is a more rewarding powertrain to push at least when stop and it is definitively quicker I've gotten it to 60 and 4.7 seconds and to the4 mile it's still potent plus it makes a unique offbeat inline six sound while doing it but the iconic subu Rumble has its own appeal I honestly think that the speed here is just as much related to the extra power as it is to the transmission that slips through the gears without as much shock and the all-wheel drive system can send up to 70% of torque to the rear wheels it also uses front and rear limited slip differ ials with the performance package this helps it claw itself out of corners and can get you through quite a bit of snow however when not needed this system will go to front-wheel drive and again these modes only tell you the maximum amount of torque that can go to the rear you're still going to have a tendency to under steer most of the time this is going to feel front biased but it is nice to have that option to help it rotate better through corners unfortunately drive it too hard and you're going to need some extra venting or exhaust heat wrap to prevent the all-wheel drive system from overheating the track around corners both of these are composed but the WRX has sharper Turnin and maybe just a hair less body roll but the gr Corolla makes adjustments better you can change the trajectory of the car easier with the brakes and the throttle the brakes of the Toyota are also assertive and we have two-piece rotors up front which might give it a slight Advantage with heat Management on track and going through corners the steering weight builds up more naturally and in sport mode it also feels more substantial but still shuckable there's a little bit of feedback coming through the wheel and through it all it remains planted so this still has an advantage when it comes to engagement and just like the Subaru this is confident over a variety of Road surfaces with grip that just doesn't end in fact the WR Rex feels just as capable it's just not telling me as much which makes me feel a little bit more sure of myself in the Toyota the Corolla also physically feels like a smaller car and it is 200 lb lighter but that doesn't necessarily mean it's quicker reacting over broken tarmac the ride quality of the Toyota leaves much to be Desir on the same road with the gr Corolla you're going to want to take it a little bit slower just like the WRX you'll feel everything it's just not quite as smooth and the larger stuff crashes through more there's not a night and day difference but hands down if you're constantly driving on roads like these go with the Subaru unless you're punishing yourself up at 65 mph we're looking at 2700 RPM wind noise isn't too bad but the tire noise especially as you begin to put miles on these mellin Pilot Sport 4S is prevalent at least Toyota's safety Sense 3.0 Works remarkably well on the highway just like the TR adaptive cruise Lane centering and blind spot monitoring are all standard and it's less intrusive here either way you go the crash tests have proven each to be safe and when it comes to common issues the gr has also been reliable so far with its biggest problems being related to Interior rattles which I have definitely experienced that overheating all-wheel drive system a rare ECU problem that has caused a self-resolving misfire for a few people a couple have also reported weepage from the water pump and while there was no mechanical failure others have noticed some drivetrain noises like a slight Grumble as you're releasing the clutch so far so good same goes for the Rex the most reported problems for the VB generation are related to the infotainment fuel pumps throwing a fit with the gas tank and excessive RTV usage causing flakes to fall into the oil pickup which to be fair rarely results in a failure but it could restrict oil flow during hard driving this does not have the same starvation issues on the track as the BRZ or gr86 as it circulates oil better when it comes to running costs the WRX TR and GR Corolla both use high performance tires brakes and run on premium fuel these are not regular Cano boxes so don't expect that level of frugality while Subaru is a little less stringent on the 91 octane guideline the Toyota gets better gas mileage and I found it to easily exceed its rating in the real world the Toyota also uses direct and port injection so no fuel induction services are necessary it's too early for me to say which one is more reliable when it comes to tuning capabil ability the WR Rex is a good platform and the upgraded brakes and suspension of the TR help prepare you to take on more power and with the 2.4 L there's some room to grow and a large community to help you do it while you might think the gr roll is too high strung for more ponies folks overseas with the gr yarus have proved that wrong but I do think it would be easier to build out a WRX the WRX TR is an awesome car but my biggest takeaway from it is that it sheds light on what the WR Rex as a whole could have been it offers a substantial Improvement in capability and honestly around corners it feels even sharper than Toyota's more hardcore gr Corolla that's a big achievement because the Subaru is also more practical with better seats and more interior flare but all of that comes at a price to a point that without big manufacturer incentives or dealer discounts the value proposition is no longer stronger than it is with the Toyota I think Subaru made the right changes for the TR it is now a direct gr Corolla competitor as a result but it loses the big affordability advantage that the WRX had the last time I compared the two in fact since I can buy both of these for MSRP the actual sale price of this TR compared to the gr Corolla premium I tested last week is about 2 Grand more what Subaru should look into is making the TR suspension and steering standard or maybe offering a TR package that includes the brembos on the lower trims at this price point the WRX becomes a harder cell the Subaru is still the better daily driver it's going to win as the sensible higher quality choice between the two despite having a chassis ready to set some hot laps or take some modifications however the Toyota while a little harsher to your spine and rear passengers makes up for its compromises when you open up the throttle it also feels more natural on a back road it offers a more memorable Driving Experience and now that it's easier to buy one without getting shived by market adjustments it's a great value for the performance you're getting and it Remains the enthusiast's choice of the two by a sizable margin thanks for watching if you enjoyed the video then please leave a like to help me sneak my way into the YouTube algorithm subscribe and hit the notification Bell for more fun detailed car content without fluff consider becoming a channel member for an additional podcast and to help me take this to another level I'll catch you in the next one

Channel: Realistick

Views: 15,764

Keywords: 2023, vw gti, vw, volkswagen, subaru wrx, GR corolla 0-60, GR Corolla, GR, Corolla, gti, new, new cars, sport compact, hatchbacks, manual, automatic, reliability, 0-60, 0 to 60, wrx, honda, civic si, elantra n, japanese, jdm, golf r, cars, 2023 GR Corolla, hot hatch, 2023 WRX, WRX, Subaru, Awd, 40 grand, 30 grand, Best fun cars, civic type r, ctr, 2024, 2024 wrx, wrx tr, tr, 2024 gr corolla, gr corolla premium, awd

Id: xhVwOpaY5I8

Length: 19min 6sec (1146 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 12 2024