2023 Toyota GR Corolla Morizo Edition is a Stripped-Out Special Edition

For when the “regular” GR Corolla isn’t hardcore enough.

Toyota hasn’t even unleashed the GR Corolla on us normies yet, and already it’s got a special edition. As part of the intense product blitz coming out of Toyota HQ in Plano, Texas, the Japanese automaker unveiled the limited-edition 2023 GR Corolla Morizo Edition. Named after Toyota president Akio Toyoda, this pumped-up hatchback is lighter, grippier, and torquier, all in pursuit of quicker lap times.

The basics ingredients are just as tasty as before: the 1.6-liter, turbocharged three-cylinder and a six-speed manual transmission. The motorsport-inspired all-wheel drive system still allows drivers to select 30/70, 50/50, and 60/40 front-to-rear power distribution, and there’s a pair of limited slip differentials ensuring all that power hits the road (or dirt). So far, so good.

From there, the Morizo version sweetens the deal. Torque is up 22 pound-feet, now totally 295, plateauing from 3,250 to 4,600 rpm. Toyota has dropped in shorter differential gears for quicker acceleration, too.

Pop open the rear doors and there’s a shelf where the second row seats used to be. Toyota has pulled them out, along with the rear speakers, rear window regulators, and the whole rear wiper assembly. Combined with the carbon-fiber roof from the Circuit Edition, the Morizo tips the scales a full 110 lb (50 kg) lighter than the Circuit Edition, at an estimated 3,186 lb (1,445 kg). Toyota has also included a pair of rear strut braces for additional rigidity. Rounding out the interior changes are Morizo-exclusive red and black ultrasuede and leather seats, and ultrasuede-wrapped steering wheel. This limited production model includes the same tech and driver as the other GR Corolla models, including a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel, 8.0-inch Toyota Audio Multimedia touchscreen, and Toyota Safety Sense 3.0.