From the March/April 2026 issue of Car and Driver.
Lap Time: 3:07.1
Class: LL2 | Base: $43,075 | As Tested: $50,504
Power and Weight: 300 hp • 3339 lb • 11.1 lb/hp
Tires: Michelin Pilot Sport 4
235/40ZR-18 (95Y)
You might be wondering why this year’s GR Corolla lap time has flies circling it. Yep, it’s a stinker.
We didn’t expect the eight-speed-automatic GR, which comes with less aggressive tires, to be able to replicate the six-speed-manual Morizo Edition’s sub-3:00 lap, but we did expect it to be quicker.
The GR is happy exploring its limits. Switch to Track mode and shut off the stability control, and it’ll slide predictably and power out of corners without drama. It encourages you to raise entry speeds, and even if you overcook it, the GR remains stable when it’s sideways. Lap after lap, the brakes stood up to the abuse and felt good braking from 127.9 mph on the Front Straight and from 121.8 mph on the Back Straight. Unlike the VWs in attendance, brake fade is not an issue.
However, the gearbox is slow to acknowledge a paddle flick, which led to lost tenths in Oak Tree and Hog Pen, and its optimal upshift window is comically narrow. Get too close to the redline, and the GR stumbles on the fuel cutoff. It’s a silly way to lose time, and we’d prefer a mode where it automatically upshifts at the redline instead of tasking us with that shift.
In hopes of solving the tire problem, Toyota’s flack brought a set of Morizo wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s to the track. However, the Lightning Lap rule book strictly forbids posting times with non-homologated hardware. Nevertheless, in the spirit of experimentation, we bolted on the unofficial “Car and Driver Morizo GR Performance package” and immediately ran a 3:02.5 [see “Grip and Grin,” below].
Back on the stock tires, the GR alerted us to an “AWD System Overheated” warning during a fast lap and then informed us that it would be “Switching to 2WD Mode.” After a fuel stop and lunch, it cooled off, and we were back to stomping on the gas on corner exit. It only reinforced our opinion that the best GR for setting lap times has three pedals and Cup 2s.
Grip and Grin
We were about to prove that the automatic GR Corolla could run quicker than the 3:07.1 we’d managed thus far. Then incorrect replacement hardware showed up: lightweight Morizo Edition wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, a setup not offered on the automatic GR Corolla.
We gave it a try, and the car came alive. Turn 1 grip jumped from 0.93 to 1.00 g, exit speed out of the Climbing Esses increased by 4.3 mph, and the lap time dropped to 3:02.5 (not as fast as the 2:59.6 an actual Morizo got in 2023). The all-wheel-drive coupler even seemed happier, no longer triggering its overheat warning.
But our rules are clear: If you can’t order it that way, it doesn’t count.
Back to Lightning Lap 2026
Austin Irwin has worked for Car and Driver for over 10 years in various roles. He’s steadily worked his way from an entry-level data entry position into driving vehicles for photography and video, and is now reviewing and testing cars. What will he do next? Who knows, but he better be fast.