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Toyota's new hot hatch has plenty of tricks up its sleeve. Here's what makes the top-tier Morizo Edition so unique.

Toyota has been on top of its game for the past few years. They first shocked the world with the GR Supra and then continued to do so with the GR Yaris and GR86 too. Both of these cars have garnered the reputation of being some of the greatest driver's cars of the modern era. However, this is not where Toyota stopped.

Just a few months ago, Toyota announced they'll be building a performance-orientated, driver-focused version of their ordinary Corolla. This is now known as the GR Corolla. The GR Corolla is not on sale just yet, but some had the chance to get behind the wheel of Toyota's latest hot hatch. There are three different trim levels of the GR Corolla, namely the Core, Circuit, and Morizo Edition. Today we'll be having a closer at the Morizo Edition GR Corolla and dissect why you need to drive this one before it's too late.

The Morizo Edition is the ultimate version of the GR Corolla, so it just seems fitting its name should carry some weight to it. For every ordinary bloke out there, the name "Morizo" seems insignificant. However, if you know your Toyota history, you know exactly what makes the Morizo name such a monumental title.

Morizo was the race alias that the president of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, used. Toyota is so confident in the GR Corolla, they slapped the company's president's name all over the place just to prove the faith they have in this hot hatch.

All GR Corollas encapsulate the same powertrain, a 1.6-liter turbocharged 3-cylinder engine called the G16E-GTS. In all models – except for the Morizo Editon – the power plant produces 300 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque.

Although the Morizo accommodates the same engine, its torque is bumped up to 295 lb-ft of torque which is at its peak between 3,250 and 4,600 rpm. There has been an obscene amount of engineering put into the development of the G16E-GTS, and we applaud Toyota's expert craftsmanship skills.

The main aim of the Morizo Edition GR Corolla is to carry as much speed as possible around tight bends. One of the most pivotal ways of succeeding therein comes down to the suspension used. Therefore, the front of the Morizo Edition is a MacPherson-type strut design to provide the driver with as much front with as little weight too.

The rear suspension makes use of a double-wishbone suspension, found on much more expensive cars like the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, to provide as much adjustability for the driver. It's also worth noting that this aids the two limited-slip differentials the all-wheel-drive system the GR Corolla has too.

The stick shift transmission seems almost extinct, but luckily for us, Toyota hasn't quite given up on the idea of a fun, manual car. That said, the 6-speed manual found in the GR Corolla isn't your average run-of-the-mill gearbox.

Toyota likes to call it an intelligent Manual Transmission (iMT). This basically means that the automatic rev-matching can withstand the high torque levels, and the short gear ratios it uses result in quicker acceleration times too.

There are three vital figures in regard to sporty cars: Top speed, 0-60 times, and how much lateral G-force it can carry through a corner. First up, we have top speed. Unfortunately, like many other modern cars, all GR Corollas have a governed top speed of 142.9 mph.

The GR Corolla Morizo Edition reaches 60 mph from a stop in just 4.92 seconds – equivalent to that of a Lexus LC 500. Thus far, Toyota has made no official statement regarding the g-forces that the GR Corolla is capable of, but we bet it's on par with the 1.05 g lateral acceleration that the FK8 Honda Civic Type R achieved.

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If it hasn't been blaring obvious yet, the GR Corolla Morizo Edition was purposefully built to demolish exotic cars around a track. All of its vents aren't just for show, they actually serve a purpose like cooling the brakes, or feeding air into the engine bay, and the forged carbon roof also lowers its center of gravity.

The Morizo Edition also weighs just 3,186 lbs; 100 lbs lighter than the other Gr Corollas due to immense weight saving all-around, especially in the interior (more on that later). Its aero isn't for show either since the rear diffuser, front lip spoiler, and flat underfloor all play critical roles in allowing air to pass across its body in the most advantageous way possible.

Remember how we said the Morizo Edition is the lightest GR Corolla money can buy? Well, the most noticeable difference can be seen in the interior... or well at least what's left of it.

The front half of the cabin looks identical to that found in other GR Corollas apart from some alcantara-infused details and red stitching everywhere, but the rear seats have been removed to reduce weight, as well as the rear speakers, and window switches.

Related: A Detailed Look At The Toyota GR Corolla's Interior

Wheels and tires are often overlooked in performance cars since everyone's eyes are stuck to the engine and exterior design, but the GR Corolla Morizo Edition rides on some rather impressive stuff. All Morizo Editions sport 18-inch forged alloy wheels for added rigidity, but its tires and brakes are the main stars of the show.

In the front, four-piston brakes are present, and they're accompanied by 14-inch by 1.1-inch ventilated rotors too. In the rear, ventilated 11.7-inch by 0.7-inch rotors are adjacent with two-piston aluminum disc brakes. On top of that, all four wheels are wrapped in impressive, widened Michelin Pilot Cup Sport 2 Tires to ensure maximum grip.

The official amount of GR Corolla Morizo Edition that will be produced for the world remains unconfirmed at this point in time, but we do know that only 200 units will be coming to the U.S. in 2023. On the one hand, this makes buying one extraordinarily difficult, and that's not even taking into consideration dealer markups.

The GR Corolla Morizo Edition will have an MSRP of around $50,000. Although this seems like an absurd amount of money to spend on a Corolla, it remains better value for money than other overpriced sports cars.

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The GR Corolla Morizo Edition is one of the most wild-designed cars to ever roam public roads, just beyond it. All GR Corollas come standard with an insane widebody kit, and will only be offered in a matte gray or pearl white color to accentuate its curves and angles.

It gets even more over-the-top when you zoom into the details. Some elements like the triple-exit exhaust, vented hood or gargantuan rear wing all contribute to the GR Corolla's racecar-like appearance too.

Marnus Moolman is a young aspiring automotive writer from South Africa who is making a name for himself, despite his young age. Currently, he is studying to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting to pursue his lifetime dream of running his own automotive detailing establishment.