The Toyota GR Corolla Is Even Better for 2026. But Where’s the GRMN?
While we wait for the flagship version, the hot hatch receives other updates.
The 2026 GR Corolla is here, and it’s largely the same car sold in the previous model year. While the design remains unchanged inside and out, Toyota has made some tweaks to the feisty hatchback. An additional 45.6 feet of structural adhesive has been applied at the front and rear to improve body rigidity. Rear grip is also said to be better, along with how the suspension handles road imperfections. Together, these updates are claimed to deliver more direct handling, especially in corners.
That’s not all. For 2026, the GR Corolla adds an extra air intake duct to lower temperatures, allowing the turbocharged three-cylinder engine to be pushed harder for longer. The 1.6-liter unit still produces 300 hp and 295 pound-feet, delivered to both axles through either a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic.
Elsewhere, Toyota is simplifying the lineup. Going forward, the hot hatch will only be available in GR Corolla and GR Corolla Premium Plus trims. The latter gains an upgraded nine-speaker JBL audio system with a trunk-mounted subwoofer. It also introduces a new, and somewhat questionable, feature: fake engine noise.
Models with the JBL system come with Active Sound Control (ASC), which pumps artificial sounds through the speakers. Toyota says it’s meant to “provide the driver more audio cues to help sense the vehicle’s state.” It’s unclear whether ASC can be turned off, but hopefully drivers won’t be stuck with it. The G16E-GTS engine shared with the not-for-America GR Yaris and Lexus LBX already sounds great on its own.
Pricing starts at $41,115 for the base GR Corolla with a manual, rising to $49,160 for the Premium Plus trim with the automatic. Both figures include the $1,195 handling fee.
Curiously, there’s no mention of the GRMN, even though leaked images from a recent dealer event revealed the special edition before being taken down. Those photos showed the range-topping GR Corolla with a vented carbon hood, bronze wheels, and a carbon rear spoiler. Inside, it featured only two body-hugging seats, with the rear bench removed to save weight, echoing the Morizo special edition. A plaque mounted ahead of the manual gearbox’s shifter suggested production would be limited to 500 units.
2026 Toyota GR Corolla
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Source: Toyota
Pricing remains unknown, but considering the most expensive 2026 GR Corolla already approaches $50,000, the GRMN won’t be cheap either. For reference, the matte-gray 2023 Morizo costs $52,640, and with potential dealer markups, a $60,000 sticker for the GRMN wouldn’t be surprising.
The GRMN Corolla could still debut before year’s end. With the Los Angeles Auto Show taking place in the second half of November, Toyota may be saving its spiciest variant for the event.
This Mustang Has More Power Than a GTD for Half the Price
The Mustang RTR Spec 5 has a supercharged V-8 making over 870 horsepower, and it starts at $159,999.
Photo by: RTR Vehicles
By: Anthony Alaniz
Sep 25, at 8:00am ET
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RTR Vehicles has been in the aftermarket business for over 15 years, creating numerous upgrades for various Ford performance vehicles. But the company’s latest creation—a hopped-up seventh-generation Mustang—might be its wildest yet.
It’s called the Mustang RTR Spec 5, and under the hood is the familiar 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 engine, but RTR also adds a 3.0-liter Whipple Stage 2 Supercharger, an HD Race intercooler, and a cat-back exhaust. The added kit increases output to over 870 horsepower and 660 pound-feet of torque, surpassing the GTD, Ford’s most powerful Mustang ever.
The new RTR Spec 5 features a lowered suspension, which the tuner says doesn’t sacrifice suspension articulation and upgrades to its Tactical Performance setup. The system includes 30-way adjustable front coilovers and rear dampers, height-adjustable springs, and adjustable front and rear sway bars.
The Mustang Spec 5 is RTR’s first vehicle with a complete body kit, which includes composite front and rear fenders with integrated cooling vents, composite rocker panels, and composite front bumper extensions.
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Gallery: 2026 Ford Mustang RTR Spec 5
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Source: RTR Vehicles
Carbon-fiber upgrades include the front splitter, rocker splitters, rear quarter splitters, and the front and rear wake towers. Other visual enhancements include RTR’s upper grille with LED intakes, its lower grille, a decklid spoiler, aero corners, and personalization options, such as access to the RTR Extended Color Palette or its paint-to-sample options.
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires wrap around the 20-inch RTR Aero 5 Evo forged wheels, which measure 10.5 inches in width at the front and 11 inches at the rear. Stopping power comes from six-piston front and four-piston rear Brembo brakes with two-piece front rotors.
Inside, the Spec 5 features Recaro sport seats with cool grey bolsters, black suede inner supports, and ribbed inserts. Each Mustang also features the Electronic Drift Brake, a dash plaque with Vaughn Gittin Jr’s signature, and the RTR Performance shift knob.
RTR Vehicles is only making 50 units of its new halo Mustang for 2026. Each one starts at $159,999 and includes the base seventh-generation Mustang GT equipped with the 401A Group and Performance Package.
RTR will offer the Spec 5 with either the six-speed manual or a 10-speed automatic transmission.
Mercedes Explains Why Its Electric Cars Look the Way They Do
The jellybean shape isn’t just about aero.
Photo by: Mercedes-Benz
By: Adrian Padeanu
Oct 1, at 6:25am ET
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Ever since the EQS debuted in 2021, Mercedes has faced harsh criticism over the design of its electric vehicles. We can all agree the production version wasn’t nearly as sleek as the 2019 Vision EQS concept. However, in the company’s defense, I do think the EQS looks better in person than in photos, but to each their own.
The smaller EQE followed the same aero-driven philosophy to maximize efficiency and squeeze out extra range. Mercedes did things a bit differently by dropping the EQS’ more practical liftgate in favor of a traditional trunk, but their swoopy profiles are nearly identical. Beyond aerodynamics, we’re now learning there was another reason the first “EQ” models looked so different from conventionally powered cars.
Mercedes Chief Technology Officer Markus Schäfer explained the thinking at the time: people ready to switch from gas to electric wanted something that stood out from the usual crop of ICE models. In an interview with Australian magazine WhichCar, he defended the ultra-streamlined shapes of the EQS and EQE:
‘Early adopters wanted to be different. They wanted to show that they were driving an electric car and now we’re entering the mainstream and mass adoption, and customers don’t want to show that they’re driving an EV. They want the same shape, no matter the drivetrain.’
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Archrival BMW took this approach from the beginning, avoiding the split design language and instead making only subtle tweaks to distinguish electric models from combustion cars. Mercedes is now moving in that direction with the electric CLA and EQC, bringing them closer to their combustion-engine counterparts. Similarly, next year’s all-electric C-Class won’t look much different from the gas-powered sedan.
While Mercedes is unifying design across its lineup for a cohesive look, it’s still keeping platforms separate. Sharing the same underpinnings creates packaging compromises, whereas dedicated architectures for each drivetrain give engineers more freedom to exploit the hardware fully:
‘Fitting both drivetrains to the same platform ultimately ends up with compromise and we don’t want to offer compromised cars.’
Mercedes design chief Gorden Wagener has repeatedly tried to explain why egg-shaped cars like the EQS failed to resonate. You and I might call it “jellybean” styling, but he describes it as “purposeful and very progressive.” According to him, the flagship EV was ahead of its time in the wrong way; it was launched “10 years too early.”
Wagener, who recently criticized the latest BMW and Audi interiors, also blamed marketing strategy for the EQS’ subpar sales. Had it been pitched as a “futuristic CLS, S-Class Coupe, or something like that,” it might have drawn more buyers. While the EQS is getting a facelift and will remain on sale for a few more years, Autocar reports its smaller sibling is set to retire in 2026, making way for an electric E-Class later this decade.
Eventually, the S-Class and EQS will merge into a single model line as well. The current S-Class is scheduled for a facelift next year, meaning the next generation is likely to arrive in 2029 or 2030. When it does, it’ll have both combustion engines and electric drivetrains.
