GR Corolla Ownership vs Fiesta ST

[CSM]

I joined the GRC club too!! 2023 Circuit edition, paid $500 over but I'm OK with that.

I am likely going to sell the FiST soon. It's been a great 10 years with the car and I think it's time for someone else to enjoy it.

So far I am thrilled with the GRC. I don't plan on doing any track or autocross with it. Chassis is wonderful and the motor has enough pep for me (although my fiesta is quite a bit faster).

 

[JTBros]

The Glen is a HAUL for you.

It's a shame that they sold the Bridgehampton circuit for condos/golf course use a bit east of you.

Really unfortunate, insanely priced housing is definitely not what the island needed but I’ll be spending the night prior near the track.

 

[JTBros]

I joined the GRC club too!! 2023 Circuit edition, paid $500 over but I'm OK with that.

I am likely going to sell the FiST soon. It's been a great 10 years with the car and I think it's time for someone else to enjoy it.

So far I am thrilled with the GRC. I don't plan on doing any track or autocross with it. Chassis is wonderful and the motor has enough pep for me (although my fiesta is quite a bit faster).
View attachment 57127

Congrats! Once the break in period is done it’s a riot. Definitely has some of that old school turbo feeling still and isn’t massive like the CTR. Love the Circuit Edition and am half tempted to scoop a Blue Flame one if I can find one once they come out.

 

[Dpro]

Congrats! Once the break in period is done it’s a riot. Definitely has some of that old school turbo feeling still and isn’t massive like the CTR. Love the Circuit Edition and am half tempted to scoop a Blue Flame one if I can find one once they come out.

Ya I have succumbed as well🤣 I am on the Allocation list at a MSRP dealer for a 24 Circuit Blue Flame. After test driving both a Black Core and a Heavy Metal Circuit . I am sold for getting the car for a daily. My Orange Spice FiST will hang around as I have so little into her now. ( thank you insurance) Plus with 200TW tires on her she was not too fun to drive in heavy rain. It was a bit on the scary side 🤣

 

[ronmcdon]

wow congrats! is that a CA dealer?
tempted to do the same for sure, but maybe in 2 years. truth be told tempted to trade in my fiesta for gr corrolla

 

[Dpro]

wow congrats! is that a CA dealer?
tempted to do the same for sure, but maybe in 2 years. truth be told tempted to trade in my fiesta for gr corrolla

yes it is.

 

[Ton]

I really wish Toyota made the gr Yaris over here. It looks about the same size as the fist, it’s manual transmission, and it’s awd. The gr Corolla looks too big for me.

View: https://youtu.be/jtXoZ6_YNTs
Edit: in finding this video I went down a dangerous path and now am really mad that we don’t get the gr Yaris. Not that I could afford one anyway 😂

Has the wheel on the right side.

 

[CSM]

2,000 miles on mine. Here are my gripes:
- Lack of storage! There aren't a lot of great places to throw your stuff while driving
- The wireless charging is pretty much useless. While running android auto, drains faster than it charges
- speedo is 2 mph off from the factory (its apparently set for the 245s that come on the Morizo edition)
- Dusty ass brakes pads!
- Having all of the advanced safety features is nice and all, but the car beeps at me all too damn much for every little thing (Your window is open! Check the rear seat! Do you want the car to shut off in 1 hour?)
- Can't lock door while car is running with key fob - gotta use physical key (I do this for my dog when he needs AC)

Overall these are all very minor. Still absolutely loving the car 100%

 

[Jabbit]

- The wireless charging is pretty much useless. While running android auto, drains faster than it charges

Some phones have specific modes for better wireless charging, worth looking into.

 

[Intuit]

Induction charge efficiency and rate can be limited when the coil and receiver aren't quite aligned. For many phones, you about have to disassemble them to figure out just where the center of the charging coil is. It's not always dead-on the center of the phone.

 

[JTBros]

2,000 miles on mine. Here are my gripes:
- Lack of storage! There aren't a lot of great places to throw your stuff while driving
- The wireless charging is pretty much useless. While running android auto, drains faster than it charges
- speedo is 2 mph off from the factory (its apparently set for the 245s that come on the Morizo edition)
- Dusty ass brakes pads!
- Having all of the advanced safety features is nice and all, but the car beeps at me all too damn much for every little thing (Your window is open! Check the rear seat! Do you want the car to shut off in 1 hour?)
- Can't lock door while car is running with key fob - gotta use physical key (I do this for my dog when he needs AC)

Overall these are all very minor. Still absolutely loving the car 100%

I usually think I travel light with my phone, wallet, keys, and sunglasses. But apparently that’s too much for the GR center area lol.

Also 2 seconds after cleaning the wheels they immediately turn brown.

And I hear whole “oh this car has too many safety nuisances” all the time but this one really has a lot of pop ups. I’m not expecting it to be like my ‘05 WRX where I could jump out of the car and it not making a single beep, but it’s way more than my Bronco.

 

[SonofaDatsun]

Love this thread, thanks for sharing your experience with the GRC. I'm very likely going to buy one (as soon as I find one to test drive and make sure I fit how I want... too tall for most cars) and was curious how it compared to my FiST. I'll be going for the new Premium trim that the 2024s come in, which sits between the Core and Circuit now. You get the LSDs, the nicer interior materials, heated seats and steering wheel. Seems like the right fit and price (around $41-42k MSRP).

Luckily I get to keep both My wife will take over daily driving the FiST. We recently got rid of her '15 BRZ because it just didn't make a lot of sense as a daily here in Portland. After a short stint in a Golf Alltrack manual, which rolled into a ditch thanks to a failed parking brake, we've decided that something as practical as the Alltrack just isn't for us. We ping-ponged back and forth between the Elantra N and the GRC, but at the end of the day I'd like to be able to slap some winter tires on the GRC and drive it without worrying about light snow (we don't salt roads here).

Overheating issues with the diff and the emergency calls don't bother me much. I won't be tracking this car, likely only autocross when my Datsun 510 is down for the count and can't fulfill that need. I just need something lively, warrantied, and that can deal with the absolute garbage road surfaces and wet weather here... and that doesn't make me want to rip my hair out when I get to a backroad and can't rip through the gears.

 

[M-Sport fan]

I won't be tracking this car, likely only autocross when my Datsun 510 is down for the count and can't fulfill that need.

Dpro is gonna HUG you for owning one of those!

 

[Dpro]

Dpro is gonna HUG you for owning one of those!

🤣 It’s brave to own one now parts are hard if not impossible to get. I am currently rethinking a S30 Z for the sake of a dope more modern S13 Fastback .I mean I love the but how much would I really drive it? Jury is still out on this but if I got a S13 I definitely would start drifting again.

 

[CSM]

Just ticked over 12,000 miles on my Circuit Edition. No major issues. I did have a couple of misfires that occurred under WOT pulls while getting onto the interstate, but there is a TSB for an ECU reflash to address it. Loving this car!

 

[M-Sport fan]

^^^What tires are on it driving around in that frozen white stuff?

Almost perfect ride for that weather, but the billions of tons of salt that the state DOTs throw on the roads would have me cringing!!

Did you do any form of undercoating/Fluid Filming/etc., on it?

 

[CSM]

^^^What tires are on it driving around in that frozen white stuff?

Almost perfect ride for that weather, but the billions of tons of salt that the state DOTs throw on the roads would have me cringing!!

Did you do any form of undercoating/Fluid Filming/etc., on it?

I run Michelin pilot sport all season 4s and I had the car Fluid Filmed at the start of the season

 

[tri-pedaler]

I run Michelin pilot sport all season 4s and I had the car Fluid Filmed at the start of the season

How’s the sliding with this? (In a safe environment of course!)

And do you use 30/70 or 50/50?

 

[CSM]

How’s the sliding with this? (In a safe environment of course!)

And do you use 30/70 or 50/50?

Modern all seasons are surprisingly good in the snow. I've had these same tires on my FRS for winter duty for 3 years now and they've been great. Haven't hit anything that's a struggle.

For open parking lot sliding around in the snow, 50/50 is the sweet spot. 30/70 is a little too gnarly (I actually don't like that mode period).

60/40 is useful for regular snow driving.

 

[kobrien4]

Any current GRC owners care to comment any more on ride quality vs the FiST? Love my Fiesta but its a '14 with 145k miles so time is growing short. My only real complaint with it is a rough ride at times on VT roads, though its livable with Bilstein B6s at least. The GRC would be a daily at least for and while I would expect it to be firm, everyone has a different expectation and tolerance of that. Hoping other Fiesta owners will be able to provide perspective from the same place I'm at.