2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI vs. 2024 Toyota GR Corolla

2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI ・ Photo by Brady Holt

To some folks, the idea of a sports car is inseparable from a low-slung two-door body and a boisterously powerful engine. They’re looking for gorgeous styling to match their maximum performance. They’re following their hearts as far as how the car looks, and their heads as far as the spec sheet. 

Then there’s the “hot hatch.” This market segment, invented by the Volkswagen Golf GTI, comprises ordinary economy hatchbacks turned into performance machines. Hot hatches are great fun to drive while also delivering everyday comfort and versatility. We recently tested two such models – the modern iteration of the Golf GTI and one of its fresher rivals, the Toyota GR Corolla. Keep reading as we discuss how these two five-door hot hatchbacks compare in eight categories, then name our overall winner, so you can see which one sounds like the better sensible performance car for you. 

Acceleration

At the heart of the 2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. It sends 241 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels via either a six-speed manual transmission or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. That’s a lot of zip for a compact car, and the GTI needs less than 6 seconds to reach 60 mph. 

Still, the 2024 Toyota GR Corolla is even wilder. Its tiny 1.6-liter three-cylinder turbo makes 300 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque, the all-wheel-drive Toyota can send that power to all four wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. Toyota promises that in the right hands, the GR Corolla will hit 60 mph in less than 5 seconds (4.99, to be precise). And its manual transmission is a slick-shifting class act – at least for buyers who feel comfortable driving one. Some folks will trade a bit of speed for the Volkswagen’s available automatic (which will become the GTI’s only transmission for the 2025 model year), but the Toyota wins this round for us. 

Winner: Toyota GR Corolla   

2023 Toyota GR Corolla ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Ride and Handling

The Golf shares its underpinnings with the Audi A3, and the GTI has that solid, luxury-car feel. The taut suspension is composed without being too stiff, and you can relax while taking the GTI down the highway. But it’s also a delightful performance car, with tight, natural steering and capable handling. 

The GR Corolla is more capable. You can tell its AWD system to split power either 60/40, 50/50, or 30/70 between the front and rear wheels – letting you enjoy everyday fun while also providing the option for different types of closed-course performance. The firm, responsive steering is natural at any speed. Like the GTI, the GR Corolla is fun to drive even if you aren’t seeking out its high limits. The Toyota’s limits will be higher, especially if you’ll be pushing it on a closed course rather than on public roads. But it’s not as comfortable and quiet as the GTI. We don’t agree with critics who’ve found the GR Corolla’s ride to be incredibly stiff, but it’s bumpier and noisier than the GTI’s. We’ll call this category a tie based on how you’d skew your preferences toward comfort over fun – keeping in mind that these are both delightfully fun yet tolerably comfortable cars. 

Winner: Tie

2023 Toyota GR Corolla ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Pricing and Features

The 2024 Toyota GR Corolla splits the difference in pricing and performance between two Golf models: the less-powerful, front-wheel-drive GTI and the more powerful AWD Golf R. The Toyota starts at $36,500 for the base Core model like our test vehicle, comes to $40,320 for the more luxuriously equipped Premium, and goes up to $45,140 for the dubious value of the Circuit Edition’s unique styling details and carbon fiber roof. 

The 2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI starts at $31,965 for the base S model (optioned roughly equivalently to a GR Corolla Core), $36,915 for the midlevel SE (which aligns with the GR Corolla Premium if you add the VW’s $1,225 leather upholstery), and $40,505 for the top Autobahn like our test vehicle. Volkswagen also offers a wider range of comfort amenities than Toyota, such as a sunroof, power driver’s seat, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, rear climate control, and power-folding exterior mirrors. 

Winner: Volkswagen Golf GTI

2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Exterior Design

VW no longer sells a base-model Golf in the U.S., leaving the GTI as its cheapest hatchback. But you’ll find minimal elements that scream “I’m a sporty car.” Optional dressy wheels and some honeycomb patterns on the lower bumper are about as far as it goes. The spear-like headlights are well-suited to a sporty car, but in profile, the boxy Golf has all the svelte performance cues of a shoe. To some buyers, that subtlety is an asset; to others, it’s a snoozer. 

Every Corolla hatchback, meanwhile, is a sharply sculpted five-door whose body leans confidently forward. Then Toyota created the GR Corolla by bulging out the front and rear bumpers to create flared fenders. And a reshaped rear bumper highlights its three center-mounted exhaust pipes. When you want your hot hatch to announce its temperature, the GR Corolla is the winner. When you prefer a “sleeper” vibe, your pick is the GTI. We’ll let you decide. 

Winner: Tie

2023 Toyota GR Corolla ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Interior Design

Once, the Volkswagen Golf all but invented the idea of an economy car with high-end materials. These days, the GTI has cheaper plastics and some roughly finished edges. But what really bugs us is the control interface. The current GTI abandons most physical buttons and knobs in favor of touchscreen controls and other touch-sensitive surfaces. From the dashboard to the steering wheel controls, nearly everything relies on trying to tap the right area of flush traffic and hoping the car responds. Some of these controls aren’t even lit at night. The touchscreen itself works well enough, but everything from the audio volume to the cruise control to the driving modes was consistently frustrating. We love base models’ plaid cloth seats, a classic GTI cue, but we wish VW had stuck to the Golf’s heritage in the rest of the interior design as well. 

The GR Corolla’s interior isn’t luxury-grade either, but it avoids ergonomic missteps and grave quality lapses. Its dashboard is a slim, curved horizontal band that floats above the center console, with an 8-inch touchscreen above a tight, sensible cluster of climate controls. It’s humble but likable, delivering what it promises. It’s our pick over the GTI’s flashy mess any day. 

Winner: Toyota GR Corolla 

2023 Toyota GR Corolla ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Passenger Accommodations

The 2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI is a small car, but the Golf’s family-friendly roots show through. That means comfortable front seating and a tolerably roomy backseat, along with a host of available premium amenities. As we mentioned before, the GTI is available with heated and ventilated front seats and a power-adjustable front seat. 

The 2024 Toyota GR Corolla is focused on helping the driver go fast. The more aggressively bolstered sport seats are great if you love them, but they may not be for everyone. They’re only manually adjustable, and while seat heating is available, ventilation is not. Toyota even dropped the center armrest and console bin to reduce weight and avoid interfering with the shifter on the racetrack. (We’ve read that owners have installed aftermarket armrests.) And the rear seat is more cramped than the GTI’s. 

Winner: Volkswagen Golf GTI

2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Cargo and Utility

Just as the Golf GTI has more passenger space than the GR Corolla, there’s more room for your belongings as well. VW provides 19.9 cubic feet of cargo room behind its rear seat and 34.5 cubic feet with the backseat folded down. An adjustable-height cargo floor lets you either maximize luggage space or maintain a flat surface with the folded seatbacks. 

The GR Corolla is also useful for a sporty car. But its more aggressively hunched silhouette results in 17.8 cubic feet of cargo room behind the rear seat. Toyota doesn’t quote a specification for the Corolla’s total cargo space with the rear seat folded, but the deficit will likely continue. There’s not a huge difference in cargo volume between these two hatchbacks, but the VW has more. It also has more cabin storage for small items. 

Winner: Volkswagen Golf GTI

2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Fuel Efficiency

The point of a hot hatch isn’t to sip gas. But nobody picks a higher fuel bill over a lower one. And the Golf GTI will cost you less. 

In EPA testing, the 2024 GTI gets 24 mpg in the city, 33 mpg on the highway, and 27 mpg combined using regular-grade fuel with its automatic transmission. The manual is nearly identical: 23 mpg city, 34 mpg highway, and 27 mpg combined. But the GR Corolla manages a less thrifty 21 mpg city, 28 mpg highway, and 24 mpg combined on premium fuel. In our hands, the GR Corolla averaged 26 mpg while the automatic GTI averaged 31 mpg. 

Winner: Volkswagen Golf GTI

2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI ・ Photo by Brady Holt

Final Thoughts

The 2024 Toyota GR Corolla is a low-frills delight to drive. In addition to outright performance, it provides the sort of engaging driving experience that makes things fun every time you’re behind the wheel. It pairs that with the utility of a five-door economy car with a usable backseat and cargo hold. And it looks pretty sharp while doing it. 

The 2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI provides less performance intensity, but also fewer compromises. Despite its Audi-like driving moves, it costs less, burns less gas, has more available features (including an automatic transmission), and has more space. It won’t keep up with a GR Corolla on a racetrack, and its controls are so terrible that they risk spoiling everything else that makes the GTI such a lovely vehicle. But if you can stomach some lousy controls, it’s our overall winner. Just move fast if you want one with a manual transmission, as the GTI will become automatic-only for the 2025 model year. 

Winner: Volkswagen Golf GTI

2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI ・ Photo by Brady Holt