Photo: Edmunds Cars
U-Drag racing isn't a widespread official thing, but it is a variant of the classic 1/4-mile drag race. The purpose is the same, but the rules vary a bit. After the usual stretch of road, the cars must break as fast and hard as possible, make a U-turn, and then floor it back to the starting/finish line. It's as simple as it sounds. After the 1st try, the drivers swap place to keep it fair. It adds a touch of variety to the mix.
This time, we're witnessing the famous Honda Civic Type R go head to head with the Toyota GR Corolla Morizo, which has a chip on its shoulder. The standard versions of these cars are suitable for carrying your groceries, but these are no garden-variety urban sloths.
The 2023 Civic Type R might have a bread van paint job, but that's only "skin deep." Because under the hood of this beast lies a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 engine that can produce 315 horsepower with 310 lb-ft of torque. If you're from Europe, that's 320 ps with 427 Nm of torque.
It's front-wheel drive and comes with a 6-speed manual transmission system. In the old US of A, this model costs just a bit over $45,000.
On the darker side of the track, we have the 2023 GR Corolla Morizo. It comes equipped with a 1.6-liter inline-3 engine that can output 300 hp (304 ps) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque.
At first glance, the specs seem underwhelming compared to the Civic Type R, and the price isn't making the deal any sweeter. The GR Corolla is more expensive, at over $53,000. In the words of the immortal Silvio Dante from The Sopranos, "We're talking eight large over here!" However, the Toyota has an all-wheel drive system, which could change the power dynamic.
Now that we know what the contenders have brought to the battle, let's see how they did on the tarmac.
During the first race, they both took off at the same time, with the Honda lagging behind for a couple of seconds. But it caught up by the U-turn and even beat the Morizo to the finish line by about two, three car lengths.
As usual with these U-Drags from Edmunds Cars, the drivers swap places to keep things even after the first race. Not that it changed the end results. The Civic won again with not much hassle.
Now for the stats and whatnot. During the 1/4-mile, the 2023 Civic Type R won, with 14.3 seconds on the clock at almost 105 mph. The 2023 GR Corolla Moriza did it in 14.4 seconds at 100.5 mph.
Overall, the best time for the Civic was 39 seconds flat at 108.6 mph, with the Toyota finishing in 38.5 seconds at 113 mph. This is a straightforward and cut race, with the Type R going home with the trophy.
The 2023 Civic Type R might have a bread van paint job, but that's only "skin deep." Because under the hood of this beast lies a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 engine that can produce 315 horsepower with 310 lb-ft of torque. If you're from Europe, that's 320 ps with 427 Nm of torque.
It's front-wheel drive and comes with a 6-speed manual transmission system. In the old US of A, this model costs just a bit over $45,000.
On the darker side of the track, we have the 2023 GR Corolla Morizo. It comes equipped with a 1.6-liter inline-3 engine that can output 300 hp (304 ps) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque.
At first glance, the specs seem underwhelming compared to the Civic Type R, and the price isn't making the deal any sweeter. The GR Corolla is more expensive, at over $53,000. In the words of the immortal Silvio Dante from The Sopranos, "We're talking eight large over here!" However, the Toyota has an all-wheel drive system, which could change the power dynamic.
Now that we know what the contenders have brought to the battle, let's see how they did on the tarmac.
During the first race, they both took off at the same time, with the Honda lagging behind for a couple of seconds. But it caught up by the U-turn and even beat the Morizo to the finish line by about two, three car lengths.
As usual with these U-Drags from Edmunds Cars, the drivers swap places to keep things even after the first race. Not that it changed the end results. The Civic won again with not much hassle.
Now for the stats and whatnot. During the 1/4-mile, the 2023 Civic Type R won, with 14.3 seconds on the clock at almost 105 mph. The 2023 GR Corolla Moriza did it in 14.4 seconds at 100.5 mph.
Overall, the best time for the Civic was 39 seconds flat at 108.6 mph, with the Toyota finishing in 38.5 seconds at 113 mph. This is a straightforward and cut race, with the Type R going home with the trophy.
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