Toyota GR Corolla Drag Races Volkswagen Golf R, Sadly Doesn't Cut It

From a historical standpoint, hot hatchbacks are FWD cars with stick shifts. However, after VW introduced the world's first mass-produced DCT in the Mk4 Golf R32, the rest of the automotive industry took notice. Combining a dual-clutch tranny with all-wheel drive gets you a seriously quick hot hatchback, which the Mk8 Golf R certainly is.

Certain automakers, however, don't run with the pack. Pictured at the Aldo Scribante Race Circuit in South Africa, the Toyota GR Corolla is one of the very few hot hatchbacks available with a manual in this day and age. But as opposed to the front-wheel-drive Honda Civic Type R and Renault Megane RS, this fellow spices things up with GR-Four AWD.

Even though Car Magazine South Africa managed to squeeze out 5.04 seconds from zero to 100 kilometers per hour (make that 62 miles per hour), the Golf R is quicker by two-tenths of a second. This also applies to the quarter mile. Over the course of two drag races, the dual-clutch Golf R asserted dominance over the more engaging hot hatchback.

Unfortunately, the good folks at Car Magazine haven't shared any quarter-mile times and trap speeds for the hot hatches. Looking at the bigger picture, it doesn't really matter how fast one covers the quarter mile when you can have so much more fun rowing through the gears on a winding road.

We also have to remember that the GR Corolla lost twice against the Golf R due to its three-cylinder engine. From a displacement of 1.6 liters, the South Africa-spec Circuit develops 221 kW and 370 Nm, figures that convert to 296 horsepower and 273 pound-feet. For the Golf R, the max output numbers are 235 kW (315 hp) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft).

Suppose Car Magazine had four miles of runway instead of a long straight. In this scenario, the Golf R would have still won due to its higher top speed (250 kilometers per hour or 155 miles per hour) compared to 230 kph or 143 mph for the 'Yota).

At the moment of reporting, the GR Corolla Circuit retails at 911,400 rand in South Africa, which is roughly 48,765 dollars at current exchange rates. The Golf R is a hair more expensive at 956,300 springboks or just around 51,170 freedom eagles.

Over in the United States, base prices are listed as $36,500 and $45,665 (sans destination charge), respectively. The GR Corolla is – dare I say it – reasonable for most peeps in the market for a brand-new hot hatchback. The Golf R? At only a grand shy of the Mustang GT Premium Fastback, it's a hard sell.