Video: Straight-Piping a Toyota Corolla Will Surely Make Your Neighbors Hate You

Mind you, we’re still talking about a stock 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, so there’s no way to make it sound as good as a V8, well, not with straight-piping anyway, so you shouldn’t get your hopes up. What you should look for is a much noisier drive from this compact hatchback, which is part of the twelfth generation that has been around since 2018.

So, what would we describe its new soundtrack having viewed the video embedded at the bottom of this story? Ridiculous - and cool. Ridiculously cool, if we may, because there is a sweet burble noticeable at low revs, which transforms into a straight growl whenever the person sitting in the driver’s seat touches the right pedal. Honestly, we wouldn’t do this to a Toyota Corolla, but we could think of a few rides that are worthy of this upgrade.

Speaking of which, we came across a Dodge Challenger SRT Demon at one point, which had straight pipes, and it sounded awesome. The same company behind this compact hatchback was responsible for modifying the menacing muscle car, playing around with the cat-back exhaust system, and leaving the tailpipes intact for a much-deserved stock look, because not many people are willing to mess around with the design of the Demon. Before and after comparisons are available in the video that we covered here, so that you can be the judge of whether it sounds better than before, or if the owner should have left it OEM.

Now, before scrolling down to watch the video of the straight-piped Corolla, we have to remind you that the model is also available as a hot hatch in a premiere. Boasting a wide body makeover, beefier front and rear bumpers, fatter side skirts, dedicated wheels and tires, uprated brakes, and a few tweaks made to the chassis, the Toyota GR Corolla can be yours from $35,900 in the U.S. of A., before destination, handling, dealer fees, and options.

Joining the 86 and Supra in Toyota’s GR family, the Volkswagen Golf R rival from the Japanese company uses a tiny 1.6-liter three-cylinder engine. Thanks to clever tech, and turbocharging, this small mill is capable of pushing out 300 hp and 273 lb-ft (370 Nm) of torque, delivering it to the all-wheel drive system through a stick shift. Ask Toyota how quick it is to sixty, and they will tell you that it needs a hair under the five-second mark to get there, and that its top speed was capped at 143 mph (230 kph).