I've taken road trips in many of my other cars and I wasn't sure what to expect from long days in the saddle in my GR Corolla before I left on this road trip. Needless to say, I was shocked at how great it was. The seats were comfortable, even on a 16 hour day. The ride and handling didn't beat me to death and I would take my GRC on a road trip any time in the future.
After a14 day 6k mile road trip of which 4k were on proper mountain west roads - here are a few of my observations - mirrors many of your thoughts. The seats on my Circuit are very comfortable. I don't recall ever having a krik in my back. The GR's ride/suspension is fine for fast B & C road driving. Yes the GRC is designed for the twisties & some gravel thrown in for good measure. 80 to 90+ mph became the "New Normal" on this trip 27 avg mpg from mile one. 30 mpg for this trip. - very little urban driving. I was almost out of gas & had to drive real slow to the next gas station (45 to 50 mph) I got 42 mpg over those 20 miles👍 8k total miles after 4 months of ownership! I got used to the cruise's controls & came to really enjoy adaptive, a/w lane keep & auto dimming under certain circumstances . I'm going to miss those features in my other vehicles. My armrest is back ordered till October A sunroof would be GREAT. The GRC is simply brilliant. Out of the handful of fast cars I've owned - I would choose the GRC all day long...
Very, very true! My only differences with you are the lane keep that I hate as I cut the line on twisty roads and it's always tugging at the wheel. I've never liked the buttons of the CC vs the stalk that was perfect. I still use the standard CC too. Amazing how so many of our views mirror each others.
@@TerryManitoba The only Tim e I would think about using LK would be when driving at night on long stretches in case I got tired and didn't realize it, but I normally know I'm getting that way and pull over to sleep for a while.
@@jimsgaragetoys How I roll with the GRC's tech - only to facilitates my driving experience. ( learnt from 1st 6k mile trip) LK - is great when your droning & want to pay "extra" attention to a GPS or Text (or whatnot) & don't want to crash. (judge away) ACC - works well when you are in a lead/follow construction zone - to more casually following the pack. Same idea when follwing taffic going thru towns. Pro Tip - what I've done for years is run 2 GPS's - one zoomed in one out. Works brilliantly on long trips...
I’ve taken my Circuit to Las Vegas and Los Angeles twice in my three months of ownership racking up the miles. Currently at 9k miles. You must have taken 130 from San Jose to Highway 5. Highway 9 to 35 from Saratoga is a pretty sweet road that locals love to drive.
This car was built for backroads first and foremost. I do not think (non-morizo) GRCs are built to be track stars… too many issues begin to pop up when you really flog this car at an autocross or on a circuit.
I've felt the same way since the beginning. A rally based car is going to be better on back roads more than a track. I've never understood the obsession of so many to track it vs enjoying it over thousands of miles of back roads.
Because tracking is fun. Really not that many issues, just transfer case and oil heat. both of which now have solutions. Not sure why people make it out like it's a massive deal. The car isn't known to have catastrophic issues on track and just because it isn't the fastest thing ever doesn't mean it can't be enjoyable on a track. People obsess to much over what auto reviewers say and what stats look like on paper and most of them don't have the skill to really push the car to its limits on track anyways. The car is fine on a track and plenty enjoyable.
@@GearHead_Media I personally get bored doing the same track is my issue. Is it fun? Sure, but it's the same thing over and over so it gets old to me. I do agree that people obsess too much over numbers in general. Everyone freaks out about 0-60 times, 1/4 mile times, HP numbers, etc. It just doesn't make much of a difference in the everyday world on public streets.
It absolutely sucks on roads trips, I took it from PA to the tail of the dragon and I’ll never take it on a long trip like that again. The seats are not comfortable, it gets old shifting for 12 hours straight (I love manuals but still) and let’s be honest the car is a rough ride you feel every nook and cranny in the road. I was ready to get out of the car after about 5 hours straight.i had a blast driving it at the dragon though but the actual road trip part was tough
Your experience was very different than mine. What trim level do you have? Is the suspension stock or modified? I enjoyed every minute behind the wheel, the seats were extremely comfortable, shifting was fantastic with my Racer X mods, and the ride was so much better over the long days than I ever thought it would be. Out of the 5300 miles I traveled, I would say about 4k miles were on back country 2 lane roads.
I've taken road trips in many of my other cars and I wasn't sure what to expect from long days in the saddle in my GR Corolla before I left on this road trip. Needless to say, I was shocked at how great it was. The seats were comfortable, even on a 16 hour day. The ride and handling didn't beat me to death and I would take my GRC on a road trip any time in the future.
Agreed about the handling, especially the mountain experience. It's like a motorcycle (better, actually) in the twisty bits.
As a former motorcycle owner, I agree with you!
After a14 day 6k mile road trip of which 4k were on proper mountain west roads - here are a few of my observations - mirrors many of your thoughts.
The seats on my Circuit are very comfortable. I don't recall ever having a krik in my back.
The GR's ride/suspension is fine for fast B & C road driving.
Yes the GRC is designed for the twisties & some gravel thrown in for good measure.
80 to 90+ mph became the "New Normal" on this trip
27 avg mpg from mile one. 30 mpg for this trip. - very little urban driving. I was almost out of gas & had to drive real slow to the next gas station (45 to 50 mph) I got 42 mpg over those 20 miles👍
8k total miles after 4 months of ownership!
I got used to the cruise's controls & came to really enjoy adaptive, a/w lane keep & auto dimming under certain circumstances . I'm going to miss those features in my other vehicles.
My armrest is back ordered till October
A sunroof would be GREAT.
The GRC is simply brilliant. Out of the handful of fast cars I've owned - I would choose the GRC all day long...
Very, very true! My only differences with you are the lane keep that I hate as I cut the line on twisty roads and it's always tugging at the wheel. I've never liked the buttons of the CC vs the stalk that was perfect. I still use the standard CC too. Amazing how so many of our views mirror each others.
@@jimsgaragetoys I rarely use CC or LK except on a long drone from A to B. Certainly never in the twisties or even when I daily it.
@@TerryManitoba The only Tim e I would think about using LK would be when driving at night on long stretches in case I got tired and didn't realize it, but I normally know I'm getting that way and pull over to sleep for a while.
@@jimsgaragetoys How I roll with the GRC's tech - only to facilitates my driving experience. ( learnt from 1st 6k mile trip)
LK - is great when your droning & want to pay "extra" attention to a GPS or Text (or whatnot) & don't want to crash. (judge away)
ACC - works well when you are in a lead/follow construction zone - to more casually following the pack. Same idea when follwing taffic going thru towns.
Pro Tip - what I've done for years is run 2 GPS's - one zoomed in one out. Works brilliantly on long trips...
@@TerryManitoba I've used the 2 GPS trick for years too! 🤣
I’ve taken my Circuit to Las Vegas and Los Angeles twice in my three months of ownership racking up the miles. Currently at 9k miles. You must have taken 130 from San Jose to Highway 5. Highway 9 to 35 from Saratoga is a pretty sweet road that locals love to drive.
Yes I did, highway 130 from San Jose to I-5. It was a fantastic drive with no traffic. Highway 9 looks like a lot of fun as does highway 35.
Great video! Fun driving with you on the crest!
That was a blast! I wish more GRC owners had joined us. I hope that all is well with you!
This car was built for backroads first and foremost. I do not think (non-morizo) GRCs are built to be track stars… too many issues begin to pop up when you really flog this car at an autocross or on a circuit.
I've felt the same way since the beginning. A rally based car is going to be better on back roads more than a track. I've never understood the obsession of so many to track it vs enjoying it over thousands of miles of back roads.
Because tracking is fun. Really not that many issues, just transfer case and oil heat. both of which now have solutions.
Not sure why people make it out like it's a massive deal. The car isn't known to have catastrophic issues on track and just because it isn't the fastest thing ever doesn't mean it can't be enjoyable on a track.
People obsess to much over what auto reviewers say and what stats look like on paper and most of them don't have the skill to really push the car to its limits on track anyways. The car is fine on a track and plenty enjoyable.
@@GearHead_Media I personally get bored doing the same track is my issue. Is it fun? Sure, but it's the same thing over and over so it gets old to me.
I do agree that people obsess too much over numbers in general. Everyone freaks out about 0-60 times, 1/4 mile times, HP numbers, etc. It just doesn't make much of a difference in the everyday world on public streets.
It absolutely sucks on roads trips, I took it from PA to the tail of the dragon and I’ll never take it on a long trip like that again. The seats are not comfortable, it gets old shifting for 12 hours straight (I love manuals but still) and let’s be honest the car is a rough ride you feel every nook and cranny in the road. I was ready to get out of the car after about 5 hours straight.i had a blast driving it at the dragon though but the actual road trip part was tough
Your experience was very different than mine. What trim level do you have? Is the suspension stock or modified? I enjoyed every minute behind the wheel, the seats were extremely comfortable, shifting was fantastic with my Racer X mods, and the ride was so much better over the long days than I ever thought it would be. Out of the 5300 miles I traveled, I would say about 4k miles were on back country 2 lane roads.