The world's most practical hot hatch! Ballistic 200kW Toyota GR Corolla Wagon coming this year - reports

The Toyota Corolla Wagon appears in line for the GR treatment, with reports out of Japan suggesting the practical alternative to cars like the GR Yaris or Hyundai i30 N said to be debuting in September this year.

And that is Very Good News for fans of performance, with Toyota's GR rollout continuing to pick-up steam, with everything from the LandCruiser 300 Series to the HiLux said to be in-line for the go-fast treatment.

Toyota is yet to officially confirm the GR Corolla in Wagon form, but the brand has inadvertently confirmed the regular Corolla will be beefed up this year, both through a series of pointed hints, and the move to trademark the name GR Corolla across the globe.

And where the hatch goes, it makes sense for the Wagon to follow.

We do know that the GR Corolla - and so likely its Wagon sibling - will use the same 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine - good for 200kW and 370Nm - that powers the GR Yaris. It will get also GR-FOUR 4WD, weight-saving body panels and Toyota's TNGA platform as standard, as well as the option of LSDs.

And how do we know, you might ask? Because the Toyota Yaris GR's chief engineer, Naohiko Saito, told us.

"It’s wasting time to use a four-wheel drive system and this 1.6-litre engine (for one car). Personally, I’d like to use this powertrain for each of the other (GR) models," he told CarsGuide at the launch of the GR Yaris in Portugal.

Those outputs would be enough to propel the Corolla GR Wagon towards the top of the hot hatch podium - even pushing it close to Golf R Wagon territory (213kW and 380Nm).

Better still, in Wagon guise, Toyota's small car carries 598 litres (VDA) with the rear seats in place. Power and practicality, then.

So will the Corolla GR Wagon come to Australia? It remains to be seen. While the brand is "continuing to study" the regular long-body Corolla for our market, it is also on the record as saying it will have its hand up for every GR-branded model that's released.