The 2025 Toyota GR Corolla Premium Plus manual makes you work for speed. This top-tier hot hatch doesn't give instant power like most modern cars. Slide behind the wheel and fire up the turbocharged 1.6-liter engine. Drop into first gear expecting immediate drama. Instead, the engine feels sleepy below 3,000 RPM. It delivers power with all the urgency of a grocery-getter heading to Target.
Indie game Rally Arcade Classics has received a major update on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch. Developer NETK2GAMES has added the manual transmission mode to cars, giving players more control over their vehicles. Automatic mode will be available regardless, so everyone can use their preferred way of driving. The scoreboards will show which mode was used for every player's best time.
Bless Volkswagen for keeping the helical gears turning, both literally and figuratively. The 2025 Jetta GLI, Volkswagen's sporty sedan, still offers a gear lever with actual gears attached at the other end, and a third pedal hanging down from under the dash. Meanwhile, Golf GTI fans are still sobbing in their beer because 2024 was the last model year you could row your own in the hot hatch- now it's paddles only.