New Toyota Corolla Touring Sports 2019

[HICHEM]

Toyota wants people to love the Corolla Touring Sports' looks, not just its big boot

 

Toyota has already announced it's reviving the Corolla name in the UK, and this is our first glimpse of the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports – an estate version of the family hatchback. It's set to make its world debut at the Paris Motor Show at the start of October and promises to be as much about style as practicality.

That should help the Corolla Touring Sports go head-to-head with attractive models like the SEAT Leon ST, Renault Megane Sport Tourer and, of course, the all-new Ford Focus Estate. The Corolla Touring Sports was designed at the Japanese brand's new design centre in Belgium, and a curved roof and wide wheelarches replace the typically flat surfaces of older Toyota estates, including the Toyota Auris Touring Sports model it's set to replace. Like the Leon ST, its rear window also leans forward for a sportier and less boxy look. Even its full-LED rear lights curve around the sides of the boot to help give the car a wider stance.

In a first for the class, there'll be four 'bi-tone' colour options, where the body colour contrasts with a black roof, door pillars and front grille surround. Equipment will include a head-up display, a "world-first 3D driver's meter", a JBL sound system, wireless phone charging and the Toyota Touch infotainment system.

Unsurprisingly, the interior is almost a carbon copy of the Toyota Corolla hatchback, but the space between the front and rear wheels has been stretched to improve rear legroom, which Toyota claims is best-in-class. Boot space is 598 litres behind the rear seats, placing the Corolla Touring Sports ahead of the Renault Megane Sport Tourer (521 litres) and SEAT Leon ST (587 litres), but just behind the Ford Focus Estate (608 litres). The outgoing Toyota Auris Touring Sports has a 507-litre boo

The petrol-only engine line-up kicks off with a 1.2-litre turbo producing 114bhp, which will be offered alongside two hybrids. The first is a 1.8-litre with 120bhp, which is an improvement on the existing Toyota hybrid powertrain found in models like the Toyota Prius and Toyota CH-R. Meanwhile, the range-topping 2.0-litre hybrid is all-new and has 178bhp.t.

Edited September 5, 2018 by BugaTTi