MehrezVM Posted January 15, 2024 Posted January 15, 2024 The Toyota Corolla is one of the longest-running and best-selling nameplates in the industry. It has been on sale here since 1966, though it went away for a bit in 2008. 'Corolla' had become synonymous with boring cars, so Toyota replaced it with the Toyota Auris, which was equally grey. The Toyota Corolla is one of the longest-running and best-selling nameplates in the industry. It has been on sale here since 1966, though it went away for a bit in 2008. 'Corolla' had become synonymous with boring cars, so Toyota replaced it with the Toyota Auris, which was equally grey. Looks are, as ever, subjective, but if the Auris was blandly handsome, then in the metal the Corolla is just handsome Richard Lane Deputy road test editor Along with chairman Akio Toyoda’s “no more boring cars” edict, Toyota realised that it wasn’t the name that was the issue, so when this generation launched in 2019, it brought back the Corolla name, and went to quite a bit of trouble to make it compete at the sharp end of the hatchback class for looks, handling and fuel efficiency. Five years later, 12th-generation Corollas are everywhere in the UK, and it’s easy to forget what a sharp-looking, handsome car it is, looking rather trim in a world of SUVs. For that reason, the 2023 facelift didn’t mess with the looks too much, though it did introduce a few worthwhile technical updates. The Corolla uses the TNGA platform, which underpins most of the Toyota range and has proven to be capable of spawning efficient and pleasant-handling cars. Certainly, the Corolla has all the right ingredients. Compared with its Auris predecessor, it has a 10mm-lower centre of gravity and a body that is 60% more rigid. It’s blessed with a multi-link rear axle, which is quite unusual in the hatchback class, which includes everything from the VW Golf and Vauxhall Astra to the Mazda 3 and Mercedes A-Class. The design manages to be dynamic and sleek without being remotely polarising. Its bottom might jut out in the manner of the old Renault Mégane, but sitting 40mm longer, 30mm wider but 25mm less lofty than the old Auris – and with smaller overhangs – the proportions are there. Size-wise, it’s right in the middle of the segment, being slightly longer than a Volkswagen Golf but quite a bit shorter than the latest Honda Civic. In 2023, Toyota gave the Corolla a facelift with some new wheel styles and redesigned headlights. On upper trim levels, these became adaptive LEDs with a J-shaped daytime-running light strip. The most important changes were to the infotainment and the mechanicals, which we’ll get to in a minute. From launch, the 12th generation was available as a five-door hatchback, a Touring Sports estate with a 60mm-longer wheelbase, and a saloon, but the saloon was a slow seller over here so it didn’t return after the 2023 facelift. For those mourning the loss of the Vauxhall Astravan, there is the Corolla Commercial, which is an estate shorn of rear seats and belts, with the rear windows blacked out and with a bulkhead between the front seats and the cargo area. From launch, the 12th generation was available as a five-door hatchback, a Touring Sports estate with a 60mm-longer wheelbase, and a saloon, but the saloon was a slow seller over here so it didn’t return after the 2023 facelift. For those mourning the loss of the Vauxhall Astravan, there is the Corolla Commercial, which is an estate shorn of rear seats and belts, with the rear windows blacked out and with a bulkhead between the front seats and the cargo area. The engine range has also gone through a few changes over the years. Diesels were never on the menu, and while it probably wouldn’t be impossible for Toyota to engineer a plug-in hybrid version based on the drivetrain in the new Toyota CH-R, that’s looking unlikely until the next generation. At launch you could spec your Corolla with a 114bhp 1.2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and a manual gearbox, or a choice of 1.8 and 2.0-litre full-hybrids. The lone pure-petrol engine was removed from sale at the start of 2020, as Toyota focused its range on hybrids. Source , Read More.
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