First impression of the new Toyota Corolla – The world's best-selling car is back in shape

Corolla is almost unrecognizable. Finished the stained plastic inside, softer and lighter materials are entered. The slightly boring look has a sportier feel.

What used to be a rather small car has increased the family segment. Traditional gasoline and diesel engines have been replaced by hybrid engines.

Back:

Friday morning we saw that Toyota recalled about a million Avensis, Corolla and Corolla Verso produced between July 2002 and June 2015. For many of these years, Corolla was one of the best-selling cars in Norway.

Name of exchange

We did not understand when Auris had replaced one of the most famous model names in the world in 2006. With over 45 million euros, Corolla was the world's best-selling car and, at the beginning of 2000, it was the best-selling in Norway, several years in a row.

The latter will not happen again, despite all the improvements. The reason is simple: the Corolla does not look like an electric car.

In a market where nearly half of the new cars sold are clean electric cars, and Corolla's competitor Nissan Leaf being the best-selling car in Norway, it goes without saying that this performance will not be the same again. from the early 2000s.

Much more driving space

We immediately see a major improvement in the Corolla: the driver's seat. We have never managed to find the same driving style in Toyota cars, such as VW Golf or Ford Focus.

Now that has changed. The steering wheel has a more correct angle to the driver and can be adjusted more in the long run.

In addition, the seats are significantly better, with good lateral support and a longer seat cushion that suits Nordic bodies. At Auris, we had the feeling of sitting sure seat. We are sitting in seat.

Exciting equipment

A big and clear head-up display On the windshield (optional) provides important information on speed and navigation, and more with driving. The exciting and easy to use dashboard is transparent and offers, among other things, a three-dimensional visualization (the world's first, according to Toyota), where the instruments seem to float in the open air. The large touch screen is easy to use, just like the screen of your mobile phone.

Otherwise, the engineers have worked a lot with the progressive gearbox (standard on all hybrids), which previously had a tendency to accelerate during acceleration.

It needed to be significantly quieter and quieter, partly because the electric motor uses more power during acceleration. It also makes better use of engine torque.

To what extent the situation has improved, we can first respond to Wednesday, November 7th. Only then can we talk about Corolla's first impressions of driving.

Became a family car

The Corolla is built on Toyota's new Toyota Global Architecture Platform (TNGA), just like the new Rav4. This means, among other things, that the car has become bigger than Auris today. In Norway, it is surely the stationery that becomes the best seller.

There are two reasons for this: there are no family cars in this electric powered class. In addition, Toyota has retired from Big Brother Avensis.

The corolla took six centimeters longer than the current Auris break and ten centimeters longer wheelbase. This means that the legroom in the back seat is better than before.

The Hybrid Hybrid Propulsion is located under the rear seat. So we are sitting high enough here.

Children especially appreciate the extra view provided by the raised seat. For larger adults, however, this means that the height of the roof can be as small as possible, especially on cars with sunroofs.

The 598-liter luggage compartment is about the same as in the old Avensis. The new Corolla Hybrid can also pull a load of 750 kg. It just means that Corolla is about to get into the family car class.

Better driving skills

The new platform also includes new suspensions and suspensions. A new multi-travel rear axle – which will allow better traffic on winding roads – is one of the elements.

In addition, the body of the Corolla has become 60% more rigid. This will allow the car to react more quickly to the steering and, in particular, to become more stable and collapse less when driving on windrow roads.

Unfortunately, how successful it was, we can not say anything until Wednesday. At present, we observe what Toyota's chief engineer, Toshio Kanei, told us when we met him at the launch of the car:

"The goal is a clear improvement in driving skills so we can be in line with our competitors such as Ford Focus and VW Golf.

High goals

Kanei also aims to improve driving comfort:

"The new suspension, combined with the intensive use of noise-absorbing materials, will significantly reduce internal noise and provide a more comfortable suspension," he told Dinside.

The final answer as to whether it's successful, we barely get before the car puts the wheels on the Norwegian asphalt. However, we note that the biggest edition of the car is equipped with 225/40 R18 wheels.

Experienced, these give rise to noise. The 122 horsepower edition runs on 16-inch wheels, which is often more comfortable.

Just hybrid

In Norway, Corolla only offers two different hybrid drives, combining gasoline engines and electric motors. The diesel engine no longer exists, and ordinary gasoline engines are only taken to order. The smallest driver produces 122 horses and will certainly be the most sold.

With progressive speed, the car makes it very easy to drive. giving a consumption of only 0.43 liter per million, following the new WLTP strict test. It is a consumption that most people should be able to reach on Norwegian roads.

For those looking for a sportier driving experience, Toyota has developed a new hybrid drive, with a two-liter gasoline engine and a 180 horsepower electric motor.

According to Toyota, Corolla will then reach 0-100 km / h in 7.9 seconds, which is faster than the VW Golf with 150 horsepower. More traction at low speeds will give a better driving pleasure. In addition, the speed can be manually controlled by handles located behind the steering wheel.

Complete safety equipment

All security features are now standard on Corolla. According to Toyota, this car is in the compact class with the best safety equipment.

The car includes an emergency brake identifying pedestrians and cyclists in the dark, LEDs with automatic headlamp, a signal reader that adjusts the speed of the car after the speed signs, an adaptive speed management device who follows the front of the car from 0 to 180 km / h, as well as flight alerts. .

The Corolla also has many other exciting facilities that will help you as a driver. E-Call Automatically warns emergency services in case of an accident, it is nice to have a wireless charging of the mobile phone – and the car can close by sitting down or following.

Predict the price

The importer of comfort equipment that is becoming standard on Corolla, the Norwegian importer has not decided yet. Prices are also not clear, but they say they are almost alone when looking at their competitors.

A VW Golf with 115 hp gasoline engine and automatic transmission costs around 335,000 kroner. We suppose that the Corolla will cost 315,000 crowns in five gates and about 15,000 more crowns as a station wagon.

We also do not know what our customers are willing to pay for a car with the big hybrid engine. Maybe an extra 20,000 crowns is ok? The final prices will be ready in early December, when dealers will also start taking control of the car.

PS: We'll be back for the Toyota Corolla test on Wednesday, November 7th.