After driving several electric cars and various SUVs in recent weeks, I found myself back in a good old fashioned saloon car last week, the Toyota Corolla. It seems so long time ago now that I drove a regular saloon.
The first item I always check in a new car is to see if there is a spare wheel, and I was pleasantly surprised to find a ‘mini’ spare wheel in the spacious boot of the Corolla.
My test car, which is the 12th generation of the Corolla, came in a very attractive shade of Pearl Red and it certainly would catch your eye in the supermarket car park. The 12th generation was launched in 2018, but it has recently got a mild make-over.
First launched by Toyota in 1966, the Corolla was the best-selling car worldwide by 1974 and has been one of the best-selling cars in the world since then. In 1997, the Corolla became the best-selling nameplate in the world, surpassing the Volkswagen Beetle. Toyota reached the milestone of 50 million Corollas sold over twelve generations in 2021.
You would probably need to be wearing your Toyota Anorak to spot the changes to the 2023 version. Externally there are slight changes to the headlamps and grille. At the back there are new combination lights.
Inside you get a 12.3-inch infotainment screen with some new features. What I like most about the interior were the fingertip controls for the radio on the steering wheel so you never need to take your eye off the road. You can control the volume with your left hand and change the stations with your right hand.
The interior is a bit dark; the seats are black, but they do have white stitching, while the roofline is grey. However, those seats are very comfortable and there is plenty of head and leg room for five adults.
I really liked the radio in the Corolla. When Marty Whelan plays a track, you get an image of the LP cover on your screen. I had a blissful week chopping and changing between Marty on Lyric, and various other radio stations.
For lovers of old time music we are really spoiled on Sunday mornings with Sunshine, LM/FM, Midlands 103 and the excellent northside station Near FM where my former colleague Roger O’Sullivan always plays some great tracks.
Toyota are the kings of hybrid and as you may know the Japanese company no longer make regular petrol or diesel cars. This version of the Corolla is powered by a 1.8-litre petrol engine with a 70kW electric motor that produces 140 brake horse power. If it’s speed you are after those ‘140 horses’ will get you from zero to 100km/h in just over nine seconds.
Drivers can choose from Normal, Eco and Power drive modes. A full electric EV button allows for near-silent low-emission driving when required; that button is located close to the gear selector. You get an excellent reversing camera and warnings about traffic queues up ahead.
It sure was an enjoyable week driving the Corolla. It’s a solid old-style, but yet very modern saloon from Toyota, truly the ambassadors for Hybrid.
Prices start at €33,435. Road tax is €180 and fuel consumption can be as low as 4.5 litres per 100km, if you drive steadily. The Corolla is manufactured at Toyota’s plan in Burnaston in Derbyshire.
