Corolla turns 41 this year and is an iconic car in Ireland. The three-box saloon has for years been lampooned by the critics for being dull, but this hasn’t put off punters who have bought it in their droves. The latest Corolla is Toyota’s best ever.
Corolla, now in its tenth generation, is a huge worldwide brand with 32,000,000 cars built; that’s more than any other model. The Corolla name which translates from Latin as Crown of Flowers only lives on in saloon form as the Corolla hatchback is replaced with the all new Toyota Auris.
The exterior of the Japanese-built car is the very smart and quite Camry-like. The saloon now has a sophistication that was never there before. This is due to the designers making the Corolla a saloon from day one and not simply a redesigned hatchback with a boot added on. Bulging tail-lights and a curvy front end are a couple of the more obvious design elements that move the Corolla away from the image of being a ‘priest’s car’.
Inside the build is impressive. The revised dials and dash add a touch of flare and style to what was once a boring interior. Standard specification is best described as humble for this day and age. The seating has been redesigned to give more interior space and up front the cabin feels Avensis-like.
As a family car the rear can be tight and as a father of three I was only able to fit one booster chair for my three-year-old and one booster seat for the six-year-old; my nine-year-old had to sit in the middle without a booster and complained of being squashed.
Thankfully the front passenger airbag can be switched off making the interior more versatile. The boot is a reasonable size but there is no interior grab handle to aid closing and clean hands. To open the boot you use the interior handle by the driver’s door or stick the key in it like the good old days!
On the road Corolla has a nice artificial ‘weighty’ feel. I say artificial weighty because the car is light and very economical. The steering is geared well but a little numb. The ride and handling is decent but falls short of the class leading Ford Focus - this is no shame as most cars in this sector fall short also. The cabin is well insulated and a pleasant place to be.
Power is available in petrol and diesel form. My test car featured the entry level 1.4 petrol unit that was just the job without feeling under powered. The 1.4 D4D is the choice for anyone who does serious mileage as it will easily deliver 60mpg. There is a new 1.6 dual VVT-I petrol engine and a high output 2 litre D4D that both cost a bit more than the big sellers but deliver excellent performance. Three transmissions are available in the range.
Having scored 5 stars for adult occupant safety at Euro NCAP, 4 stars for child occupant safety and a very credible 3 stars for pedestrian safety the Japanese car maker is delivering safer cars to the Irish market.
Toyota has made the new Corolla a very good car.
Michael Sheridan
