MOTORS: Tardis-like proportions make Toyota Corolla a wee cracker
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If like me, you’re a fan of the British Touring Car Championship, you’ll have watched one of our home-grown drivers tearing around the country’s racetracks.
Fife-based Rory Butcher had a mixed season last year with some bruising encounters as well as some sparkling wins.
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Sadly he’s not competing in this year’s championship and will be missed by Scots racing fans who’d become used to him at the wheel of a manufacturer-backed Toyota Corolla GR Sport.
But his almost quarter-of-a-million-pound machine is a world away from what we can drive on the road.
For about 15 per cent of that, we can experience the sort of engineering expertise and build quality that makes Toyota successful on the track.
It’s not only vastly cheaper and slower than Rory’s chariot, but the road-going Corolla hatchback is a fine piece of kit, especially in the hybrid set-up of the featured test car.
With the end of fully diesel and petrol-powered cars in the not-too-distant future, a hybrid is the ideal solution for anyone who finds going all-electric just too much of a big step.
A self-charging hybrid is the best compromise where it doesn’t have to be plugged in to top-up the battery. Instead, it’s re-charged automatically every time you brake or decelerate which means there’s always a trickle of electricity going into the small battery keeping it ready to assist the petrol engine or even provide the power to move the car for short periods.
That makes it a superbly efficient machine with low emissions and impressive economy along with attractive tax benefits for anyone who uses it as a company car.
There are two engine options – a 1.8 litre or the gutsier 2.0 litre in the featured car which also has a larger electric motor to give it a livelier response.
There’s also a GR Sport trim which adds some go-faster styling but does little to improve the performance which is already quite sufficient.
It’s a surprising small car which returns more than you’d expect at face value with well-balanced handling, lively performance when called upon and delightfully smooth and quiet acceleration thanks to the progressive electric power.
The top-of-the-range Excel version comes stacked with equipment and comfort such as superbly-supportive heated leather sports seats, head-up display, wireless phone charger and 10.5-inch central multimedia display fixed high on the dashboard. The menu is complex but frequent functions such as climate control are operated through separate buttons.
Every version comes with a 12.3-inch digital cluster or Combimeter as Toyota call it, in front of the driver behind the wheel which can be configured to various settings.
Powerful LED headlights come as standard along with LED daytime running lights and front fog lights and the electric door mirrors are retractable, heated and automatically tilt when reverse gear is engaged.
There’s the usual array of safety features including blind spot monitor, rear cross traffic alert and adaptive high beam headlight system along with eCall in case of emergency.
The level of equipment is comprehensive and in the cockpit everything works well and looks robust but just a little bit dated compared to what other brands are coming up with at this level of the market. The grey interior finish in the test car didn’t help and the layout looked very familiar of Toyota styling over the past few years.
But Toyotas are renowned for their sturdiness and reliability and you can be pretty sure that everything will give continued good service over the years.
For a relatively small car, the Corolla has Tardis-like proportions inside, with tons of leg and headroom for the driver and front passenger.
It’s not quite as roomy in the rear but quite adequate for the smaller members of the family.
Luggage space is fine too, although a little restricted by the 12V battery which is under the boot floor because there’s no room for it alongside the 2-litre engine under the bonnet.
For the money, it’s a wee cracker.
Toyota Corolla Hatchback Excel 2.0 Hybrid
PRICE: £35,160
ENGINE: 1987cc 4-cyl inline e-CVT
POWER: 193 bhp
TORQUE: 190 Nm
TOP SPEED: 112mph
0-62mph: 7.4 secs
MPG: 61 mpg combined
