Plain Styling Hides First-Rate Technology Features
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Ten generations and forty years on, Toyota has launched the all-new Corolla in Japan. As usual, Toyota seems to have created a unique car for the compact model?s three main markets; Asia, Europe and North America, so what?s seen here might not make it to our shores, and definitely won?t become Europe?s Corolla replacement, the Auris. Nevertheless, it?s worth having a good look at a different version of a Canadian staple.
Firstly, the new Japanese Corolla will be offered in wagon and sedan guise. In terms of appearance, neither vehicle is particularly exiting to look at; both are conservatism epitomized. In fact, the Axio is exactly the same size, millimeter for millimeter as the outgoing car, with the exception that it?s 10 mm (0.4-in) shorter in height. Toyota seems to have completely abandoned its Vibrant Clarity styling language with this one; from the back the Corolla carries many of the same lines as the Yaris Sedan, with a sweeping C-pillar that flows into a short trunk lid.
Inside, the Japanese brand has taken inspiration from rival Honda to improve interior versatility and roominess. The Corolla?s cabin, which was already spacious, has become even more roomy thanks to better interior packaging and a flat cabin floor. Toyota has updated the design of the dashboard and console; it might not be daring like the Honda Civic, but it?ll be hard to criticize the quality of materials and fit and finish. Where competitors aim to be sporty, the Corolla strives to feel like a scaled-down luxury car, offering glossy wood trim, orange-coloured illumination for gauges and controls, plus the availability of leather, premium navigation and other high-end features.
Initial information released by Toyota suggests that the underpinnings of the Corolla are more or less the same. Toyota is highlighting two new engines, a 1.5-litre VVT-I four-cylinder that makes 110 horsepower and 103 lb-ft of torque, plus a brand-new 136-horsepower 1.8-litre VVT-I with 129 lb-ft of torque. The second engine made its debut in the high-performance Yaris TS at Paris, featuring dual variable valve timing for the intake and exhaust valves to improve efficiency, torque distribution and cleanliness. Toyota is making its brand new Super CVT-I with 7-speed manual mode available on both of these engines.
The tenth-generation Corolla doesn?t cross any lines in design, performance or luxury, but one thing it certainly raises the bar on is technology, and its ability to bring it to the masses for what is expected to be low price. Available on this new model is a rearview camera system to aid in reverse parking, something we?ve yet to see on a vehicle of this size; likewise is the available radar-based adaptive cruise control system. But that?s just the beginning. Like the Japanese-market Prius and the new Lexus LS 460, the Corolla can be had with the same intelligent self-parking system that takes the hassle out of slotting into a tight parking space, as well as a Lexus-like collision mitigation system that uses radar to detect an impending collision. The car will automatically apply the brakes, tighten the seatbelt and more.
We shouldn?t expect such features in the North American-bound Corolla, that is unless fuel prices rise further and force those looking for luxury to downsize significantly.
