TOYOTA COROLLA HATCH 1,2T XR
Toyota has turned the Corolla from anonymous to awesome by adding a hatch
Into my second month with the Corolla Hatch XR and it is fair to say I’m still in the honeymoon phase. Like many others, I am so taken with my long-termer that I find myself staring at it when it’s parked, getting lost in its sporty lines and handsome stance. I make sure to “fancy park”, as the missus calls it (otherwise known as alley docking), whenever we go out to make sure I show off its best features to the world and have something to look at as I walk away. We have to wear masks out in public but thankfully our cars don’t have to cover their mugs.
I think the public are so enamoured with it because, let’s be honest, Corolla/auris models of old were synonymous with reliability and dullness. And then Toyota brought this to market!
It’s great to drive, too. Sharing its TNGA platform with the latest Prius, RAV4 and C-HR, the body shell is 60% stiffer than the old Auris and has the lowest centre of gravity in its class. That’s a real boon for handling and it boasts a sophisticated multilink rear suspension; a significant addition when you realise rivals like the Mazda3 talk about chasing premium buyers but persist with dated torsion beam rear suspension. Tsk, tsk …
Everything is a process and there is always room for improvement. On cold startup, you can’t stop the engine from upping its tick-over revs, presumably to speed engine warm up. Interestingly, a 2,0-litre Corolla I drove in 2020 did the same thing, so it’s not just the 1,2T CVT. Defy the vehicle in any way and beware its array of warning bongs. I’m all for health and safety standards but having the door open with the ignition on and the car safely in park when you quickly want to load something into the boot doesn’t warrant the full-on cadenza from the cockpit nanny.
These are infinitesimal gripes from a carmaker steadily banishing the idea that it builds solid if unspectacular vehicles. The Corolla Hatch isn’t merely a big step forward for family hatches; it’s a timely reaffirmation of the firm’s mantra to continue to produce “no more boring cars”.
Driver: Ray Leathern Ray_leathern