Our cars: Toyota Corolla
Opting for bigger engine has cut our hatch’s practicality
“The feeling of getting EV benefits without all the charging is certainly a bonus”
I WAS extremely lucky to get away for a holiday in Lagos, Portugal, before the current pandemic lockdown. A week of sun was a real treat and, it turns out, so was the boot in my Toyota Yaris hire car. In theory the Yaris is smaller than my Corolla, but it was far easier to pack with luggage for three.
That kind of sums up the problem I have with the Corolla: there’s not quite enough space and practicality for a family of four.
The problem is that ours is the 2.0-litre car, and while the hybrid system’s battery is located under the rear seats, the larger motor doesn’t allow enough space under the bonnet for the regular 12V battery. It has to go under the boot floor, noticeably cutting the capacity compared with the space on offer in the less potent 1.8-litre Corolla Hybrid.
I love the Corolla’s colour, though, because it really suits the exterior design. The sharplooking alloys complement its looks, too, so at least I can enjoy looking at the car out of the window now that we’re stuck indoors.
I also enjoy being inside the car, because its dash design and layout are pleasing, and the materials feel good to me. Also, with the
current need to keep everything clean and sanitised, it’s good to find that the Toyota’s interior is simple enough to wipe down, with relatively few nooks and crannies.
Some of my colleagues have complained that the sat-nav is overly complex and a little fiddly, but I’ve been happy with it and found the directions clear enough. I really like the design of the dials as well, because there’s lots of information in one place and this lets me keep my eyes on the road.
However, I don’t like how the car beeps at me all the time; it seems like there’s a noise for every small issue, such as leaving doors open, speed cameras, or reversing up.
At least getting in and out of parking spaces isn’t stressful, thanks to the excellent rear-view camera. It has one of the clearest displays I’ve ever seen; some cars have a tiny screen that can be hard to use.
The idea of running the hybrid version of the Corolla was to see how it compared with my previous fleet car, a Honda CR-V hybrid. In fact, there doesn’t appear to be that much difference; I’m getting fuel economy in the high thirties – pretty disappointing for a car
like this, but I am at least enjoying the quiet all-electric running around town.
For now, though, if I do need to drive and drop off shopping for my mother, economy is the last thing on my mind – I’ve switched to Sport driving mode to increase the fun factor on the short trips I can do these days.