TOYOTA COROLLA HYBRID
The plainclothes Prius
A GLANCE at the brochures would have you believe the Corolla Hybrid is a no-brainer compared with the Prius, the car that has defined Toyota’s petrolelectric line-up for 15 years. More power, more gear and eight grand left in your bank account to whisk one silently into your garage.
Then you realise you’ll be driving a Corolla, not a Prius. Some may like the relative anonymity of whooshing around town in a car whose biggest external green credentials are the Hybrid badges on the boot and guards. Yet Toyota has sold plenty of Prii to enviroheads keen to scream their fuelmiserly intentions.
Get over that and there’s plenty to like with the Corolla Hybrid, built exclusively in hatchback form. Same 360-litre boot as a regular Corolla hatch – despite having Euro-spec doublewishbone IRS underneath – and same basic interior, though with some el-cheapo faux carbonfibre lavished on it. The Hybrid’s front seats offer great lateral support and the quartet of toggles to adjust the ventilation work beautifully.
But there are foibles. Despite the tech overload under the skin, it’s distinctly lacking elsewhere; no digital speedo, no fancy connectivity and none of the active-safety kit infiltrating this end of the market. The stubby gear selector isn’t illuminated at night, either, which is almost as frustrating as the embarrassing reversing beeper. It also gets a space-saver spare that looks better suited to a bicycle.
The 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine teams with a 60kw electric motor for a combined 100kw. Nothing overly snappy, and it produces its best at lower speeds, where the 207Nm from the electric motor is most noticeable.
On a backroad thrash the CVT works hard chasing performance, and a decent hill will drain the old-tech nickel-metal hydride batteries, leaving you with an underwhelming ( but frugal) 73kw 1.8. It’s more palatable around town, where the occasionally sticky regenerative brakes harness energy for later use.
The Hybrid is almost 100kg heavier than browner Corollas, yet it doesn’t upset the dynamics. Grip from its Michelin Greenx tyres is decent and it settles respectably over bumps, though we couldn’t really detect any great benefit from its IRS. The steering could do with more life, but it’s accurate.
The Corolla Hybrid’s reason for being is saving fuel. Claimed consumption is 4.1L/100km, 38 percent less than a regular Corolla CVT. But it uses 17 percent more than a Prius, partially because of its less aero-honed body.
Overall, then, it’s acceptable rather than exceptional. A way to save fuel without waving a huge green flag in people’s faces.