Corolla gets its crown back
Toyota Corolla From €26,820
All good things come in threes, they say. And Toyota has just added a third model to its allnew 12th generation Corolla range – with the return of a four-door saloon version.
It joins a perky hatch-back and a smart Touring Sports estate.
The new saloon, to be manufactured in Turkey, was unveiled at the Guangzhou motor show in China this week ahead of all three cars going on sale early next year. The saloon self-charging hybrid prices start from €26,820.
It also marks a return for the Corolla name – Latin for ‘small crown’. It was first introduced in 1966 and in 1997 became the bestselling nameplate in the world, surpassing the Volkswagen Beetle, with more than 46 million now sold across 11 generations.
However, for more than a decade from 2006 in Japan, and much of the world, the hatchback, was rebranded Auris, with a second generation launched in 2012. But research has shown that, even having been off the road for 12 years, we still recognise the name Corolla. The new hatchback and Tourer Sports versions of the Corolla will be available only in petrol-electric hybrid spec.
So as well as killing off any option of diesel, there won’t be a conventional pure petrol version. On sale from February, the new four-door Corolla hatchback replaces the Auris and will be a rival to Volkswagen’s Golf.
Buyers have the choice of two hybrid engines. There’s a new 2litre hybrid developing 180hp linked to an automatic gearbox that accelerates to 100kph in less than 8 seconds up to a top speed of 180kph. It averages 74.3mpg with low CO2 emissions of 86g/km. It can also be used in six-speed manual RESEARCH SHOWS THAT WE STILL RECOGNISE THE NAME COROLLA mode using paddle-shifts. Or there’s the fourth-generation 1.8litre that accelerates from rest to 62mph in less than 11 seconds.
The new saloon will be available with two engines – a 1.8-litre selfcharging hybrid and a 1.6-litre petrol engine, giving 46.3mpg fuel economy.
There will be two opportunities to see the new Corolla Saloon Hybrid before its official arrival in February: on December 13 in the Clayton Hotel and then in January 2019 in Toyota dealerships across Ireland will host the new models as part of the 2019 Hybrid Roadshow.