Toyota Corolla GX hatch

Toyota has had a mad run with its latest Corolla additions, but it would seem the brand has now got all its ducks in a row.

The 12th generation Corolla launch has been a staggered affair, though considering the focus the brand has had on its hybridisation campaign, the long- drawn- out range release is understandable.

Toyota has always maintained a finger in every pie approach when the first thoughts of alternatively powered vehicles became a viable alternative to traditional fossil fuels.

To be fair, while pure EVS have taken centre stage, Toyota New Zealand’s focus anyway, has been on the development and successful release of hybrids, though recently, Toyota has kept a two- metre distance from most diesels.

Oil burners are still in the line- up, but there is a definite ‘’happy drive’’ towards hybrid tech, as shown by the latest enhancements to the 12th generation Corolla release of 2018.

The Corolla hatch was the first of the revamped Corolla line (which now includes wagon and sedan variants) and it arrived here with three grade specifications:

GX, SX and ZR.

We felt the base model GX would appeal to the fleet buyer and not from an underdog’s position either. On our drive, the GX proved to be the quietest and most stable across all driving habits.

Time out: The Corolla GX we drove was running Bridgestone tyres on

16- inch rims, the other choice were Dunlops and the tyres played a critical role in the comfort and performance of the Corolla. Our recommendation is to specify the Bridgestones.

Toyota New Zealand will deliver a car with whatever tyres it turns up on, but we’d lobby for the Bridgies to maximise the car’s handling and driving potential.

The main issue with the 2018 Corolla hatch line up was the lack of hybrids available then. This brings us up to speed with today, where the Toyota Corolla hatchback range now offers the choice of two- litre petrol or 1.8- litre hybrid in every grade.

This just made the GX that much more attractive to the fleet sector. Now you can have your cake – minus calories – and eat it too.

Hybrids are interesting vehicles inasmuch as some work very well to maximise fuel saving potential by keeping the car running on electrical power for the largest part of the drive experience.

Others flip more frequently between petrol and power, presumably to ensure performance expectations are preserved.

This difference can be seen within the Corolla range and happily, the GX delivers more on the economy side, to the point that in a week’s worth of driving, our fuel card had a pleasant holiday in my wallet.

Style- wise, the Corolla hatch delivers on the promises we had seen before, but somehow, the knowledge of that dollar-saving device under the bonnet made it even more appealing.

Subjective? Perhaps, but noteworthy, nonetheless. What is an objective consideration is the difference in transmissions between the petrol and hybrid versions. Both have a continuously variable transmissions (CVT), but the hybrids require an E- CVT.

Simply, an e- CVT selects the optimal gear ratio for any desired speed or power output, just like a regular CVT.

The e- CVT also determines if the hybrid’s battery requires charging and keeps the petrol engine going, or if the electric motors can keep the car going, it reduces petrol engine power or shuts down the petrol engine completely.

It goes without saying that Toyota’s Safety Sense suite is already in place which make the GX a five- star safety rated vehicle and therefore, one well worthy of consideration for fleet buyers. And now you can get them with hybrid engines.