OUT OF THE BLUE

TOYOTA COROLLA

All of a sudden Toyota seems to have its mojo functioning at optimum levels. When last (if ever?) could you say the sexiest car in the parking lot was a Corolla? This takes over from where the lacklustre Auris took off — and what a spectacular show of intent, with its striking aesthetic language. Its edginess is complemented by a dazzling hue, labelled Blue Flame on the order form. Inside, the ambience is equally interesting. The seats look as if they belong in something far more

exotic. To drive, it feels equally good. Forget the clichéd sporting pretences for a second: this does plushness with aplomb. One staffer quipped that it seemed to ape the character expected from the upmarket Lexus division of Toyota. But one thing spoils the broth — a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Sure, the engineers worked in several steps to mimic the existence of individual ratios. But the elasticated delivery and indecisive drone endemic to the setup is very much there. You can have a manual, with a lower specification, however. That aside, there was plenty of fawning for this daringly styled iteration of a model line one usually associated with tepidity.

PRICED FROM R336,800 THIS MODEL R367,100 (1.2T XR CVT) ENGINE 1,197cc, four-cylinder, turbocharged, petrol

POWER AND TORQUE 85kW and 185Nm CLAIMED CONSUMPTION 6.1l/100km TRANSMISSION Continuously variable transmission

UNITS SOLD (MARCH 2019) 180

WE LIKE Finally, a Corolla you can describe as cool WE DISLIKE That CVT, narrow window apertures impede outward visibility

CONNECTIVITY “The design, large screen and interface on the new Corolla Hatch is straightforward. The pairing process with an iPhone Xs was easy, but to access playlists you have to choose the audio source first. The voice command system does not understand natural speech; you have to use a specific syntax, which is not ideal. The voice prompt to dial out from the steering wheel worked fine, but figuring out supported features was through trial and error. Plugging the smartphone through a cable connection has no additional features other than charging the device.”