Toyota Corolla Commercial
Economical estate car puts its work clothes on to attract small van buyers On sale Now Price from £22,149 (excluding VAT)
INUSTRIAL SITES OFTEN require you to wear work boots with steel toe caps for the added protection and practicality that they offer over standard footwear. In essence, the Toyota Corolla Commercial is the steel toe-capped equivalent of the Corolla Touring Sports estate.
The Corolla Commercial joins the very few car-derived small vans on the market, the smaller Ford Fiesta Van and Suzuki Jimny LCV, plus the taller Dacia Duster Commercial, keeping it company. Those looking to minimise their CO2 output and running costs could look at the pure electric Renault Zoe E-tech van, but the limited distance it’ll travel on a full battery might not work for all businesses.
Helping the Corolla Commercial to stand out is its 120bhp 1.8-litre hybrid engine. This gives a very competitive fuel economy figure of 61.4mpg.
Acceleration is more than adequate for urban driving, but there isn’t masses of oomph for getting up to speed on slip roads. The ride is supple, though, and light, accurate steering makes the Corolla easy to place on the road and manoeuvre in tight spaces.
The interior is sturdy and very comfy, with plenty of steering wheel and seat adjustment. At 1326 litres, the load bay is bigger than those of its smaller rivals but is beaten by the 1623 litres of the two-wheel-drive Duster Commercial, which can also carry a payload of up to 503kg, versus the Corolla’s 425kg. The floor is completely flat, with underfloor storage in the spare wheel well and a rubberised mat to protect the surface. Practical touches include four tie-down points and hanging hooks on the sides.
Overall, the Corolla Commercial is a unique van proposition. Yes, its Duster rival can carry more, but the Corolla’s estate car basis makes it a refined, comfortable way of lugging quite a lot of kit. Factor in the impressive economy and low running costs that hybrid power brings and it deserves to fill its narrow niche.