Last Monday, I visited the dealership for the annual technical and safety inspection of my faithful Land Cruiser (19 years old now, with 383,000 km on the clock). While the guys in the workshop were doing their thing, I inspected the showroom and took pictures of a Toyota duo, unknown to many of you. Round one features Toyota’s C-segment/compact wagon, the Corolla TS (Touring Sports).
Our engine options for the Corolla hatchback and TS are a 1.2 Turbo engine (116 DIN-hp), the 1.8 Hybrid (122 DIN-hp) and the 2.0 Hybrid (184 DIN-hp). The Corolla sedan always has the 1.8 Hybrid under its hood. But why would you want a sedan in this segment? Frankly, there is no market to speak of for them here.
This shade of metallic grey is called Dynamic Grey.
If you prefer a slightly lifted Corolla TS, as in 20 mm extra ride height, combined with some black cladding, you simply order the Corolla TREK.
GR-Sport is merely a trim level, no extra power or a stiffer suspension (yet). These 17” rims come with the package.
Just like the red detailing in the interior.
Fold down the rear seat(s) and you’ll get a fully flat cargo floor.
The TS is 280 mm (11”) longer than the hatchback. The wheelbase-bonus is 60 mm (2.4”).
A Denim Blue hatchback vs the Dynamic Grey TS.
You clearly get more Corolla, when opting for the TS.
Round two of the showroom impressions highlights an utterly pragmatic Toyota model.
Wow! My first car was a ‘91 Corolla All-Trac (or Sprinter Carib) and I’ve been wishing for the day an attractive Corolla longroof came back – I wonder since the sedan is already Federalized if it is at all possible to personally import an example and convert it if necessary.
“since the sedan is already Federalized if it is at all possible to personally import an example and convert it.”
The Federalization hurdle has increased since the eighties, but it does seem this model has one of the shorter barriers. All systems forward of the B-pillar should either have a Federal certification or certified parts available.
However, EPA emissions regulations closely track fuel vapor emissions, and most manufacturers build a unique fuel tank and vapor recovery system for the US market. This incudes unique materials in the tank and vapor recovery lines as well as a larger vapor canister with multiple valves and sensors (to track system leaks). Some manufacturers even mount a vacuum pump on US models to support system integrity tests.
Therefore, unless Toyota uses the sedan or hatchback fuel tank in this wagon (unlikely), there are no federalized parts to meet the EPA requirements. As a further roadblock, the underbody may not have space to mount the larger canister.
That was informative, thank you! The next best thing (well, actually, the first best thing) would be for Toyota to replace the Corolla sedan with this akin to how Ford is supposedly bringing the Mondeo/Fusion wagon to replace the sedan with, since despite the moaning about the loss of sedans, is over looked by enthusiasts anyway. Of course if they do it will probably be jacked up and cladded like the Impreza > XV Crosstrek so we may not get this model as shows here at all, sadly.
I’m always amazed at the amount of other car-related knowledge our contributors have.
“The TS is 280 mm (11”) longer than the hatchback. The wheelbase-bonus is 60 mm (2.4”).”
I’d be curious to know the cost difference- How much more is the extra 280mm?
According to the German Toyota website, the hatchback starts at 21,730 Euro, and the wagon at 22,930. I assume they’re roughly comparable in features, but I don’t have the time to go through it in detail, but that sounds about right. Maybe the UK site?
In Lithuania hatchback starts at 17.300 Euro, wagon at 18.250 Euro. Both with 1.2 Turbo engine. Sedan is cheapest version starting at 15.590 Euro, however with naturally aspirated 1.5 engine instead of 1.2 Turbo.
In the Netherlands, € 1,000 more for the TS (any trim level/engine choice).
I’d call it (about) 10% more length for 5% more money.
Pretty good bang for the buck, especially considering the length all goes into the passenger compartment, making the improvement in utility even greater.
So that’s what they call the Prius V now? Neat!
Umm
they are both hatchbacks, one just a little longer
one just a little longer
A 2.4″ wheelbase stretch and almost a foot more overall length isn’t just “a little longer”. It’s precisely what defines the difference between a hatchback and a wagon.
Thank you. As someone who once bought a compact wagon instead of its hatchback counterpart precisely because of the enormous difference that extra foot made, this was a perplexing comment.
objectively, they both look like hatchbacks
I’ve owned wagons, these two are hatchbacks as traditionally defined, one just a little longer
What’s the “traditional definition” of hatchback?
The way I understood it: if it’s the same length or longer than the sedan version, it’s a wagon. If it’s shorter, it’s a hatchback.
So is a SUV, crossover, liftback and minivan.
184 horsepower hybrid Corolla wagon on the well-regarded TNGA architecture? Of course we don’t get it in the States. This car is very appealing.
I recently watched a 1.8L hybrid Corolla turn right at the corner gas station where I was filling up, merging onto a 40mph road. These are objectively slow cars, something like 10 seconds to 60, but it just whisked right off from a stop, smoothly and nearly silent, achieved traffic speed easily, apparently unfazed by its task and returning something like 50mpg. So subjectively, they seem to work very well.
$3000 upcharge for that hybrid over a gas-only LE, though, which is very steep when the RAV4 asks only half that.
These are objectively slow cars, something like 10 seconds to 60,
I don’t consider that objectively slow. If I were to take you in my xB from 0-60 flat out, shifting at redline, it would take about 10 seconds, but I doubt you’d feel “it was slow”. It’s an exceedingly rare day when someone passes me.
Just how often does anyone accelerate absolutely flat-out?
Yes, a 10 second 0-60 capability is well more than anyone normally needs or will use in normal driving. I seriously doubt the Corolla you saw was anywhere near being driven flat out.
Our perceptions have become a bit warped.
Objectively, the hybrid Corolla is well into the lower quartile of new vehicles. We can call that “less quick” instead of “slow”, I suppose, but that’s subjective.
Everyone has a different view on whether a car is slow or fast for their uses. Having owned several 10-second cars (including a Yaris with your xB’s powertrain) prior to our last string 7.5-8 second dailies, I much prefer the latter. It’s a very noticeable difference to me in my area of 45-55mph arteries, whereas in other places I’ve lived with lower speed limits it wouldn’t matter.
To me, perceptions are warped when people claim a 10-second car is “dangerous”.
I quite understand your preferences. And I enjoy the capabilities of a faster car myself, from time to time.
I was responding to your sense of surprise or wonder about watching that Corolla hybrid accelerate to 40 so effortlessly. I was a bit stumped by that.
Ah, I see. I wasn’t surprised the Corolla hit 40, but rather how quiet and relaxed it was while doing so. I’ve seen plenty of 4-cylinder compacts do the same on that corner, but with a thrashy buzz as they wound out through first.
The real-world usability around town doesn’t mesh well with published acceleration stats for these hybrids, which seem to leave the line smartly with that instantaneous electric torque, but then are far less impressive climbing above around-town speeds–which explains why the Corolla has a 10.7 second 0-60 time in C&D tests, but a rather decent 4.4 second 30-50mph passing time…and then a rather slow 7 second 50-70 time.
And, if you habitually drive a Toyota hybrid accelerating at a rate equivalent to 0-60 mph in 10 seconds, it sure won’t get 50 mpg. For what it’s worth, our Prius replaced my turbo Forester as my daily driver for a few years after I sold the Subie, and I never felt the Prius was slow. Definitely a difference in feel, but never an issue keeping up with traffic, crossing 9000’ mountain passes, etc. I do have some trouble imaging what a 1.2 turbo would feel like though. Probably fun in a way I don’t associate with modern Corolla’s!
Turbo, you say? The loose cannon in the Toyota family these days, is the GR Yaris. AWD, 1.6 liter turbo (a 3-cylinder, mind you), 261 DIN-hp.
There is talk of this engine powering the rumoured full fat Corolla GR. If they put it in the estate, that would be a very desirable car!
Quite right. Same engine, with 250 hp though. No AWD either, just FWD. On the market in 2023, so I’ve read.
My recommendation to any one thinking of buying a small capacity turbo engine be gas or the black stuff is to avoid hills. Texas sales only then! .Four persons up n luggage and you’ll have wide load trucks honking you out of the way. Life in the slow lane in 3rd gear. Sorry GM n Ford ( 1lt Ecotech in a Fushion anybody) you can’t defy the laws of physics. Big cars n little engines only work well on the level.
10sec ain’t slow but the norm for a family sedan with out any sporting aspirations but still faster than a 70s big block land yacht. Back in the 80s I remember Consumer Guide road testing a Datsun 280ZX. ” The fastest car we have tested this year. 0-60mph 11.5 secs!.
9seconds is the dividing line for me. If it isn’t under 9sec 0-60 it’s too slow. And I have owned cars that were too slow. Do not like them.
So with so many hybrids and electric cars gaining popularity on the continent, does (or will) that translate into fewer new drivers there with manual transmission skills? Seems like Europe and the UK were the last holdouts, along with Africa and perhaps Latin America. Seems like Asia and even Australia have mostly gone automatic.
Yes.
Thanks for posting this — it’s great to have a look at one of these cars, at least for those of us who’ve never seen one. Sometimes I like to amuse myself by looking at car manufacturers’ websites from various countries, and I find these varieties very interesting (same with looking at the Probox from Japan last week).
Interesting question as to who would want a sedan in this segment, as Toyota sells about 300,000 of them annually here in the US. I, for one, would much rather have one of these wagons, though obviously that’s not the prevailing sentiment here.
Interesting question as to who would want a sedan in this segment,
Since the sedan in Europe is hybrid only (unlike the hatch and wagon, where it’s optional), my guess would be taxi drivers.
The Irish can’t get enough of them. Best selling car there. Property takes over from the Ford Corrina, the Irish car as they were built in Cork, no nonsense , sturdy and not to expensive for the market . Cheap road tax to as a hybrid. Any thing over 2ltrs is not financially viable to the non rich.
I meant it more generally. There’s simply no market for a mainstream brand, C-segment/compact sedan in northwestern-Europe.
Volkswagen, Ford, Opel, Renault, Peugeot, Toyota, Skoda, Seat (and some others): hatchback or wagon. Strictly “low-rider” speaking, I must add. So setting the SUVs and crossovers apart.
I miss station wagons 🙁
How sad that you can chose among dozens of nearly identical CUVs but something like this is not available.
Early 2019 while surfing for fun, I stumbled across the Honda my wife was looking for, at an attractive price, less than 200 miles away ! I phoned the number listed, at 9pm, not realising I was talking to the boss of a Toyota dealership. When we went, as
arranged, to view the car ( and do a deal ) the guy was very nice. Since I saw a couple of just-announced new Corolla hatchbacks on show I asked about the proper Corolla ( ie the three box version. Why buy a two box car when a three box costs the same tax and insurance) H very kindly lead us through the workshop to the yard , and showed us his first new Corolla saloon , not yet prepped for the showroom.
Lovely car, even though it is hybrid-only in these parts. Subsequently I’ve seen the wagon, which is also lovely EXCEPT it has the front ‘clip’ of the hatchback, rather than the front-end of the saloon. What were they thinking ? The saloon/sedan front end is more elegant with slimmer lights.
This is very appealing, I liked the last sedan Corolla I drove, the hatchback is more useful and the wagon vastly more so for a minimal upcharge. I too wish the wagon were available here and were I shopping Corollas would choose the wagon. A:though I’d want a hybrid or plug in and with the e-AWD. And at that point not sure I’d want a Corolla anymore, the low price is half the attraction…
Of course it’s easy to say all that here on the internet. I’m sure there are plenty here who bought a Prius instead of a Prius V, a Focus sedan instead of a Focus wagon, or a Jetta instead of a Jetta wagon…
Nice car – it is quite a Netherlands-ish SUV. I wouldn’t want anything larger around town.
Very nice! Wish they’d offer this model in the US. Very few wagon offerings here anymore and no, I do not want a Subaru.
Fun fact: Only Europe gets the wagon on that longer wheelbase. Japan and Asia Pacific cars share the hatch’s shorter and narrower proportions (this also applies to Japan’s sedan. China also has a longer wheelbase sedan available in certain trims that tops them all).
I really wanted to like these, but interior dimensions shrunk considerably for our sedan with this refresh and ditched the torsion bar. The hatch rear seat is borderline unacceptable, something like 33 inches or rear legroom max. Apparently they drive so much better than the previous car, but it’s just too small for my taste at this point.
Looked it up, the hatch has 29.9 rear inches of legroom max, and 45.5 inches of hip room. Pathetic. And I’m a die hard Toyota loyalist if nobody hasn’t already noticed my avatar…
I cannot get over it being grey. It looks white to me no matter how much I try to see grey.
When standing next to the car, it looks like a shade between white and light-grey.
Ceramic white, then? I sure don’t get anything “”dynamic” off this pleasing but not gray shade.
Hmmmmm 184 hybrid hp in a Corolla wagon?
Hey Toyota, that would get me interested in both Corollas AND Hybrid drivetrains.
Just like putting the 301 hp AWD Hybrid system out of certain RAV4 models into the Camry would actually get me interested in Camarys.
I really like this car.
I’ve said for years that if anyone could sell a compact wagon in the US it would be Toyota, but I fear the dealers would treat it strictly as an opportunity to upsell to a RAV4.
I noted most Corolla I saw in UK was a wagon, seems very popular there compared to hatchback. In Australia there’s no market for the wagon so they aren’t sold here. The sedan is popular here with Uber fellows, as there is a big boot (trunk) and more room in the rear seat.
Utes instead if wagons then?. UK buyers like the hatchback models, EU the sedans. Dacia Logan sedan sold but wagon only in UK. Different countries, different strokes!.
Great idea. Wish a sunroof and power seats were an option.
Very nice. I’m hopefully taking delivery of my Touring GR Sport by the end of the month. Manhatten Grey 2.0 litre with 18″ rims which are a new addition to the UK model for 2021. Really good looking cars and I’ve always preferred estates.
Have fun! Opting for 18” rims, that’s what I would have done too.
Thanks! Really looking forward to it. The 2.0 litre only comes with 18s now which is nice. No option of a black roof in the UK though. That’s a Europe only option, along with certain other colours. Which is odd, as the TS is a UK built car…..