Somewhere, sometime, some unkind soul will no doubt have accused the Toyota Corolla of being dull. To be honest, no one outside of the company would have argued with you. And the people in the company only thought it was exciting because it made them so much money. Now there is a new Corolla. One Toyota NZ say is filled with passion and excitement. We head to Palmerston North to get passionate and excited…
What is it?
The final salvo in Toyota’s onslaught of new product for the year. That’s not to say there isn’t more next year, but for 2012 the new Corolla rounds things out nicely.
Following a facelifted Hilux, all-new versions of the Yaris, Camry, Avensis and Corolla wagon, an exciting new sports car in the form of the 86 and the expansion of the Prius range with the small Prius C and large Prius V, as well as a facelifted Prius hatch, it is somewhat fitting that the year is rounded out with the venerable little sales champ Corolla.
The range has been tweaked somewhat with the launch of the 11th Generation Corolla, with the return of a well-loved nameplate – the Corolla Levin. And, by the way, contrary to popular local belief, the Levin is not named after the small town in the Manawatu, but rather it is the Anglo-Saxon word for “lightning”. So there you go…
Anyway, the Levin nameplate returns to the new Corolla line up as a “sporty” range-topper, with two levels of spec – SX and ZR – while the “regular” version comes in GX and GLX guises.
The GX kicks things off at $33,490 for the six-speed manual version, while the automatic version comes in at $34,990. Although sitting on 16-inch steel wheels, the GX still comes relatively well stocked for an entry-level Corolla, with manual air conditioning, Bluetooth phone connectivity and audio streaming, cruise control, steering wheel-mounted audio, display and phone controls, one with the full compliment of safety electronics and seven airbags.
The GLX drops the manual transmission and adds 16-inch alloy wheels, an upgraded stereo with a 6.1-inch touch screen, a reversing camera, rear privacy glass and front fog lights, as well as a body-coloured grille and extra gloss and chrome exterior accents for $37,490.
The Levin SX comes in at $38,990 and brings 17-inch alloy wheels, sports-style front seats, steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters and more exterior glitter, while the Levin ZR tops things off at a hefty $43,690, but adds an equally hefty amount of extra kit. Smart keyless entry and start, leather-trimmed seats, front seat heaters, dual-zone climate control, power (and heated) exterior mirrors and automatic HID headlights with an adaptive function are the highlights, along with different exterior treatments and the option of a full-length panoramic sunroof with an electric shade.
All Corolla models come with a slightly uprated version of the old car’s 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine that now boasts slightly more power, but slightly less torque, albeit usefully lower in the rev range. Whereas the old car had 100kW of power at 6,000rpm and 175Nm of torque at 4,400rpm, the new car checks in with 103kW@6,400rpm and 173Nm@4,000rpm.
The GX is the only model to come with a six-speed manual transmission, while all the rest are automatic-only propositions, with Toyota’s CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) replacing the clunky old four-speed auto of the last car.
What’s it like?
Rather surprisingly like the impressive Avensis wagon.
That is a good thing, by the way, because the Avensis surprised us earlier in the year by being remarkably refined, impressively well built and surprisingly enjoyable to throw around. All this despite the fact it had a hateful CVT transmission.
The Corolla continues this theme by being all of those things and also by having a hateful CVT transmission…
Fortunately, as far as hateful CVT transmissions go, the Corolla, like the Avensis manages to make the most of this bad situation by being equipped with a hateful CVT transmission that is quite a bit less hateful than most. Oh, sure, it still sounds like you are riding the clutch like a pensioner on the way to a bowls club, but by tying the revs into the road speed, Toyota manages to limit this to a degree.
There is a manual mode that allows you to pretend it is a manual and shift manually through seven preprogrammed “ratios”, which is actually not too bad, but the novelty soon wears off.
Hateful CVT transmission aside, the rest of the package is really quite nice indeed. The steering is nicely weighted and precise, albeit lacking a bit around centre, and the steering wheel is pleasantly fat and chunky.
There is a nice balance between handling and comfort, with a slight tendency to get unsettled around the rear and skip over mid-corner irregularities, thanks to the torsion beam rear end. But this is only really when you are pushing it. At normal speeds the Corolla is comfortable and competent, if surprisingly firm, even on the smaller steel wheels of the base GX.
The interior grabs cues from the other new entrants in the Toyota family, namely the Yaris, 86 and Corolla wagon, with a similar dash and control layout, albeit in a more upright fashion.
What’s good about it?
More driver appeal for a start. While it is not exactly a sports car, it does provide more feel and feedback than any Corolla for quite some time. The steering has a nice feel to it and the chassis, while still slightly unsophisticated, is predictable and actually quite fun to throw around.
It is well built out of quality materials inside and relatively handsome – if a bit worryingly generic – from the outside.
And, let’s face it, by the time you twist your local Toyota salesman’s arm a bit, it will be a good price too…
What’s not so good?
Well… the fact it has a hateful CVT transmission for a start. But even that is not as bad as it could be, it must be admitted.
The engine, while improved, is still slightly underwhelming, and its lack of power sometimes conspires with the Hateful CVT transmission’s behaviour to make progress up hills something of a chore.
If you don’t twist your local Toyota salesman’s arm a bit, the Levin does tend to present itself as a wee bit pricey…
First impressions?
While it seems slightly unfair to say “surprisingly good”, this is exactly what the new Corolla is. It surprises in areas you wouldn’t necessarily expect, while retaining the things it always did well.
The GX manual is a surprisingly fun car to chuck around, while the upper-spec, hateful CVT-equipped cars are almost equally fun, bar the obvious limitations of the transmission. Comfort, convenience and practicality – always high on the sensible Corolla’s list of priorities – are still present and correct, and the added dynamic dimension adds to the appeal.
The new Corolla is well-equipped, well-built and good-looking. It carries on being sensible, practical and, no doubt, reliable, while adding a bit more emotional appeal to things. It’s still a Corolla, so won’t have you quivering with passion, but it may just raise a smile every now and then.
Specifications
Models/prices
Corolla GX manual – $33,490
Corolla GX automatic – $34,990
Corolla GLX automatic – $37,490
Corolla Levin SX automatic – $38,990
Corolla Levin ZR automatic – $43,690
Powertrain
1.8-litre 4-cylinder petrol producing 103kW/173Nm; continuously variable transmission; front-wheel drive
Fuel consumption: 7.1L/100km (manual), 6.6L/100km (automatic)
CO2 emissions: 166g/km (manual), 152g/km (automatic)
Safety
ANCAP/EuroNCAP rating: 5 star
Air bags: 7
Stability control: yes
Lap/diagonal belts: 5
