Toyota is the unquestionable market leader in the small car sector owning 51 percent of the market for the year that was 2018. That’s 7,299 units out of our market 161,519 total, just to put it into perspective.
So when Toyota NZ claims a new Corolla is bought somewhere around the world every 15 seconds (approximately), well, it’s easy to see how that conclusion is reached, given the 150+ countries Toyotas are sold in.
Some of the ‘Rollas seen over the models 12 generations have been a little, well, plain. Oh, throughout the 80s yes, Corollas were interesting and quite distinctive, but since 2000, they’ve come across as a bit more vanilla than hokey pokey.
Well, that’s changed. The 12th generation and the fourth since 2000, is unmistakeably a Corolla, but damn, it’s a good looking one!
Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but over the course of three weeks with a Trio of Toyotas, everyone I encountered liked the look of the latest model, and that was from the GX 1.8-litre hybrid through to the two-litre conventionally-engined SX to the ZR 1.8-litre hybrid (my personal favourite).
The GX hybrid is the fleet pick and rightly so. It’s cheap as chips at list price, runs on the memory of an oily rag and retains good residuals because well, it’s a Toyota. Servicing’s cheap enough too.
Is the Corolla flawless? No, no car ever is. One of the first things I’d be looking at doing is switching out the very noisy Dunlops for something quieter and – most likely – more fuel efficient.
Then there’s the consideration of carrying stuff. If you love big boots then I cannot lie, the Corolla’s going to make you cry. The boot space at 208 to 294 litres is tragic, though the ZR has slightly more at 300 to 389 litres.
If you are of reasonable proportions – at 5’11, make sure you dip your head as you get in – but other than that the 12th gen Corolla is probably going to give you a good feeling when you’re in it.
The cockpit works layout is standardised and works well, especially considering the centralised feature is one of my pet peeves: Corollas all sport an eight-inch touchscreen for the Sat Nav with SUNA traffic channel, reversing camera and Blueteethery (phone, message, email, Miracast, SIRI or Google Now assist).
That’s great, but to me it looks like a whacking great iPad has been screwed onto the central dashboard.
Not my preference; I would like to see screens like this as integral components of the dash, but I do have to give credit where it is due, the display is excellent and the ability to glance across from the heads up display to get whatever information you need is brilliant.
The voice recognition is a nice touch too, especially when you have to find a destination on the move and Nanny Toyota won’t let you input things manually.
There are more features found in the Corolla than the list price would have you imagine there to be, but the real magic is in the ride. Some ignorant folks might suggest that a hybrid anything is a diminished product, but the Corolla proves this to not be the case – particularly in the case of the ZR, which is dynamic, sporty and a ball of fun to drive in a spirited fashion.
For dollar saving though, the hybrid’s hard to beat, which is why Toyota has put considerable resource into hybridisation of its passenger fleet. There’s probably something to that.
Specifications: Toyota Corolla Hybrid ZR
Body type Five door hatch
Drive Front-wheel drive
Engine type 4-cylinder petrol hybrid with dual variable valve timing (intelligent)
Engine capacity 1798cc
Max power 72kW (90kW) @ 5200rpm
Max torque 142Nm @ 3600rpm
l/100km (Combined) 4.2
C02 emissions 97
Boot capacity 300/389 litres
ANCAP rating 5 star
Price $38,490 (dearest)
