Toyota have debuted the 11th generation Corolla, across two different continents. The Corolla is quite simply the world best-selling nameplate ever. Cumulative worldwide Corolla sales exceed 39.7 million since the nameplate was launched in 1966, including nearly 1 million in South Africa alone. The new sedan is the 11th generation Corolla. It will be sold in more than 150 countries.
Basing the new Corolla’s looks upon the Furia Concept at the Detroit motor show this year, it was to be expected that the same sporty and hunkered down stance would be toned down for production readiness. This is indeed the case. Styling influences include the five-point lower, under-priority grille as Toyota like to call it, and must-have LED headlamps. The all-new exterior design sports clean lines and apt proportions that give the car a more contemporary look than ever.
The narrow upper grille extends to the scalpel-sharp headlamp clusters and the now characteristic trapezoidal lower grille. In profile, the short front and rear overhangs combine with the long wheelbase and prominent wheel arches, while at the rear, the crisp line of the boot lid is underscored by wide taillight clusters.
On the inside with the dashboard is similar to that taken out of the new Auris and it looks far more premium and inspiring than the previous generation Corolla. Its width is emphasised by the new horizontal dashboard panel that incorporates a larger instrument binnacle.
For instrumentation, some variants will get a 3.5-inch TFT display flanked by two dials; the rest have three chrome-surround dials and a multi-info display within the speedometer. The driving position has been improved with a lower-set seat and an extended range of adjustments.
The new Toyota Corolla makes do with a longer wheelbase, giving better rear seat area space. It is also longer, wider, and just ever so slightly lower (10mm) than the generation of Corolla it replaces. Due to clever use of steel it’s now lighter than before and tips the scales at just 1315 kg.
It is unknown which engines and models will make it to South Africa just yet but propulsion wise we’re expecting a 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, as you’ll find in the Auris, producing 98 kW and 173 Nm of peak torque and some newly added Eco-badged versions.
There will most likely be two available transmissions, a six-speed manual and a newly developed 7-speed continuously variable transmission (CVT) dubbed CVTi-S. Toyota says that the Eco-badged models will achieve an estimated highway fuel economy rating of over around 5.9 L/100 km.
Aside from LED headlamps standard across the range, there are eight airbags, Bluetooth and a tyre pressure monitoring system. Optional equipment includes touch-screen audio with apps, keyless entry and start, power moon-roof, reverse camera and a rear spoiler.
