Toyota Corolla 2007 Review

Overall rating: 3.0/5.0
Engine, drivetrain and chassis: 3.0/5.0
Packaging and practicality: 3.5/5.0
Safety: 2.5/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.0/5.0
X-factor: 3.0/5.0

No, the most important launch of 2007 is the humble Toyota Corolla -- the car that will not only stretch Toyota's position in the local marketplace from front-running to dominant, but will, some time in the next year or so, become Australia's top-selling car.

Launched on Queensland's Gold Coast earlier this month, the new 150 Series Corolla arrives in dealers as a range that kicks off from $20,990 -- $1000 more than the model it replaces. Two body styles are offered and a total of seven models -- four five-door hatches and three four-door sedans. The wagon has been dropped from the line-up.

The sedan and hatch are better delineated than ever before, and though they share the same all-new 1.8-litre DOHC four and front-wheel-drive platforms, they were designed and developed by separate teams on different sides of the globe.

The hatch (which, wearing the Auris badge, must turn around the lacklustre performance of the model in Europe) was designed by the Toyota Europe Design Development team in France. The sedan was penned in Japan -- though designers included a four-month sabbatical in Italy as part of the rendering process.

Toyota is looking to expand Corolla's customer base and hence is promoting the 'Euro' influence of the new model. It says the Corolla hatch was styled to appeal to "image-conscious younger buyers as well as Corolla's loyal customer base". Corolla sedan meantime was "designed to appeal to customers seeking a classic four-door car with a strong road presence."

Though company officials are being coy with their sales targets for the new car they say that just keeping pace with market growth will not satisfy their expectations. With the Australian small car market upwards of 13 per cent ahead of the same time last year it's estimated that Toyota is looking to sell in excess of 52,000 Corollas in 2007.

Many of the extra sales will come from increased demand for the sedan, they say.

Three sedan model grades are offered, while the hatch gets four levels. All but the top-of-the-range sedan are available with a choice of six-speed manual or optional four-speed auto transmissions. The auto option will set you back $2000.

The base level is the Ascent -- available in both hatch and sedan from the above-mentioned $20,990 with six-speed manual. The Ascent packs the new-for-2007 100kW dual VVT-i engine, dual SRS front airbags, ABS brakes with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and Brake Assist (which Toyota now calls Active Braking with intelligence -- AB-i), tilt and reach-adjustable steering column, single disc CD tuner with MP3 compatibility, power front windows and air conditioning.

Basic cloth trim is included and the car rolls on simple 15-inch steel rims with wheel covers. A ‘one-touch' split-fold rear seat is featured on both hatch and sedan.

The mid-level Conquest grade is also offered in four and five-door versions priced from $25,500 -- again for the manual versions. At this level and above (with the exception of the Levin SX), Toyota adds side and curtain airbags and the segment's first driver knee bag for a total of seven airbags.

Also added are 16-inch alloys, fog lamps, cruise control, a six-disc sound system, rear power windows, rear spoiler (on the sedan model) and Bluetooth phone preparation.

Two sports-oriented hatches are offered under the Corolla Levin nameplate (confusingly they continue to feature 'SECA' badging on the tailgate). The Levin SX is priced from $25,500 and the Levin ZR is the top Corolla hatch from $29,500. Both are available in (optional) auto versions.

Included in the Levin offerings are a subtle body kit with side skirts and rear spoiler. Body-coloured rear mudflaps are also included.

The top-of-the-range Corolla is the 'mini-Lexus' Ultima sedan. Replete with leather upholstery, Lexus-style Optitronic gauges (shared with the Levin ZR) and keyless start, it is priced from $31,990 and available in auto-only. The Ultima also includes auto wipers and headlamps and climate control air (also standard on the Levin ZR).

In terms of upgrade options, the Corolla Ascent (hatch and sedan) and Levin SX offer a $750 Enhanced Safety Pack which adds front side, full-length curtain and driver's knee airbag. Also offered on the base model is the Cruise Pack ($750) consisting of cruise control, leather-bound steering wheel with audio controls and leather sports gearshift.

Metallic paint adds $300 and a Moonroof (glass sunroof) is available on the Levin ZR and Ultima priced at $1500.

Toyota says all grades have benefited from "significant added value". Not insignificant is Toyota Advantage (three years of fixed price servicing) which is offered as part of the Corolla 'package'. At $120 per service, Toyota says this approximates to a 50 per cent discount on normal service costs.

MECHANICAL
The Corolla's mechanical layout is conventional transverse engine/transaxle front-wheel drive fare -- as you'd expect.

The new 1.8-litre 2ZR-FE engine is all-new, however, and essentially a longer stroke version of the 1.6-litre engine that powers the European market Auris. It features variable timing on both inlet and exhaust cams -- the first time in a Corolla Down Under, says Toyota.

Peak power is 100kW at 6000rpm with torque topping out at 175Nm at 4400rpm.

This power output takes the new Corolla back to the same levels as the pre-Euro III model. While efficient, it's nothing to write home about -- especially considering the new car is significantly heavier (over 200kg on some models) than the outgoing 120 Series models.

The inline DOHC four is matched to an all-new six-speed manual transmission (C66 in Toyota-speak). Fourth, fifth and sixth gears are ‘overdriven' and first is particularly low. The taller upper gears help fuel economy, while the shorter first helps get the Corolla off the line.

The Corolla's electronically-controlled automatic transmission is a four-speed unit and a development of the existing Corolla's autobox. Toyota has given the U341E Super ECT gearbox some more ‘smarts' to reduce upshifts in hilly country and to hold gears to aid engine braking downhill.

Like a growing number of its small car counterparts, Corolla gets electrically-assisted power steering in this generation (For the record, turning circle is 10.4m -- lineball with archrival, the Mazda 3). Such systems reduce the power drain on the engine with attendant, if minor, fuel economy benefits. Every little bit helps.

Other than that, the front end is conventional and conservative. Indeed, the suspension and chassis as a whole are pretty much UJM -- universal Japanese motorcar… MacPherson struts with hefty lower control arms and rose-jointed anti-roll bar up front, and torsion beam with trailing arms on coil springs and dampers at the rear end.

At this stage Aussie Corolla buyers can not avail themselves of the more sophisticated multi-link rear end offered in some Euro and Japanese market Corolla models. This set up may come later in higher performance and perhaps AWD variants. Toyota says, however, that special attention has been paid to the damper and spring tuning on this generation of Corolla for Australian conditions.

The Corolla range gets four-wheel disc brakes and ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and Brake Assist.

PACKAGING
Though the new Corolla rides on the same 2600mm wheelbase as its predecessor, it's bigger in almost every other dimension. And though the bad news is it's between 180-260kg heavier depending on the model, the good news is most of the dimensional increases have delivered more room inside.

The five-door hatch has a more upright stance than the previous model and as such is 45mm higher overall. It's just 40mm longer at 4220mm which means it is still around 200mm shorter than the Mazda 3. Width has increased from 1695mm to a solid 1760mm -- all but matching the Mazda. Track's also up front and rear -- 45mm, which helps the wide stance and cobby looks.

Despite the increased dimensions, Toyota claims the new models have excellent drag characteristics. This helps open road performance and fuel economy but also pays dividends in terms of controlling wind noise.

The hatch's cabin room has benefited from the extra width and more upright seating positions (the front hip point is 40mm higher than last year's Corolla hatch). And rear seat passengers also benefit from the fact Toyota has increased the seat couple distance (the measurement between front and rear seats) by 25mm. Along with a new, slimmer front seat design and flatter rear footwell floor, Toyota says rear passenger comfort levels are considerably better.

The sedan rides on the same wheelbase and all but identical track, but at 4540mm it's a hefty 320mm longer than the hatch. This is also 150mm longer than the last generation Corolla sedan.

By way of comparison it's just 10mm shy of the latest Honda Civic hatch (which rides on a 100mm longer wheelbase). Width is the same as the hatch but the sedan retains the lower lines of the outgoing model, at just 5mm higher and 40mm lower than the hatch.

There's plenty of room again and a huge boot, which Toyota gleefully claims is only 10 per cent smaller than that of the VE Commodore.

The hatch and sedan's cabin differ substantially in execution too. While the sedan features a more conventional ‘flat' dash with low centre console and conventional centre-stack with audio and HVAC controls, the hatch gets an altogether more whacky set-up.

With shades of the floating console in Volvo's S40/V50 and, indeed, not a little bit of the latest Civic TypeR, the Corolla hatch's centre console and dash are one -- joined by a large angled ‘bridge' that defines the driver's cockpit, This carries a shortened gear lever, raised so that it's mounted just a handspan or so away from the wheel.

The hatch's dash also melds into the doors to further wrap around and define the front occupants' spaces. It's unique in the current crop of hatches but seems to crowd you rather than impress. Not our cup of tea we're afraid.

Much ado is made of the storage options both versions feature. According to Toyota, the hatch gets 26 hidey holes with the Sedan topping that with 29! Both include an underseat tray that looks like it will swallow a small laptop. Good for those of us that have to compute and run.

Official luggage volume for the hatch is just shy of 290 litres. Toyota says it's trimmed some space here and ‘given' it to the passenger compartment. In reality there's plenty of room for this type of vehicle. Fold the rear seat and there's even more.

SAFETY
The Corolla's structure features "comprehensive impact-absorbing structure for front, side and rear collisions," says Toyota. Indeed, already crash tested in Europe, the left-hand drive, seven-airbag Auris version of the Corolla hatch has been awarded with five stars in NCAP testing.

Though Toyota Australia does not participate in ANCAP testing, there's no reason to believe the local variant is any less crashworthy.

The structure of the new car features the use of high and ultra-high strength steels to maximise rigidity and minimise weight. Ultra-high strength steel is used in the roof rails and upper half of the A-pillars, while much of the remaining key structural elements use high-strength material.

In terms of active safety the Corolla gets Toyota's latest antilock braking system --Active Braking with intelligence (AB-i) -- which features Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA). It does not, however, offer stability control (or even traction control) as standard equipment or an option.

Toyota says it will add VSC (its version of ESP) to the Corolla in a future model.

With all the limelight this feature has grabbed of late and given the fact many fleets are now specifying stability control as a ‘must have', it's surprising the Corolla has made it to market without this feature -- even as an option.

One safety feature that is unique to the Corolla (in this class of vehicle anyway), is the availability of a driver's SRS knee airbag. As noted above, the knee bag takes to seven the number of airbags offered in the Corolla. Check out Pricing and Equipment above for more details.

Other safety features include force-limiting front seatbelt pretensioners and WIL (Whiplash Injury Lessening) front seats.

COMPETITORS
In total, Toyota has built in excess of 32 million Corollas worldwide. The car is sold in more than 140 countries and built in 16 at a current rate of one every 23sec (or so)! Further, Toyota will deliver its 1,000,000th Australian-market Corolla later this year -- you don't sell that many cars (even over ten generations) and not attract a host of competitors.

The official VFACTS Small Cars Under $40K marketplace includes 24 models from 16 manufacturers. Add in the fact that Corolla often attracts buyers ‘up' from the Light car segment and ‘down' from Medium cars and it's easy to appreciate that it faces a legion of competitors.

In sheer number terms, it's the Corolla and daylight -- thanks to very strong fleet sales for the Toyota. Perhaps the two clearest competitors are also the cars that Corolla most vies with for private buyers' dollars -- the Mazda 3 and Honda Civic.

As outlined hereabouts, the new Japanese-sourced Corolla more closely matches both these models in size. The Corolla hatch is lineball with the Mazda3 hatch and the sedan-only Civic sits tightly alongside the new Toyota sedan.

Expect our friends at Wheels magazine to be putting the new Corollas up against these protagonists as well as Ford's Focus, Holden's Astra and Viva, the Mitsubishi Lancer (sedan and wagon but no hatch), Nissan's smaller Tiida and others. In the meantime you can check out how the Corolla fares in our pre-configured new car comparator here.

Toyota is very keen to attract more non-traditional Corolla (read: younger) buyers into the new car. You'll get tired of the maker trumpeting the ‘Euro' feel of the new car in an effort to attract newcomers, but also expect some pretty sharp pricing and special equipment offers to kick start this process.

ON THE ROAD
If you're looking for sharp, cutting edge, hot hatch dynamics then you've come to the wrong place. This is a Corolla, not a Clio Sport. That said, the latest car is more involving (and rewarding) to drive than Corollas of the past.

Steering weight may be bordering on too firm for some ‘traditional' Corolla buyers but we like it, though the tiller's still not over endowed with feel. We also liked the turn-in of the Levin SX hatch we drove and its slightly firmer ride. Its chassis grip is quite impressive too. In fact, the hatch, at least, is crying out for more go.

The new engine is linear to the point of being almost anodyne. Power and torque are dished out in small measured doses as the revs rise and there is little clue in the delivery to ‘tune' you into where you're sitting in the rev range. It's refined in this sense, but we'd perhaps forgive it some midrange glitches for a little more edge up top.

The manual box's first gear is low to get this substantially heavier car up and moving. Thereafter there are some pretty big gaps in the ratios. Progress is not quick from a standing start (Toyota claims a 0-100km/h sprint of 11sec) but there are slower cars out there. Thanks to the tall fifth and sixth gear highway cruising is very quiet and should also be economical.

We couldn't check the economy figures during our drive. Toyota claims 7.4 and 7.7lt/100km for the manual and auto hatches, with the sedans a touch more temperate at 7.3 and 7.4lt/100km respectively.

We liked the quiet cabin (bar for some un-Toyota like rattles, see below) and a 'static' stint in the rear seat revealed that the space is generous for this category. Under their breath, a couple of Toyota stalwarts mentioned the latest Corolla is only just shy of the previous generation Camry in interior space. We can believe that -- especially of the sedan.

Can't say we are fans of the busy instrument graphics on the SX and the high-spec Optitron instrumentation is not much better. And we've already written of the hatch models' high and wide centre console treatment. Perhaps during our seven-day test of the car we'll find it more endearing. Oh, and the odd handbrake also needs a strong thumb and some getting used to too…

Most of our launch drive was spent in the top-of-the-range Corolla -- the Ultima sedan. Its four-speed auto was surprisingly capable at getting the best out of the 100kW engine, though we did resort to manually changing the gears when the road got a touch more interesting.

Tyre roar was an issue on the Gold Coast hinterland's coarse chip roads but even more annoying was a persistent rattle in the dash emanating from the passenger airbag area.

Ride comfort seemed a step up on the hatch though we'd need to drive the two back-to-back again to be sure. The sedan also gives just a touch away to the hatch in overall wieldiness -- a factor of weigh or its longer rear overhang perhaps?

With its lower dash and conventional centre console, however, the sedan feels a class bigger than the hatch. Considering its cavernous boot (under the floor of which there's a real full-size spare) and improved rear legroom, empty-nesters and one-child families will be hard pressed to really ‘need' more room.

Styling's a personal decision but we're not a fan of the sedan. While the hatch has a strong, if stocky, personality (a Corolla with personality?), the sedan seems to have been changed for change sake. The nose has odd section lines and seems ‘tacked' on and the shallow rear windows and huge expanse of door sheet metal aren't as resolved as some other small sedans.

Will that mean the car won't sell. Hardly… Toyota believes much of its extra Corolla volume will come from sedan buyers. With the 120 Series sedan yielding better than 65:35 private to fleet purchase ratio, it'll be profitable business to boot (no pun intended).

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