Toyota Corolla Ascent 2007 Review

Road Test

Overall rating: 3.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 3.5/5.0
Price, 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

About our ratings

In September 2007, a customer walked into a Toyota dealership and bought the one millionth Corolla sold in Australia. It was a major milestone in anyone's books and helped to confirm the Corolla as the world's most popular car. Since launch, over 33 million have been sold around the world and in recent years, with the Aussie buying public steadily shying away from the traditional big local six, it has been the Corolla that has increasingly taken the top spot in the monthly sales tally.

So you would have to think that the company is doing something right with its small car entrant. And with the 10th generation now on sale, we would probably agree.

For a long time, the car was simply whitegoods on wheels (albeit very well built and reliable whitegoods) but it was never going to set automotive enthusiasts' hearts racing. And although the whitegoods have gained some colour in the latest generation, it is still certainly far from the most exciting car you will find in the class -- both from an aesthetic and dynamic perspective.

For the bulk of new car buyers, such fripperies aren't of great concern. What they want is safe, comfortable and reliable transport and as long the car is not dog-ugly or wobbles around like Nanna's trifle, then they are happy. And this, in part at least, is the secret to Corolla's success... Although being built by one of the richest automotive manufacturers in the world with marketing millions hasn't hurt either...

The Corolla has earned a near-bulletproof reputation for reliability. It is also particularly user friendly with nothing overly complex or taxing -- it just gets the job done.

This latest incarnation is no different, although the car has improved on the styling front with the European designed hatch now bearing a particular family resemblance to its smaller kin, the also Euro-derived Yaris. That said, Corolla still tends to blend into the streetscape especially in the white entry-level Ascent form the Carsales Network tested.

Step inside and there is a little more in the way of aesthetic appeal with plenty of silvery highlights and sweeping centre console that houses the manual gearshift at its base rather than being set in the traditional place between the front seats. The seats are solid, supportive and pretty comfortable and the addition of reach adjustment for the steering making it four-way adjustable ensures that you can get a good driving position.

The new model is wider and longer than its predecessor and with fairly big glass areas the interior does feel quite spacious. Two adults will fit into the 60/40 splitfold rear bench for shorter journeys and enjoy decent head and legroom.

As the entry model, features are basic with remote locking, front power windows and mirrors, aircon and single CD sound while safety kit, including ABS brakes on 15-inch steel wheels and dual front airbags, is only industry average. You can option up an extra five airbags for $750 (which Toyota loudly claims includes a class-first driver kneebag) but there is no availability of traction or stability control.

Latest entrants to this class such as Subaru Impreza and Mitsubishi Lancer both include stability control as standard, while Hyundai's new i30 offer it as part of a well-priced safety kit.

Despite being a similar 1.8-litre capacity as its predecessor, the Corolla's all-alloy VVT-i-equipped four-cylinder petrol engine is new and offers more power and torque (100kW/175Nm) than its immediate predecessor. Conveniently, Toyota forgets to mention that engine was detuned in Jan 2006 (from the 100kW/171Nm engine offered from 2004) to meet emission regulations.

That said, the new powerplant is also far smoother and more refined than the previous powerplant and at idle, there is barely a whisper from under the bonnet. A decent thrust of the accelerator pedal produces good solid motivation but not anything that is startlingly over and above what you would expect from a 'cooking model' four. Keep it floored and there is hint that it feels a little stronger in the higher reaches and it will happily rev through to the redline without any great noise or harshness.

The six-speed shift, apart from being a little notchy, is a good match for the. Sixth gear, however, is purely a highway cruiser to help improve fuel economy with the engine spinning at around 2500rpm at 100kmh.

The official fuel consumption figure is 7.4lt/100km and over about 400km with a mix of city/country driving we ended the week with a very respectable 8.5lt/100km.

Like previous models, Corolla's suspension is tuned with a comfort bias and it does deliver a very comfortable ride. It feels smooth and stable on the road and the only road irregularities to penetrate the quiet calm of the cabin were particularly sharp ruts and tram tracks at lower speeds -- which became a bit more noticeable but never harsh.

What has improved markedly however, is the handling competence. Sitting reasonably flat through corners, the car turns in nicely with decent weight to the steering and easily follows your desired line. There is not a lot of feedback from the steering but there is plenty of grip and when pushed too hard, the car simply sheds speed with well controlled and predictable understeer.

Chassis dynamics are still not up to the class leaders like the Ford Focus and Mazda3 but the Corolla is not the wobbly woolly handler it once was.

Sharper styling and dynamics have definitely made the Corolla more appealing but at the end of the day, Toyota knows what it wants and that is total market leadership. In order to sell as many cars as possible, the trick is not always just to try and appeal to as many people as possible but rather make sure you offend few.

Alas such dogma will always produce compromises and ensure product that never stands out dramatically from the crowd.

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