Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport 2018 Review

How many times do you see car-makers claiming their latest model re-sets the benchmark for its segment? Sometimes the proposition is arguably accurate. Other times it adds up to little more than hyperbole.

So, what are we to think about Toyota’s latest version of its remarkably long-winded Corolla? Certainly, its provenance is unquestioned. The company says the Toyota Corolla, more than any other car, has “built the reputation of the Japanese automotive industry and the success of the Toyota Motor Corporation.”

After first going on sale in Australia in 1967, the small Toyota has morphed from a front-engine, rear-drive two-door sedan into a front-drive, transverse-engined hatch or sedan that carries one of the world’s most recognisable nameplates and, very often, has proudly sat atop the Australia’s biggest-selling car table.

So, is the just-arrived new Toyota Corolla a true benchmark-setter?

Probably the best way to answer that question is to sample it in its most basic form. With the entry-level, manual-transmission Ascent Sport reviewed here, that’s exactly what we’ve done.

Launched into the Australian market in August 2018, the latest Toyota Corolla went a bit upscale in a number of ways: An all-new 2.0-litre engine replaced the elderly 1.8-litre, and the amount of standard safety technology was increased dramatically so that things such as autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, pedestrian and bicycle avoidance, self-dipping LED headlights and lane-keep assistance trickled right down to the basic Ascent Sport.

The effect was that the Toyota Corolla’s higher entry price, at $22,870 before on-road costs, nudged it more in the direction of Volkswagen’s $23,990 Golf 110TSI hatch rather than, say, Hyundai’s i30 (although at $31,870 for the top-spec Corolla ZR hybrid, it stops well short of the hi-po $57,990 AWD Volkswagen Golf R wagon).

Interestingly, the Corolla’s top end offering will undoubtedly be extended when the sedan version arrives some time in 2019.

Right from the moment of sliding into the Toyota Corolla, it’s clear that big efforts have been made to up the quality.

There’s so much soft-touch on the dash that it’s not funny (although strangely the upper door sills are hard-touch) and the switches and controls have a nice, tactile feel while the adoption of a tablet-style LCD touch-screen combines with more homogenous dash architecture to lend a certain air of class.

And, yes, the multi-link rear suspension and the revised MacPherson strut front end that both come with the new TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) platform, plus a slightly longer (40mm) wheelbase, play a part in the Corolla’s new-found dynamic balance.

These include a nicely-controlled ride and brisk, sharp handling that is also helped through the adoption of reasonably quick, electrically-assisted steering.

The 125kW/200Nm 2.0-litre engine is a long-awaited Godsend: Although it prefers a spin towards the 6800rpm redline – a tad past 6600rpm where maximum power is developed – it delivers smoothly from low revs without complaint.

The manual gearbox, although it can be assisted by a switchable, rev-matching intelligent-shift function, is made difficult to operate smoothly because of a dodgy, hard to modulate accelerator which lends unnecessary over-revving when taking off.

As for fuel consumption, we are pleased to report we came reasonably close to the official 6.3L/100km with 6.9L/100km recorded on test.

The twelfth-generation Toyota Corolla went on sale nationally in August 2018, beginning with the Ascent Sport variant reviewed here and progressing through the mid-range SX to the top-spec ZR. Only the Ascent Sport is available with a six-speed manual transmission: All other Corollas, including the 1.8-litre-based hybrid which is available at all levels, are CVTs.

For all the good things that define the latest Toyota Corolla, there’s a significant downside: The packaging.

Despite the longer wheelbase and wider body, the five-door hatch presents a slightly-squeezed rear passenger compartment where there is minimal legroom on offer, particularly if the long, Germanic-style seat travel offered to front passengers is taken advantage of – while the back doors barely open wide enough.

These shortfalls are matched in the boot too, particularly in the Ascent Sport which, though we are always grateful for a full-size alloy spare, has a high boot-floor height that contributes to a tiny, 217-litre load area which is quite a bit less than the 333 litres quoted for the space-saver equipped ZR model.

This is below the quoted 360 litres for the previous Corolla hatch and less than a current Mazda3 (308 litres), Volkswagen Golf (380 litres) and Hyundai i30 (395 litres). Even with the rear seats folded, we struggled to cram in a (front wheel removed) mountain bike, which tended to put the kybosh on lifestyle activities – although if you want to tow something sporting electric brakes, the Corolla’s limit is a competitive-for-class 1300kg.

Clearly Australians favour small hatchbacks – with the occasional exception of workhorse utes above just about any other new-car category and the Toyota Corolla has a history of meeting those needs more frequently than most others in its peer group. Today’s Corolla hatch is much more refined, safer and better-performing than its eleventh generation predecessor but, for some unfathomable reason, Toyota decided to downgrade, rather than upgrade its packaging. It’s now acceptable, rather than competitive, in the small hatchback class.

Take just about any of its rivals and there’s a clear deficit that Toyota is now stuck with until the next-generation Corolla arrives. Maybe the upcoming sedan version, if it continues the tradition of employing a longer wheelbase than the hatchback, along with a much bigger boot, will provide an answer.

There is no denying Toyota has fronted up with a more responsible, refined and dynamic Corolla as it moves into its twelfth generation and its 51st year on the Australian market.

It gives away nothing to an eager competitor group by any of the above measures and almost justifies Toyota’s benchmark-setting claims. It’s just the packaging that leaves most of us wondering where the 2018 Toyota Corolla hatchback’s designers were when it was signed off.

2018 Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport pricing and specifications:
Price: $22,870 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 125kW/200Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 6.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 148g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP