Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport 2013 Review

The award-winning Toyota 86 sports car was the first tangible fruit of that new direction, but you can take it from us that there’s now evidence it’s trickling down into cars such as the humble Corolla.

The Corolla has traditionally been a bit like white bread – a safe bet, though not especially nutritious. Now, this new model has lifted the bar and shows glimmers of real enthusiasm beneath its new sheet metal.

Through the bends, the Corolla proved planted and well balanced, with a surprising amount of weight and even a hint of feel to its steering. It backed this up with impressive grip and composure through the high-speed sweeper, but blighted its copybook slightly with a mid-field slalom performance that momentarily invoked its stability control system.

The 1.8-litre engine worked busily in tandem with the continuously variable transmission (CVT) to deliver impressively sharp performance and strong, linear acceleration. As a result, the Corolla finished a respectable fourth in the 0-100km/h sprint and backed this up with a solid fifth in the braking and fuel consumption stakes.

Panel gaps were good across the car though, like the i30, larger than some here. Some sealant was exposed inside the door-jambs, however, the door action was reassuring, as was the action of the exterior handles.

The rear hatch opens under its own steam and with a clean action. The cargo area plastics are consistent in texture and the carpet quite good. The cargo area offers a light but no 12V outlet and an exposed latch lowers the tone slightly.

Like the Mazda3, Corolla has exposed metal frame work in its fuel filler door but offers a cradle for the cap to sit in while you refill.

Interior finish sees cloth upholstery slightly better than that of the Mazda3 though the same could not be said of the floor carpet. There are no rear-seat ventilation outlets and we noticed our foot catching repeatedly on the B pillar when swinging out of the rear pew.

The flat dashboard wasn’t to everyone’s taste and did seem to exaggerate glare across the aftermarket-looking audio head unit. The touchscreen was also a little fiddly with small landing zones for finger-touch operation.

A cleanly presented engine bay with a large cover was presentable.

The Toyota Corolla managed a sound score of 80dBA at 80km/h.

The touchscreen interface appears to be the exact same unit used by the Subaru, which gave it a poorly integrated aftermarket look, even if the functionality of the infotainment system was quite good. The addition of a reversing camera was also handy.

Bluetooth functionality was very good for both phone and audio streaming, and though pairing the iPhone5 to the car was slightly different from the Subaru Impreza, it was still quite easy. Audio quality from the six-speaker, single-CD tuner was satisfactory.

Unlike all other cars, the USB phone charging outlet is set on the head unit itself meaning short connector cables are a no-no. Other areas that the Corolla didn't excel in included low quality dash plastics and average HVAC controls.

The oversized steering wheel controls were the most legible of the group.

Toyota's stability control system performed well. With a loss of traction mid-corner, the stability control intervened rapidly and pointed the car in the right direction. That said, it wasn't as subtle to engage as some and was the only system we could hear operating with a mild thrumming noise noted as the brakes did their thing.

From a driving perspective, the eager driveline combination, solid refinement and engaging dynamics made Corolla Ascent Sport solid fun for the price.

Under Toyota’s ‘Service Advantage’ scheme, Corolla’s first six services are capped at a test-best $130. With six-month/10,000km service intervals this arrangement provides certainty for the first three years of ownership.

A three-year/100,000km warranty is industry standard; an extension for a further three years is available at an extra cost. Roadside assistance is also cost-optional, at basic and ‘Plus’ levels.

Always a strong seller, and with a reputation for solid reliability and good value, Redbook indicates that the median private sale price for a MY10 Corolla Ascent Sport is $16,000. The retained value of 66 per cent makes it third-best in this group.

Driver and front passenger seats are firm but comfortable. Perched behind a very flat, uninspired dash, the Toyota presented a very different style from other cars on test. The Corolla’s ergonomics fall short of the others, and general comfort and natural flow of navigation suffers as a result.

In-cabin storage is quite good with a number of small storage spots for driver and front passenger.

The Toyota Corolla’s cabin insulation was inferior to most on test. The engine and road noise could be heard clearly. The engine/transmission noise was particularly intrusive under hard acceleration.

The second-row seat base is flat and offers generous space, but three adults are still a squeeze. Head and leg room, however, are very good, similar to that experienced in the Subaru Impreza.

The centre armrest has two cupholders and there are two back-of-seat pockets.

The Corolla’s boot space is good, and also features a 60:40 split-fold function.

Visibility from the Corolla was good – on par with other hatches on test.