Toyota Corolla SX Hybrid 2018 Review

Arriving at an airport in the new Toyota Corolla hatchback, I automatically slotted into the rental car return lane.

Oh dear. Old habits and reputations die hard.

No doubt, plenty of examples of the new 12th-generation Corolla will be doomed to an unloved existence as renters, but right now in the early days of its lifespan there’s deservedly a bit more excitement around it than that.

From all-new underpinnings upwards the latest Corolla has been thoroughly overhauled. There’s more equipment and a sharper look to raise expectations, combined with Toyota’s usual avalanche of spin declaring this is the best example of the breed yet.

When you think about it, it should be. And it is, but don’t get too excited.

So, what have we got here? At the core of it all is TNGA, the Toyota New Global Architecture, that delivers a bunch of claimed benefits from strength to safety to dynamics.

On top of that is a new interior, exterior and a higher level of standard equipment including a class-leading level of driver assist systems.

Toyota has cut the Corolla equipment grades back from four to three, dropping Ascent and retaining Ascent Sport, SX and ZR. All up there are seven different Corollas to choose from; the base model comes with a choice of manual and CVT (continuously variable transmission) versions of a new 125kW/200Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder as well as the 1.8-litre petrol-electric hybrid CVT already seen here in the Prius.

SX and ZR drop the manual gearbox and offer the auto-only 2.0 and hybrid, meaning there are now three hybrids to pick from in the range rather than just one. Pricing starts at $22,870 before on-road costs for the Ascent Sport manual and rises as far as $31,870 for the ZR hybrid.

What that effectively means is the ask to get into an automatic Corolla has gone up about $3000. Disappointingly, the extra dosh still comes with the now sub-par three-year/100,000km warranty.

But service intervals have been extended from six months/10,000km to 12 months/15,000km. Each service costs $175, up from $140 previously.

Marton Pettendy has forensically gone through the structure of the range here, so from this point let’s just talk about the SX petrol-electric hybrid that we’re testing.

Priced at $28,370 before on-road costs, it will be more than $30,000 by the time you hit the road. That’s a bit more expensive than the old Corolla hybrid ($27,530), while the new petrol-auto SX is $26,870 if you don’t feel the need for silent running.

The big equipment story when it comes to Corolla is the package of assist systems that includes low and high-speed autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, all-speed active cruise control, lane keep assist, lane departure alert, road sign recognition and blind spot monitoring.

All that added together and switched on grants the Corolla semi-autonomous capability. Yep, hands off cruising down the freeway, just like a Mercedes-Benz. And just like the Benz, it tells you to get your hands back on the steering wheel after a few seconds and deactivates if you don’t.

More orthodox safety gear includes seven airbags, a reversing camera and LED headlights. A five star ANCAP 2018 rating has already been confirmed.

Comfort gear includes dual-zone climate control, a wireless phone charger, keyless entry and ignition, a digital radio, six-speaker audio and satellite-navigation, But there’s still no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone mirroring, even though the new Corolla gets it in the USA.

There’s only one USB plug front and rear and that’s skimping these days.

An 8.0-inch colour touchscreen sits atop the centre stack, an electric park brake replaces a lever and the SX rolls on 16-inch alloy wheels. A temporary spare sits under the floor in the boot.

Speaking of which… while Toyota eulogises the benefits of TNGA and the added length and width it delivers, the boot is a paltry 217 litres. It means you struggle to fit much more than one suitcase in there.

The rear seat has also been compromised, with tight head and leg-room. There are no door bins, only one seatback pocket and no visible rear air-con vents.

Toyota, you’ve simply buggered this up. Apparently, the packaging is driven by the desire to prioritise the driver and sharpen the exterior looks. Sure, it looks good, but not good enough to justify these compromises.

Up-front there’s no shortage of space, the cloth bucket seat is big and supportive and the steering wheel adjusts for reach and rake, so you can settle in comfortably behind the wheel.

Primary instrumentation is legible and there is now a digital speedo, but the attempts to make the dashboard more modern have backfired.

Off to the right-hand size of the instrument panel is an overload of digitization scrunched into a small space. It took me an age to realise the fuel gauge wasn’t there but in the bottom of the analogue speedo. Reflections can also make it impossible to read.

More orthodox things are done better; door bins are big, with partitions for bottle and the cloth-lidded centre console bin offers adequate space. Materials are soft to the touch in the upper part of dash, getting harder down lower where hands rarely venture.

If there is one area where the Corolla hype is justified, it is from the driver’s seat. This car, with its lower centre of gravity, longer wheelbase and new multi-link rear suspension design is a vast improvement.

There is decisive response and even some feel when you turn the steering wheel. The handling balance is assured and it feels light and nippy, so great for around town or even on a winding road.

The ride can get terse, there’s some bump-thump on the rough stuff and too much road noise leaks into the cabin from coarse surfaces, but overall the Corolla is dynamically competitive with the likes of the Honda Civic, Mazda3 and Volkswagen Golf.

What to make of the drivetrain then? No doubt it delivers on economy, managing to average 4.4L/100km on-test against the 4.2L/100km claim. There was some freeway running that helped keep that figure under control, but there’s no doubt the Corolla hybrid is frugal.

Of course, electric-only running helps that, but you have to be light and very gradual with the right foot to stop the petrol engine from chiming in.

What the drivetrain’s not is responsive. With only 90kW/142Nm to play with it is disappointingly slow. Like absolutely foot-to-the-floor slow up a steep hill. The new 2.0-litre petrol drivetrain canes it.

Unlike the petrol model there’s also no manual mode for the CVT, so it’s just thump the throttle and hope for the best. The only wrinkle on that is shifting the lever in to ‘B’ mode which creates some engine braking for downhills.

The new Corolla is a bigger car with less interior space and a more expensive car in a segment where price is a huge arbiter.

It’s also got a commendable amount of standard safety equipment and drives with a level of competence that no Corolla before it can boast.

So, there are plusses and minuses here. Toyota says it is confident Corolla will stay Australia’s number one selling passenger car and it could well do … as long as Avis, Hertz and co are among the customers.

How much does a 2018 Toyota Corolla SX hybrid cost?
Price: $28,370 plus on-road costs
Engine: 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol-electric hybrid
Output: 72kW/142Nm (90kW combined system power)
Transmission: Continuously variable
Fuel: 4.2L/100km (ADR Combined); 5.6L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 97g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP (2018)