Toyota Corolla v Volkswagen Golf 2021 Comparison

Volkswagen Golf. Toyota Corolla. Two household names that need little introduction, but which for decades have carried the fortunes of their respective manufacturer.

Times are changing, of course, with booming small and mid-size SUV sales stealing customers from both models.

But here we have the long-awaited eighth generation of Europe’s top-selling model lining up against Australia’s biggest-selling passenger car and what remains the world’s number-one model bar none.

With the launch of the all-new 2021 Volkswagen Golf Mk8 in Australia, the time is right to see just how well it stacks up against the people’s choice: the 2021 Toyota Corolla.

As much as sales volume always counts, both the 2021 Volkswagen Golf and Toyota Corolla reflect the fact that today’s small hatchbacks are safer, higher-tech, better-equipped and more proficient than ever, which pushes them upmarket.

Volkswagen also flat-out admits it’s no longer interested in competing with cut-throat pricing, and as such the entry point to the new Mk8 Golf range starts at $29,350 plus on-road costs.

The mid-range Golf Life variant tested here is priced from $34,250 plus ORCs.

Currently three years into its 12th generation, the 2021 Toyota Corolla can be had for $23,895 plus on-road costs at its most basic level, but it, too, pushes up to the mid-$30,000s as you climb the model range.

On test here is the Corolla Ascent Sport with auto transmission that’s at the entry point to the line-up, priced at $25,395 plus ORCs. It’s not a perfect match with the mid-series Golf Life, but these were the only variants we could source for this comparison.

The fundamentals remain the same, however there are naturally some disparities in terms of equipment, so let’s take a closer look.

Even the entry Golf is now equipped with a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, plus a new 8.25-inch Innovision Cockpit touch-screen display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Three-zone climate control, four USB-C ports, LED headlights and tail-lights, an electric parking brake and ambient lighting are also standard fitment in the base car, along with 16-inch alloy wheels.

In the mid-range Golf Life we’re driving, the centre screen grows to 10 inches, the wheel size expands to 17 inches and there are more niceties fitted including keyless entry and start, power-folding exterior mirrors and wireless phone charging.

Over in the Corolla camp, the Ascent Sport also has 16-inch alloy wheels and LEDs for the headlights, tail-lights and daytime running lights.

The infotainment system has an 8.0-inch screen, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and a solitary USB port.

No Corolla variant is available with a fully digital instrument like that fitted standard to the Golf, with Toyota persisting with analogue gauges separated by a digital trip computer.

Similarly, no Corolla hatch variant is available with automatic wipers and the Ascent Sport has only a manual air-conditioning unit.

The entry Corolla also misses out on sat-nav, tinted windows and digital radio, however you can bundle those options into a package that costs an additional $1315.

Moving up to the mid-grade Toyota Corolla SX (from $28,795) brings a premium steering wheel and gear lever, shift paddles, single-zone climate control, rear privacy glass and keyless entry/start.

Features such as heated and powered sports seats, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and lumbar support are reserved for the flagship Corolla ZR.

The Golf gets a space-saver spare tyre while the Corolla is fitted with a full-size spare.

In terms of servicing, the Corolla has a clear edge in this comparison: $900 for the first five years or 75,000km of ownership compared with $1900 for the Golf – both based on 12-month/15,000km intervals.

Both vehicles are backed by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre factory warranty.

The 2021 Toyota Corolla and Volkswagen Golf both have the important bases covered regarding safety.

Awarded a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating under the 2019 testing protocol, the new 2021 Volkswagen Golf has eight airbags fitted standard and is supported by a raft of high-tech driver assist systems.

These include blind spot assist, rear cross traffic alert, high- and low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with vehicle, pedestrian and cyclist detection, and a turning assist feature designed to stop crashes involving oncoming traffic.

All variants of the new Golf can accelerate, brake, steer and park automatically with standard fitment across the range of adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and an automated parking system, which form part of Volkswagen’s IQ.Drive suite.

Front and rear parking sensors are likewise fitted standard, ditto a driver fatigue detection system and a tyre pressure loss indicator, so drivers will know if they’ve got a puncture.

About the only noticeable absence is a speed sign assist feature.

In its latest generation, the Toyota Corolla also gets lane departure alert with steering assist, a pre-collision system with pedestrian and cyclist detection (daytime only), auto high beam headlights, hill start assist and active cornering assist.

It trumps the Golf with speed sign recognition, but in Ascent Sport grade it misses out on blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert (available on SX). The reversing camera also lacks the overhead 360-degree vision of the Volkswagen’s and there’s no attention assist function.

The Toyota employs seven airbags, and in automatic guise it has lane trace assist and active cruise control, whereas the manual variant only comes with high-speed active cruise control.

The Corolla’s five-star ANCAP safety rating was achieved in 2018.

The 2021 Toyota Corolla and Volkswagen Golf take differing approaches to their drivetrains, but the final figures are much the same.

Whereas the Toyota employs naturally-aspirated petrol power (including a hybrid variant further up the food chain) and a CVT transmission, the Golf’s petrol engine is smaller in displacement and exclusively turbocharged, mated to a more conventional torque-converter automatic.

All told, the Corolla’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine produces 125kW of power and 200Nm of torque, shuffling drive to the front wheels for a claimed combined-cycle fuel consumption figure of 6.0L/100km on regular unleaded petrol.

The Volkswagen’s 1.4-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder offers up 110kW and 250Nm. Drive is also apportioned to the front wheels, with a claimed fuel consumption average of 5.8L/100km using premium unleaded.

All variants of the Golf Mk8 are suspended by MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension. Riding on Toyota’s TNGA architecture, the Corolla also moved to the same MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear in 2018.

Taking a step back from the equipment lists, the 2021 Volkswagen Golf Mk8 simply feels a step ahead of the Toyota Corolla, which is no great surprise given the Japanese hatch is midway through its current lifecycle.

That said, we’ve also waited a long time for the new Golf to get here – almost two years – after it was unveiled in October 2019.

The Golf is a clear winner for its presentation, comfort levels and everyday interior amenity, employing nicer materials in a more spacious layout, even though it’s 100mm shorter than the Corolla.

The interior itself is distinctly minimalist, with an emphasis on sliding touch controls and the touch-screen rather than hard-wired buttons and switchgear. The centre screen, digital instrument cluster and a tiny fly-by-wire gear shifter are points that immediately draw your eye and suggest this isn’t a traditional runabout hatch.

Lumbar adjustment for the manual front seats are a boon for longer journeys. We’re deliberately not focusing too much on outright driver comfort since our tester is fitted with a $2000 optional package that includes more accommodating front seats.

On the tech front, there’s a bit of trial and error involved in navigating the Golf’s touch-screen menus, which house everything from radio stations to climate settings. However, with time you learn to shortcut basic commands to save two-step or three-step processes.

That said, the touch-screen isn’t especially quick to respond to user commands.

Storage is plentiful, as are charging points courtesy of four USB-C ports spread across the cabin.

The rear seats remain suitable for a couple of adult passengers, who gain access to cavernous door pockets and seat-back pockets on either side for longer journeys. Rear air vents, and two ISOFIX attachment points and top-tether anchors for child seats, also bolster the Golf’s amenity as a family chariot.

The 374-litre boot area is complete with four tie-down points but no grab rail to pull the tailgate down. A space-saver spare tyre helps maximise the available space.

If the Golf is the tech-laden option of these two, the Corolla is much more conventional. Traditional buttons and switchgear adorn the dashboard centre fascia, and although they don’t look as pretty, we reckon they’re hard to beat in terms of immediacy and ease of use.

It means you can simply jump in the Corolla and feel familiar and at ease with the placement of the controls.

What’s less enamouring is the solitary USB port and 12-volt outlet spaced across the Corolla’s entire cabin. We wouldn’t assume every buyer to be a tech-savvy and charge-hungry smartphone user, but at least two of each would go some way in appeasing the needs of most.

The Corolla’s angular interior is almost jarring in the face of the Golf’s Teutonic layout, with a dashboard design that juts out precariously above the front passenger’s knees and door pockets that aren’t as accommodating on longer trips.

Rear passengers are faced with a notably smaller compartment in which there’s a hemmed-in feeling, less supportive seats, no power outlets and no air vents.

Three top-tether points and two ISOFIX attachment points ensure the Corolla can safely carry little ones, but the layout is almost claustrophobic when pitched side-by-side with the VW.

It is also accessed by smaller door apertures and a concave-style roofline that is narrow at the edges but deepens towards the middle of cabin.

While a full-size spare wheel is a boon for the Corolla, it does come at the expense of luggage space – imposing a higher floor and ultimately eating into capacity. The 313-litre boot measures considerably smaller as a result.

The back roads of NSW Southern Highlands play host to this comparison test. It’s a concerted move to take either vehicle away from the comfort of the city and onto some real Aussie roads.

Beginning with the 2021 Volkswagen Golf, it feels remarkably planted and well-acquitted on test, almost belying its small size with a surefootedness that instils driver confidence.

The engine is refined and quiet upon setting off, arriving at its torque peak from 1500rpm for easy passage to open road speeds, whereupon the 1.4-litre is unfazed in overtaking or holding 110km/h.

The Golf’s long-standing low-speed hesitation has also been done away with courtesy of the new eight-speed torque-converter automatic.

The engine-gearbox pairing is effective, with smooth, well-timed upshifts and a broad bandwidth of performance and efficiency – even without a drive mode selector as fitted to the Toyota Corolla.

Grippy Bridgestone rubber and the Golf’s quality underbody yield a positive and balanced dynamic experience when pushed a little harder. Adequately weighted steering and sound body control are both redeeming qualities. Less inspiring, though, is the squelchy-feeling brake pedal.

Over to the Corolla, which also proves its broad capacity along rugged back roads.

More immediate steering with a natural weighting plus the latest multi-link rear-end lend the Corolla a surprising proficiency in its level of roadholding and control.

The Toyota feels planted and stable on B-roads, though it isn’t quite as effective in isolating pitter-patter bumps or road noise as its German rival.

Similarly, larger hits shudder through the cabin and the Corolla isn’t as swift to recover from prolonged sections of broken bitumen.

The normally-aspirated 2.0-litre engine feels the coarser of the two at idle speed, but, like the Golf, it’s able to deliver easy passage in regular conveyance.

With less torque available across a shorter rev bandwidth (4400-4800rpm), the Corolla relies on its 10-speed CVT transmission to find the engine’s sweet spot. That can mean excessive revving, as the gearbox goes about its work.

Surprisingly, there is also an occasional shunt in the Toyota’s transmission upon reapplying the accelerator at around-town speeds.

When pushed, the Toyota lacks the balance and grip of the Golf, but that’s no startling observation. Volkswagen has been at the pointy end of this segment for dynamics for years.

There’s no escaping the pricing disparity in our comparison test between the new 2021 Volkswagen Golf and the top-selling 2021 Toyota Corolla. The $8855 difference in list price is serious dosh.

That said, we’re confident the verdict would be the same if we’d been able to access model variants that are more evenly matched.

The fact is the Golf outshines the Corolla on key metrics of driving, versatility, passenger accommodation and technology.

We’ve no doubt Toyota will hit back with what’ll be the 13th generation of the venerable Corolla in a few years’ time. But for now, the Mk8 Volkswagen Golf has skipped ahead.

How much does the 2021 Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport cost?
Price: $25,395 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol
Output: 125kW/200Nm
Transmission: CVT automatic
Fuel: 6.0L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 139g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2018)

How much does the 2021 Volkswagen Golf Life cost?
Price: $34,250 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 110kW/250Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 5.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 132g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2019)