Toyota unveils next Corolla sedan

Toyota’s next-generation Corolla sedan has been revealed in the US and Europe, ahead of its Australian release next February.

Growing by a sizeable 99mm overall, the 11th-generation Corolla four-door emerges faithful to the Furia concept that previewed it at the Detroit motor show in January, and a pre-production model that appeared in leaked images in February.

The new Corolla four-door will go on sale here almost 18 months after the latest five-door Corolla hatch, which was launched Down Under last October and, with the help of the six-year-old Corolla sedan, outsold the all-conquering Mazda3 for the first time last month.

Apart from being significantly larger and more stylish than before, the MkXI Corolla sedan is claimed to offer “upgraded interior styling, premium materials and roominess” that Toyota expects will “reposition Corolla in the compact segment”.

As expected, the new Corolla loses the Furia concept’s rear wing and adventurous tail-lights from its “more expressive, chiseled exterior design”, but features a similarly aggressive front-end that attempts to differentiate it from the Corolla hatch – and give it more presence in the US market, where it was outsold by the Honda Civic last year for the first time since 2002.

The Corolla sedan’s 100mm-longer (2700mm) wheelbase and 4639mm-long body, which is also 16mm wider at 1776mm and 10mm lower 1455mm, now makes it considerably larger than the Civic, as well as the Ford Focus and Holden Cruze sedans, which together with the Mazda3 and new entrants like the Hyundai Elantra have eroded the Corolla’s global sales from a high of 1.42 million in 2006.

Toyota will release Australia-specific details later today, but in the US the Corolla sedan will come with a carryover 100kW 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, although a slightly more powerful ‘Eco’ version delivering 105kW is claimed to return highway fuel consumption of 40mpg (5.9L/100km).

North America’s entry-level Corolla L will be available with three transmissions: a carryover four-speed automatic, a six-speed manual and a new seven-speed continuously variable transmission (CVT).

In Australia, expect the new Corolla sedan to be powered by the same mildly upgraded 103kW/173Nm 1.8-litre petrol four as in the hatch – but neither model will not be available here with the diesel or hybrid powertrains likely to be fitted for some overseas market, where a Corolla wagon will also be offered.

While almost three-quarters of its extra overall length goes into rear legroom, Toyota says the new Corolla sedan will also be quieter than before due to an acoustic glass windscreen, better floor carpet insulation, improved dashboard sealing and extra wheel-house noise deadening.

Standard US-market features will include eight airbags, Bluetooth, air-conditioning, an in-glass radio aerial, a 60/40-split rear seatback and LED low-beam lights and daytime running lamps – which Toyota says is a first in the small-car segment.

Independent MacPherson front struts and a solid torsion beam rear axle continue to reside beneath the Corolla sedan, albeit with geometry, spring and bushing revisions.

Sold in 154 countries and built in 16 locations, the Corolla has amassed almost 40 million sales in the 47 years it has been available since launch in Japan in 1966, making it the world’s top-selling model – although Ford contests that on the basis that, unlike the Focus, it is sold with various nameplates around the world.