The Corolla evolved from the Corona mid-size hatch some three decades ago and it has gone on to become the best- selling model in Toyota history. Internationally, the Corolla has been the car which has set the pace in its class and it has been a compatriot of the Honda Civic, a car with which it has traded blows and accolades. This latest generation Corolla debuted two years ago in Japan but it has now gone on sale in almost all corners of the globe including the US, Europe and the ASEAN region.
It is a cleverly evolved package which brings on the subtle Toyota class in detailing and turnout while also being pleasing and spacious. Designed from the outset as a saloon, the Corolla is a well planted car when you first lay eyes on it, the visual attributes justifying this statement thanks to the raised belt line with just a hint of curvature and crease moulded to form a pleasing rather than a handsome automobile. The waterfall type grille treatment with the Toyota corporate logo placed bang in the centre dominates the front end, flanked on either side by those large twin clear glass headlamps.
The wraparound bumper with integrated parking lights further goes on to add its own special highlight.
STYLE & BUILD
Its height (at 1500mm, it is the tallest car in the D-segment - 10mm higher than even the Camry) does give it somewhat of a hunchback appearance.It has a number of distinctive style elements like the halogen multi-reflector four-beam headlights, thin and long driving lights, a four-creased bonnet with the subtle inner creases sloping along the sides of the front grille with a waterfall treatment, and joining together along its bottom edge. The rear is much better looking than many of its contemporaries with round reversing lights standing out from the multi-reflector combination tail lights. Five-spoke
alloy wheels, low profile tyres and chrome handles all give it a sporty appearance.
The build quality seems as good as it can get - perfect shut lines and uniform panels gaps, sweetly shutting solid doors are
just about what anyone desires from a car.
CHASSIS & SUSPENSION :
The role of the chassis is often somewhat underplayed, but make no mistake that it is the single most important factor affecting not only the vehicle?s behaviour on the road, its dynamics, but also its life, tyre wear, safety, effectiveness of the suspension as well as how well the car tackles bad roads.
The Corolla employs a newly developed subframe-mounted MacPherson strut based suspension along with an anti-roll bar while an ETA beam type suspension is deployed to provide the best of both independent and rigid type suspensions at the rear.
In the Corolla, trailing arms give the comfort of an independent suspension and are joined by an offset ETA beam that acts like a powerful stabiliser. Toe correcting bushes provide toe control and will prove useful in the long run. In actual practice the suspension did not seem to work as well it should and it makes some noise while going over bumps.
ENGINE & TRANSMISSION :
In the far east, the Corolla comes with an option of two engines, Toyota has gone with the bigger powerplant for India.
At 1749cc, the Corolla powerplant is smaller than the smallest (2-litre) engines that the D-segments cars have and larger than the 1.6-litre engines of the C-segment cars.The 16-valve dohc engine which also features Toyota?s VVT-i technology produces a max of 123bhp at 6000rpm as well as 158Nm of maximum torque at 4200rpm. The torque curve is more or less flat with over 145Nm of torque available throughout the major portion of the rev band.
And thanks to the VVT-i technology, apart from the Mondeo, at 69bhp per litre,it also has the best specific output among engines in the country.
The VVT-i technology not only makes the engine more fuel efficient when the demand for power is low, but also boosts power output when this is demanded. This not only makes the engine more efficient and environmentally friendly, but also frugal without the least bit of sacrifice on the power front
Right from the day of its launch the Corolla is available with the option of either a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 3-speed with overdrive (effectively a 4-speed) automatic gearbox. The manual gearbox gives absolutely no reason for complaint and the slickness that was missing in the Camry as well as the gearbox of the Corolla we got for the first drive is back in full measure. The short-throw gear lever is a joy to operate and with well matched ratios puts the power and torque on to tarmac beautifully.
The automatic transmission on the other hand is simple and easy to use. There are three gear lever positions plus an overdrive that can be switched on or off through a button on the gear lever. If you want to indulge in some spirited driving, you can switch off overdrive but if you?re aiming at some cruising on the highway and conserve fuel, you can switch it on. Under normal circumstances it is always advisable to keep overdrive switched on as it will give you better fuel efficiency.
Top speed of 191.6kmph also comes up fairly quickly and is on par with some of the cars having 2.0-litre engines.
HANDLING & BRAKING :
The ground clearance of the car has been jacked up for India by 20mm over other places that the car is sold in, like Thailand, This tends to have some extra body roll which has been compensated for by allowing the stabiliser bars lesser freedom before they come into action and start correcting
For bad roads too the ground clearance is a major boon but Where the Corolla raises concern is in its braking.
Discs all around with ventilated ones up front is all fine but hard braking does lock up the wheels as hard as you may try otherwise. And to think that all Corollas come with airbags for both the front seats but no ABS for its wheels.
INTERIORS :
Not only is the Corolla a big car on the outside but the cabin is spacious as well. At 1355mm the shoulder room at the rear is more than in both the Skoda Octavia as well as the Mercedes-Benz C-class. Overall knee room too is more than some of the more expensive cars while boot space of 430 litres is also quite adequate. Head room is decent enough even for very tall people but is less than many of the other cars despite the Corolla being a tall car because of the seat height or belt line
being high to ensure ease of ingress and egress.
The instrument panel is also nice and sporty with white pearlescent dials which cast a nice glow in the dark.
The outside rear-view mirrors can be folded in or swung out by a button next to the mirror adjustment switch, which is a great feature for India.The cars come equipped with an HVAC system as well as a front loading 6-CD changer music system unit.
The centre console also has a digital clock.
The quality of the interiors is truly outstanding and the fit and fish absolutely immaculate. The car exudes the look and feel of a much more expensive car and would not be let down in the company of cars that cost nearly twice as much.
SUMMING IT UP
The Corolla has so many strengths that it would be quite impossible to list them all.
Sum it all up in one line and you have distinctive styling, superlative high tech, versatile and fuel efficient engine, mind blowing performance, good handling and ride quality with a very good ground clearance (essential for India), luxurious and opulent interiors
Toyota is the most reliable brand name in the country. Its dealers have repeatedly been voted the best in terms of customer service and are riding high with the success of the Qualis. And with the Corolla having proved to be Toyota?s largest selling brand ever, the one word that resounds loud
