FAVOURITE Mzansi car brand Toyota has revealed the latest version of one its most popular cars, the Corolla.
Back in the 1980s and 1990s, it was driven around as frequently as the Conquest and Avante are now, but make no mistake, the new Toyota Corolla Conquest hatch, which replaces the Auris, is a very different beast.
Built using Toyota’s new global architecture, the chassis is longer, lower and sexier than the Auris it replaces.
Exterior
The front and rear design adds to its smart appearance with all-LED lamp clusters and daytime running lights lining the curved edge of a flatter clamshell bonnet and narrowed upper grille.
Beneath that, the wider, angled lower grille features a new mesh design and a frame that projects forwards with a surround that generates Toyota’s signature ski shape at the front corners.
At the back, the angle of the rear screen increases by 14° with wider rear wheel arch making the vehicle look compact.
The new Corolla hatch comes in six colours – three of them totally new: Scarlet Metallic, Oxide Bronze and Caribbean Blue.
Interior
The Corolla’s beauty is not just skin-deep as the interior is just as exciting.
Toyota has added high levels of quality to its Europe sensory quality – the same team that designed the C-HR’s acclaimed interior.
Inside, it is comfortable and spacious. The slim instrument panel aims for a minimalist or less intrusive design that not only increases the sense of inside space but also improves windscreen visibility.
The Xr version has Alcantara micro-fibre material covering the front sports seats with wide shoulder supports that combine with solid side-bolster cushions that grip your upper body and thighs when cornering.
Rear seats boast a new seat cushion material that allows for more even distribution of the occupant’s weight and, as standard, all rear seats can be folded using a remote lever to create a fully flat extension to the boot’s load space.
Engine power
Under that stylish front bonnet lies a 1,2-litre, four-cylinder turbopetrol engine with either a six-speed manual gearbox or the new 10-speed Shiftmatic continuously variable transmission (CVT).
The Japanese carmaker’s engine will push hatch from zero to 100km/h in 9,5 seconds for the manual or in 10,4 seconds using the Shiftmatic. It has a top speed of 200km/h – or 190km/h when fitted with the CVT.
Fuel consumption has said to be 6,1 litres every 100km for both the manual gearbox and the CVT.
Standard safety features
The standard safety features includes seven airbags – for the driver and passenger, along with two side and curtain, as well as one for the driver’s knee – vehicle stability control, ABS, electronic brakeforce distribution, brake assist and hill-assist control as well as Isofix attachment points for child seats.
Warranty and service plan
All Corolla hatch models come standard with a six-service or 90 000km service plan and three-year/100 000km warranty.
Service intervals are set at every 12 months or 15 000km.
Prices
- Corolla Hatch 1,2T Xs manual – R336 800
- Corolla Hatch 1.2T Xs CVT – R347 400
- Corolla Hatch 1.2T Xr CVT – R367 100
