Toyota Corolla 2020 long-term test

Still, the Corolla made up for that in terms of how easy and pleasant it was to drive, with light steering, decent handling and suspension that was comfortable on most surfaces. The Corolla is offered with a choice of petrol-electric hybrid powertrains.

We plumped for the larger 178bhp 2.0-litre version, which excelled in its versatility. You can tell Toyota has been making hybrids for a long time: it was quiet, the power delivery was largely smooth and the interchange between petrol and electric propulsion was largely seamless.

The CVT gearbox occasionally annoyed and the engine could be a little gruff now and then, but largely the powertrain coped admirably with most real-world situations. With a bit of effort, achieving an MPG in the 50s was possible in the majority of situations. Clearly, that’s some way short of what you’d expect from a plug-in hybrid (or, it should be noted, a diesel), but you don’t have to worry about plugging in a cable or adjusting your driving patterns at all.

Granted, the Corolla isn’t particularly dynamic: it’s easy rather than inspiring to drive. But that’s exactly what made it such a popular office choice. It was never going to offer edge-of-your-seat thrills, but it was also never going to upset or annoy.

There were, inevitably, some irritations. Beyond the previously mentioned bland interior, the boot was on the small side, resulting from Toyota having to put the battery under it because it wouldn’t fit in the engine bay with the 2.0-litre hybrid (it does on the 1.8 version, which has a bigger boot as a result). But our main complaint was the infotainment system, which was clunky in design and operation and annoyingly didn’t feature the workaround of Apple CarPlay compatibility.

That’s where those new Corolla GR Sport and Touring Sports Trek variants come in. Both models have the latest version of Toyota’s infotainment system, which is substantially improved and works with CarPlay (the firm also offers a system upgrade adding that function to older models). They feature a number of interior trim flourishes, too, which generally add to the ambience of the interior.

The luggage capacity can’t be fixed by an upgrade, but there’s a reason the Touring Sports estate variant is a popular choice among Burnaston employees. Besides, I’d also consider the 1.8 powertrain, with the promise of more boot space and extra economy for relatively little power trade-off.

You won’t be surprised to learn that I very much like the Corolla. So what about the big question: is it now truly a rival to the Focus, our road testers’ family hatch of choice? It’s an interesting comparison. As our road testers have noted, the Focus undoubtedly has a slight dynamic edge, and can be more rewarding to drive. But you know what? If I had to buy one, I’d take the Corolla.

What it lacks in absolute excitement it more than compensates for with all-round ability. It’s just comfortable: the sort of car you feel you’ve owned forever and would be happy to own for a lot longer. Those previous-generation Corolla owners who have stuck with their cars for decades? I think I finally get it now…

Second Opinion

The Corolla’s rapidly increasing popularity has done little to dent its subtle but undeniable kerb appeal, and the admiring glances our car received suggest that you don’t have to sacrifice finesse for frugality. The clunky infotainment and snoring gearbox are two fairly large flies in the ointment, however.

Felix Page

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Love it:

Effortless efficiency Strong fuel economy could be achieved with little to no effort required.

Sweet steering Exciting? Not exactly. Easy to handle? Absolutely.

Ideal all-rounder Corolla coped admirably with all sorts of journeys and all types of road.

Loathe it:

Infotainment irritation Clunky, sub-menu-filled interface rarely failed to annoy.

Boot bother Limited boot space is one real drawback of the 2.0-litre hybrid.

Final mileage: 6445

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Isn’t that tweet - 13 May 2020

The quietly excellent Corolla would be perfect for essential shopping trips. Sadly, mine was returned to Toyota mere days before lockdown (a full final report will appear in due course) and is now parked up outside the firm’s press garage. But it’s still being put to good use: a robin has built a nest in one of the wheel arches. Toyota has been keeping tabs via a spy cam, and the Corolla is now ‘home’ to a clutch of young chicks. Clearly, the Corolla is a perfect family hatch. Oh, and the chicks have yet to be named so suggestions welcome…

Mileage: 6445

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A real sales success story - 8 April 2020

Interesting spot while poring through February’s UK new car sales data: while overall year-on-year sales were down 2.9%, the 3470 cars Toyota sold during the month was a whopping 47.71% up on February 2018 (2532). What changed? Well, there’s a silver clue in the picture below: the revived Corolla went on sale in March last year and sales of it largely accounted for that increase. It’s nice to see Toyota’s strong development work on the British-built car rewarded

Mileage: 6290

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Starting to see them everywhere - 25 March 2020

The new Corolla is an increasingly common sight on our roads – a reflection of Toyota GB’s 47% year-on-year sales rise to the end of February. There are plenty of estates, too, many with Transport for London’s private hire sticker on the back. Could the Corolla threaten the Toyota Prius as the car of choice for the airport shuttle run?

Mileage: 5379

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Life with a Toyota Corolla: Month 4

Not quite the intended use - 11 March 2020

The Corolla has a raised boot floor to house the hybrid battery, creating two ‘pockets’ in the corners. I find them handy to keep things upright but it seems they also make a useful bin. I’m not entirely sure which of my colleagues left their waste in it, but I hope they enjoyed their nutritious lunch of a four-pack of barbecue pork pies and a large Caramac bar.

Mileage: 5903

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Our hybrid hatch draws murmurs of approval – but not from the powers that be - 4 March 2020

have decided to call it the Corolla murmur. Although it’s really more of a “mmmm…”. That, as best I can describe, is the vocal reaction of most people to a trip in the Toyota Corolla. It’s normally accompanied by a polite, relatively subtle nod of the head.

It’s a delayed reaction. When friends, family and colleagues first clamber into the Corolla, there’s little to no reaction. So I wait. It might take 10 minutes. Maybe half an hour. But eventually there’s an “mmmm”.

In an industry often preoccupied with chasing emotion, the Corolla murmur is befitting of the car itself: not wildly exciting but genuinely pleasant and hugely likeable. I’ve driven cars that draw more effusive praise, more wide-eyed wonder. But few have been met with such universally good-natured warmth.

Except it seems that not everyone has the same love for the Corolla – or at least for its hybrid powertrain. Because, as you probably know, the UK government has decided hybrids such as the Corolla should join petrol and diesel engines as bad things that people shouldn’t buy.

The ban, likely to be introduced in around a decade, is part of a plan for the UK to reach net zero CO2 emissions. Given that hybrids still emit CO2, it makes some sense. It’s easier to cut CO2 if you stop people from buying cars that emit CO2.

Except, of course, it’s an analogue solution to a nuanced issue. Electric cars may not emit CO2 when in motion, but how green they are really depends on how they are built and how the electricity powering them is generated. This is a hugely wide-ranging issue but, given the current rate of progress with EVs, there’s a decent chance most people in the UK will be buying them by the time the ban kicks in anyway. But of concern is what the ban means for those looking to buy a car now, and it relates to the Corolla murmur.

A few of my family are considering buying a new car in the next year or so, and they’re confused. As well as picking what size and type of car they want, they’re faced with a multitude of powertrain options. Instead of simply choosing between petrol and diesel, there are now hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric cars, all with different strengths and weaknesses, all raising questions and concerns, both real and imagined.

Those of us who follow the industry closely might forget that, for many, electric cars have long been a slightly ethereal, future-gazing concept. Yet, suddenly, electric cars are here and, suddenly, people are being told they should buy them. But not everyone is ready, because they still can’t comprehend whether an EV would work for them. A few of my family say they’re just not ready to buy anything that needs plugging in because they don’t want the hassle of installing a charging point and they don’t really understand the public charging network.

But they can see the benefits of improved fuel economy and reduced CO2 emissions that electrification promises. So what if they could find a car that offered some elements of that but which still worked like the combustion-engined machines they’ve known for years? So I’ve taken them for a trip in the Corolla. And, sure enough, wait for it… “mmmm”. The Corolla murmur. A quiet nod of approval for a quietly understated car. And a nod that says ‘yes, a hybrid could work for me’.

And soon they’re asking me which other cars they can get with a hybrid engine. Success, then. As I’ve written previously, hybrids can serve a useful purpose as a gateway drug to help people get used to electrified cars before they make that leap.

Except there’s a catch. Because now my hybrid-curious family have been told hybrids aren’t the answer, and they’re going to be banned, which means they must be bad. So they’re not sure about buying a new one. But they’re not ready for an electric car yet. And, suddenly, a government initiative to improve air quality in a decade or so could result in buyers sticking to their older, polluting cars out of sheer uncertainty.

Love it:

Economy goals Most cars have an MPG display these days, but the Corolla’s is really simple to understand.

Loathe it:

…but it’s blue One of my colleagues dislikes the display’s excessive use of blue. Now he’s pointed it out, it rankles me too.

Mileage: 5690

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navigation infuriation - 19 February 2020

Entering a postcode into a sat-nav should be quick and easy. Sadly not in the Corolla, where numbers are hidden on a separate keyboard from letters. So you type the first letters, press a ‘Change Type’ button, then select the number keyboard. You can then type the numbers, before switching back keyboards to put the letters in. Deeply tedious.

Mileage: 4964

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Life with a Toyota Corolla: Month 3

Weekend in the city reveals super strengths – and clear flaws - 29th January 2020

January is the longest, poorest and dreariest month of the year, so you have to make your own fun to help the time pass by that bit quicker. Fortunately, our Toyota Corolla has taught me one of the cheapest and most addictive games I’ve ever played with a car.

The hatchback’s ‘self-charging’ hybrid powertrain shuts down its 2.0-litre petrol engine provided there’s enough charge in the battery (generated during deceleration and braking) and you’re gentle enough with the accelerator, leaving you with 107bhp of electrickery to play with.

Once accustomed to this, I spent the weekend engaged in a fight to keep the speedometer’s little green EV icon illuminated and the rev counter showing a pleasing 0rpm. It was addictive, albeit more so for economical rather than ecological reasons following the festive break.

My best electric-only speed so far is 26mph (no mean feat inside the M25), and I’ve done the length of my local high street without so much as a puff from the exhaust. I averaged 46.7mpg over a weekend’s driving in mostly quite heavy traffic – far better than I managed in similar conditions with our Mazda 3, suggesting that car’s Skyactiv-X compression ignition technology has a way to go before it can tempt buyers away from hybrids.

It’s no wonder that seemingly every fifth car in London is a Corolla or a Prius: there’s no disputing that this system’s split personality can save a cabbie hundreds a year in fuel costs. It’s not all silence and swiftness, however, because the serenity of the electric ride is highlighted by the contrasting coarseness of the engine when it cuts in. It’s more noticeable from cold, but an idle speed of around 1700rpm has a tendency to grate during lengthy stops at traffic lights.

You also have to contend with the droning e-CVT gearbox, which is cleverer and more compact than a conventional automatic but clashes harshly with the Corolla’s soft primary ride and linear acceleration. The engine’s relative punchiness does go some way to abating my guilt for occasionally reverting to internal combustion. There’s plenty of low-end torque to play with, and I reckon it could keep the average driving enthusiast occupied for longer than the Corolla’s focus on practicality and eco-mindedness would suggest.

Credit must also go to the nicely weighted steering, which inspires absolute confidence at low speeds and helps with avoiding potholes. The perfect urban car, then? Not quite. The infotainment system is counterintuitive to the point of being infuriating. Aside from the fact that the touchscreen is angled away from the driver, the interface is clunky and it takes far too long to input addresses and access different keyboards.

Happily, the interior is otherwise a lovely place to pass time. Visibility is excellent, thanks to the low window line and high roof, while the front seats are well bolstered, comfortably shaped and fantastically heated, if you so wish (I always do).

There was one seating issue, mind: even with the rear bench folded flat, the armchair I bought online couldn’t be squeezed into the boot – although that says a lot more about my terrible judgment of size than it does the car.

Felix Page

Love it:

Power surges Temporary electric propulsion comes as a sweet relief in town.

Loathe it:

Infotainment Difficult to reach and to read, the touchscreen can be very irritating.

Mileage: 5400

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Petrol, not battery power, when the temperature drops - 8th January 2019

Winter weather is not a Corolla’s friend. Cold morning starts are now commonly met with the gentle grumble of the petrol engine, rather than silent electric gliding – and the reversing camera can be rendered largely useless by even a bit of grime. Still, a gunked-up camera persuaded me to head to the car wash. The results (above) are worth it.

Mileage: 5074

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Familiarity breeds content in the easy-going Corolla – apart from a few niggles - 2nd January 2019

The Corolla has become an understated star of the Autocar fleet. It’s far from the grandest or flashiest machine in our car park, but its relaxing and efficient demeanour makes it an easy car to spend time in and it has become a popular choice for long motorway journeys.

Interestingly, it seems we’re not alone. Since running the Corolla, I’ve heard from two readers who picked one to replace diesel-powered BMWs (a 520d and BMW 320d Touring). Both admitted that going from a BMW to a Toyota might seem a strange move, but they were high-mileage drivers drawn in by reduced company car tax (due to lower emissions) and lower potential running costs.

Winning over owners of premium-badged cars demonstrates the success of the Corolla – but it also shows the sort of machines that it might be judged against. And while our overwhelming impression is one of quiet contentment with the car, it did make me think about some of the minor irritations and foibles that have emerged as the miles have racked up. So, in the spirit of clearing the air for the new year, this seems like a good time to run through them.

One of the best bits of our Corolla is the latest version of Toyota’s hybrid powertrain, which uses a 2.0-litre petrol engine. It’s great, a step forward from the 1.8 version used in the Prius (and also available in the Corolla) and a really refined, economical powertrain… but there’s a catch: having that bigger engine means there’s less room in the boot.

In the 1.8, the battery used to store energy for the hybrid unit sits with the engine under the bonnet. But because the 2.0 engine is physically bigger, the battery simply doesn’t fit. So Toyota has put it in a space usually used for the boot. That means the boot has a raised floor and reduced space, with 313 litres of storage to the 361 litres of the smaller hybrid.

There’s still a decent amount of storage space but it does mean the Corolla is lacking compared with class rivals and those who often lug large loads might struggle a bit. The raised floor also makes it frustratingly shallow, as I discovered recently when attempting to stack several boxes of academic journals and paperwork (long story).

Although smaller boots are common on some plug-in hybrid variants, the trade-off with those is the electric-only running and extra economy. There’s no such reward for the compromise with the Corolla. The other source of our frustration is the Corolla’s infotainment system.

It’s not terrible, but it features a number of minor interface niggles that add up. One example: you can store only six radio presets. If you then opt to scroll through the available DAB stations, they appear in a random and often changing order.

Another frustrating design flaw is found when typing postcodes into the navigation system. For some reason, numbers are on a separate ‘keyboard’, which can be found only by going through a sub-menu. Thankfully, I spend more time listening to podcasts than the radio, although the Bluetooth interface is also somewhat frustrating.

I’ve experienced similar irritations with other firms’ infotainment systems, but with those, I’ve been able to plug in my phone and use Apple CarPlay, which offers an improved and more intuitive experience. Except CarPlay doesn’t work on my Corolla’s infotainment, so I’m stuck with Toyota’s system. The good news is that new Corolla models are now being sold with an updated infotainment that is compatible with Apple CarPlay. Hopefully, the update will be offered to current Corolla owners.

Still, the fact that Toyota has upgraded its infotainment system should be welcomed, a positive sign it is refining the edges of the Corolla where it can. That will be key to ensuring it can keep new buyers used to cars with more upmarket badges on board – and in a state of quiet, understated contentment.

Love it:

Easy steering Handling isn’t the sportiest but it’s consistent and pleasingly effortless to position the car on the road.

Loathe it:

Reversing camera Useful but prone to getting dirty very quickly in winter weather.

Mileage: 4843

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Life with a Toyota Corolla: Month 2

Comfort trumps fancy features - 4th December 2019

There’s seemingly nothing particularly special about the Corolla’s seats. They’re not performance-honed buckets, or swathed in leather. They do offer a heating function but, mostly, appear to be really quite ordinary. So why do I mention the Corolla’s seats? Simple: they’re exceptionally comfy, without being overly fancy. Bit like the Corolla as a whole, really.

Mileage: 3892

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UK Corolla versus Texan one: Houston, do we have a problem? - 20th November 2019

My hire car booking contained that familiar clause: Toyota Corolla or similar. To hire car firms, the term ‘similar’ is often applied in only the loosest of contexts – so it was a surprise when I arrived at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport’s rental car centre and was given the keys to a new Toyota Corolla.

Clearly, a locally produced Toyota Tundra (sold in state bearing a sticker reading ‘built in Texas, built by Texans’) would have been more regionally appropriate, but my rental did turn a weekend stopover to visit family in Texas into an impromptu comparison between a purely combustion-engined Corolla and the hybrid version I’ve been running.

Besides the powertrain, there were obvious differences between the two Toyotas. ‘My’ Corolla is a hatch in well-equipped Excel trim, arriving on our fleet fresh from the factory. The Texas Corolla was a US-market ‘sedan’ with just under 10,000 miles racked up by likely not very careful non-owners. It also came in classic minimal-option hire-car spec, with the most basic upholstery and several functions disabled. (For example, pressing the ‘map’ button was simply rewarded by a message saying ‘map app not installed’.)

As with many global cars, the Corolla is tuned for the different demands of each region, which meant the power steering was much lighter on the US version and the suspension far softer. Even so, the quality of Toyota’s latest TNGA architecture shone through: the US Corolla remained a light, nimble, easy drive and placing it on the road was a cinch. Undoubtedly, my European Corolla definitely rides and handles a bit better but the difference wasn’t the gulf you might expect – and much of it was likely down to the higher quality of British roads compared with Texas’s cracked and bumpy sun-baked concrete highways.

But the most fascinating comparison was the powertrain. The US Corolla’s 1.8-litre petrol engine wasn’t bad by hire car standards, but compared with the smooth 2.0-litre petrol-electric hybrid I’ve been living with, it was annoyingly gruff and asthmatic, especially under low-speed acceleration. Asking for a sudden burst of speed was often met with more noise than response and I didn’t realise how accustomed I’ve become to silent, electric-only coasting when lifting off the accelerator.

It also makes a huge difference to fuel economy, which was particularly obvious because the driver display screen in both versions features the same ‘eco driving’ graphic, showing current and long-term fuel economy. I’m used to extracting around 50mpg from my hybrid Corolla, with the ability to obtain close to 500 miles from a tank of petrol. But in the Texan Corolla, I could manage only 39.2mpg (imperial, not US).

Of course, petrol is substantially cheaper in Texas than in the UK – how does 61 pence per litre sound to you? – which offsets that reduced economy. But just imagine how cost-effective a hybrid Corolla (which has now been launched in the US) would be to run in Texas. It would leave a lot of spending cash for BBQs.

Cost aside, the Corolla’s hybrid engine is just substantially nicer to run and greatly adds to the pleasure of driving it: the difference was big enough that it didn’t really feel like the same car – but merely something similar to it. Perhaps when the hire car firm wrote ‘Toyota Corolla or similar’, they were onto something…

Love it:

Heated seats Not needed on Texan hire car, very useful for cold British mornings.

Loathe it:

Infotainment Lack of Apple CarPlay compatibility is irritating on both sides of the Atlantic.

Mileage: 3628

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A lesson in a light left foot - 6th November 2019

I was feeling pleased to have edged the Corolla’s average fuel economy to an indicated 50.9mpg. Then Steve Cropley racked up more than 500 miles on a long weekend – and returned it with the car showing 56.6mpg. Having thought I was using the hybrid powertrain efficiently, I’ve been left seeking tips from Autocar’s resident hypermiler-in-chief.

Mileage: 2487

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Life with a Toyota Corolla: Month 1

It offers an intoxicating hit of hybrid power, without the challenges of EV addiction - 16th October 2019

Self-charging hybrid. It is, at face value, an innocuous phrase. Yet in the electrified car world, the concept of a ‘self-charging hybrid’ seemingly has the ability to cause as much social media controversy as whatever random brain fart Elon Musk has dumped onto Twitter today.

The self-charging hybrid terminology has been introduced as a subtle rebranding of what have long been known simply as hybrid systems: an internal combustion engine aided by an electric motor powered by a battery charged using purely recaptured energy. The new phrase seems a way to differentiate such ‘classic’ hybrids from more recent variants such as mild and plug-in systems.

But the self-charging hybrid moniker has raised the hackles of some EV fans, who feel it’s a way of making hybrids sound ‘greener’ and more electrified than they are. They also note the systems don’t really self-charge because, ultimately, the only power source is that petrol engine. I mention this debate not from any wish to wade in (please don’t @ me, etc) but because it highlights how classic hybrid systems, popularised by Toyota for the past two decades in the long-running Prius, can be seen as both a fundamental step on the road to electric motoring and a technological cul-de-sac the world is quickly moving on from.

I’ve been pondering that while pottering around in our Toyota Corolla, which features the latest version of the firm’s hybrid system, using a 2.0-litre petrol engine. It’s been on my mind in part because hybrid sales have been on the up recently, aided by car firms massively expanding such offerings to help meet ever-tougher EU emissions regulations. But mostly I’ve been pondering it because the Corolla serves as an excellent advert for hybrid-based electrification.

At slow speeds, the EV mode allows the Corolla to run exclusively using the electric motor, offering the sort of peaceful progress you’d expect from an EV. The transition to the engine is, for the most part, serene – so much so that at low revs it can be hard to tell you’ve started burning petrol.

Even at higher speeds, the hybrid plays a useful role. It can draw on the instant torque of the electric motor to sooth acceleration and allows for electric-only running at speeds of up to 70mph. I’ve found a quick lift of the throttle pedal during motorway cruising will prompt the switch to electric mode, and you can then reapply power without the engine coming back to life.

It’s not all positive: with the 2.0-litre engine, there isn’t room under the Corolla for the motor’s battery (not a problem with the 1.8 unit). It’s been shoved under the boot, restricting luggage space – a notable drawback you’d usually only expect from a more expansive plug-in hybrid. Still, the payoff comes in the form of fuel consumption. So far, I’ve been averaging just over 50mpg, compared with under 40mpg for the similarly priced 1.5-litre pure-petrol Ford Focus I was running previously.

Of course, you’d expect even better fuel economy from a plug-in hybrid, while a full EV would clearly use no petrol at all. But such cars cost more to buy, and come with the travails of charging. These issues will be resolved in the coming years but, for now, there are people unwilling or unable to choose one.

For now, a hybrid such as the Corolla is an ideal solution for many. It costs around the same as a similar car powered purely by petrol, is no more complicated to run and comes with at least some of the benefits of electrified power.

There’s another aspect. Having experienced the smooth, silent running of an EV, I feel a pang of annoyance whenever the Corolla’s petrol unit does cut in. It showcases the potential of electric power.

So while others might call hybrids like the Corolla self-charging, I’ve come up with another title: an EV gateway drug. It’s a step towards electrification – and will leave you wanting more.

Love it:

Cruising comfort Smooth power deliver and easy steering make long motorway journeys a breeze.

Loathe it:

Sat-nav keyboard Why do I have to go through a ‘change type’ sub-menu to enter numbers for postcodes? Annoying.

Mileage: 2029

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Comfortable in the least enjoyable setting - 9th October 2019

A long slog round the M25 during a rainy rush hour is never pleasant, but does at least showcase the Corolla’s strengths. It’s an exceptionally easy car to drive in heavy traffic, thanks to the light steering and smooth hybrid powertrain – especially since the usual frustrations of stop/start motoring are tempered by being able to glide quietly on battery power.

Mileage: 1472

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Welcoming the Corolla to the fleet - 2nd October 2019

I have a confession to make. I have just been given the keys to a new Toyota Corolla and I am… excited. Genuinely. Is that normal? That doesn’t feel like it’s normal.

Excitement has rarely been an emotion you’d relate to a Corolla, despite – or perhaps because – it’s the world’s best-selling car. The Corolla has always been seen as safe, dependable, a little bit average.

It’s arguably an unfair tag: previous versions of the Corolla have featured numerous innovations and some impressive performance versions – including huge motorsport success in touring cars and the World Rally Championship. It’s a car with a proud automotive history: earlier this year, I made the case for it to be named our automotive ‘icon of icons’ at the Autocar Awards.

It didn’t win our public vote, predictably. And that’s because, despite those notable highs, the standard road-going versions didn’t exactly set pulses racing. The Corolla has always just been sort of… there. As a result, when the Corolla disappeared from the UK in 2006 – replaced by the Auris hatchback – it didn’t attract the attention you’d expect from the loss of such a long-running nameplate. People shrugged, and moved on.

And now it’s back. But people aren’t shrugging nonchalantly any more. Because the new Corolla looks really very nice. It’s stylish and dramatic, and underpinned with on-trend tech and plenty of nice flourishes. It’s actually quite interesting. It really is, I think, a little bit exciting.

But is that excitement genuine and merited, or is it merely the result of the intrigue of Toyota attaching a previously moribund nameplate to a moderately dramatic family hatch? That’s what I’m aiming to find out in the coming months.

Certainly, first impressions are good: the Corolla’s styling reflects Toyota’s recent trends, with a mix of sharp edges and rounded elements. It’s slightly less dramatic in execution than the Toyota Prius or Toyota C-HR, but the result is probably a better balance: it would stand out in a line-up of family hatches, but it’s not so extreme that it’s going to scare anyone off. Still, it undeniably has presence and character – not something you could say about some previous versions of the Corolla.

That this Corolla – representing the 12th generation of the model – is different from its titular predecessor is of little surprise. The world has changed since 2006 (the iPhone didn’t exist back then, for one thing…). But it’s also a substantial step forward from the Auris it directly succeeds in the UK (this car was first unveiled as the new Auris before a late name change).

It’s built on Toyota’s new TNGA platform, and is being offered in the UK with a choice of two versions of the firm’s long-established hybrid powertrain (or self-charging hybrid, as Toyota’s marketing department would have it – a controversial turn of phrase we’ll discuss further in a future report). Having sampled the 1.8-litre unit several times in the past – it’s taken from the Prius, and also featured in a C-HR we had on our fleet last year – we’ve opted for the new system featuring a 2.0-litre petrol engine, with an output of 178bhp.

It’s the powertrain our road testers have favoured, and from initial impressions I can see why: it’s quiet and impressively refined, with near-seamless switching between electric and combustion power. Plus, from our early runs, we’ve been getting pleasingly close to the official 54.3mpg WLTP-rated fuel economy. As well as that powertrain, we’ve opted for the top-spec Excel trim, which comes with plenty of kit as standard, including a reversing camera and sensors, LED lights, park assist and Toyota’s Safety Sense suite of driver assistance systems.

The only real option available to us was the paint colour: we plumped for Sterling Silver, a £795 extra over the base white. That raised the price of our car to £29,870, which puts it close to the 1.5-litre Ford Focus ST-Line I ran prior to this – and which, as our favourite family hatch, represents the benchmark the Corolla must beat.

The stylish design doesn’t carry over quite so well to the interior. It’s a bit more ordinary, and controls such as the touchscreen – complete with welcome but slightly infirm physical buttons around the edges to select key features – feel a little on the budget side. It’s not an unpleasant place to be, by any means, but it’s not as pleasant as the Focus – which, in turn, isn’t on a par with offerings from the likes of Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz.

From early impressions, the Corolla also isn’t as sharp in terms of handling as the Focus, a feeling emphasised by the very light steering. But it makes up for that in refinement: it feels remarkably easy to drive for long motorway runs, with a sense of quiet contentment helped by the hushed, efficient powertrain and single CVT gear. The hybrid system can run purely on the battery and, were it not for the little ‘EV’ symbol on the display, at times it’s hard to notice whether the engine has kicked in or not.

It feels like a car that has something different to offer in the crowded family hatch market, and I’m looking forward – and yes, excited – to find out how that is reflected in the coming months. That the new Corolla can create such emotions is already one big tick for it. It’s no longer a car that’s just there – and it might just be an ideal family car for right now.