Selwyn Times: March 18, 2020

SELWYN TIMES Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Wednesday March 18 2020 33
Sedan boosts Toyota Corolla load space
TOYOTA NEW Zealand is
pulling no punches marketing its
Corolla range.
Not only are there a handful of
new variants within the range -
bearing in mind the latest generation
series landed here just over
two years ago - but a fresh pricing
structure makes for value-packed
buying across sedan, hatchback
and wagon options.
I recently evaluated the new
wagon and remarked on its
value at just below $30k; another
newcomer is the SX sedan and it
is the subject of this evaluation. It
is also value at $32,990, and to be
honest if I was a buyer I couldn’t
choose between the two, I particularly
like wagons and sedans,
and both have special appeal,
although the sedan with its 2-litre
engine against 1.8-litre for the
wagon may just tip the balance.
And SX grade is certainly for
me, it translates to cloth interior
trim, but it also has plenty of other
goodies to keep me happy in the
cabin such as sat nav, paddle shifters,
and radar cruise control. The
latter is part of the Toyota Sense
suite of safety kit that is fitted
throughout the Corolla range and
it is state-of-the-art, easily earning
a five-star Australasian New Car
Assessment Program rating.
A totally new platform was developed
for the latest generation
Corolla, and it formed the basis
for the extensive array of body
styles that all sit on a complex
fully independent suspension system.
This draws me to the range,
I like the idea of all four corners
working in their own way and
with the spring and damper rates
set to a medium compromise the
Corolla sedan feels sporty and
well attached to the road.
In saying that, the SX variant
rides on 205/55 x 16in Dunlop
rubber, there’s nothing wrong
with the handling and the tyres
are very quiet, but if I was a
buyer I think I’d opt for an 18in
wheel which is standard on other
Corolla models, they would offer
a lot more presence.
There are no surprises under
the bonnet, well there are in some
ways, the new sedan is available
as a hybrid as well.
However, the SX is solely reliant
on petrol power, its 2-litre engine
is now well-established into the
Corolla hatch and sedan, and it
is a no-nonsense unit with power
figures of 125kW and 200Nm, the
outputs realised at 6600rpm and
4100rpm respectively.
While the latter would appear
to make the engine peaky, that’s
not the case, the engine is happy
to work low down, and with its
TOYOTA COROLLA SEDAN: Huge boot space.
pairing to a continuously variable
transmission the engine finds its
happy place through the midrange.
Toyota have worked hard
with the CVT system, it now works
almost like a traditional torque
converter automatic with physical
gears, it is a 10-step system and can
be locked into any pre-set step by
sequentially using the main gearshift
lever or paddles.
As an aside, there’s also a sport
mode which heightens engine
urgency and adjusts the way the
ratio works so that acceleration
can be ushered in just that little
bit quicker. Toyota claims a 9.2sec
standstill to 100km/h time, while
by my stopwatch a 5.4sec 80km/h
to 120km/h overtaking time can
be achieved.
These figures relate to brisk
motoring, the beauty of a 2-litre
engine is that it’s not working
hard, the sedan weighs in at
around 1300kg, which means a
healthy power-to-weight ratio.
That also means the engine isn’t
working hard for the majority
of the time and that translates
to respectable fuel usage figures.
Toyota also claims a six-litre per
100km combined cycle average.
That correlates well with the fuel
usage display within the car, it
was constantly listing around
7.1l/100km with 5l/100km showing
instantaneously at 100km/h.
What makes the fuel usage figures
so appealing is that I evaluated
the Corolla sedan on one of
the hottest days of Christchurch’s
summer. Normally, I never use air
conditioning, but with temperatures
hovering around 35 deg C I
had the air on most of the time.
Combining good performance
and economy isn’t achieved easily,
but given the Corolla’s long
history that’s something Toyota
has been able to work on over the
years, it is wonderfully efficient,
yet all models feel feisty and
there’s just that element of sporty
appeal that will lure those who
like to push along a bit when the
• Price – Toyota Corolla SX
sedan, $32,990
• Dimensions – Length,
4630mm; width, 1780mm;
height, 1435mm
• Configuration – Fourcylinder,
front-wheeldrive,
1987cc, 125kW,
200Nm, continuously
variable automatic.
• Performance –
0-100km/h, 9.2sec
• Fuel usage – 6l/100km
open road beckons.
It’s also nice to know that when
the long straights run out there
is a chassis underneath that is
capable of dealing with the twists
and turns without affecting the
level of comfort we have come to
expect from one of the automotive
world’s most successful
nameplates.
For the record, Toyota lists the
sedan’s boot space with a load capacity
of 470-litres, that compares
to 294-litres for the hatch and
390-litres for the wagon. Interesting
figures which will certainly
get those who are looking for
load space scratching their heads.
Toyota is pushing hard the
hybrid message, however, there’s
still a lot of life left in petrol only
engines only. The Corolla in all
forms is a fuel miser and I’d find
it a difficult choice to choose
between either.
However, the SX sedan
certainly captures my attention
for its honesty and all round
appeal.