Bay Harbour: March 20, 2024

22 Bay Harbour News Wednesday March 20 2024
Toyota’s versatile, practical hybrid wagon
IT WAS ONE of the first
Japanese station wagons sold in
this country when it launched in
1966. Fast forward to 2023 and
now it’s among the last.
Traditional body styles such
as wagons have been obliterated
here over the last decade, by
the seemingly never-ending
obsession Kiwi new car buyers
have with SUVs, and these days
they are bombarded with choice.
Other markets including Europe
and the UK haven’t fallen out of
love with wagons to the same
extent as us.
For almost a year, the trimmed
down Corolla line-up sold
here, including the wagon,
are all powered by Toyota’s
popular hybrid petrol-electric
powertrain. The ‘go all hybrid’
is being driven on two fronts.
One is buyer demand, with the
other, Toyota’s push to reduce
the carbon footprint of their new
vehicle sales in New Zealand.
From an affordability
perspective, with so many
Toyota models available with
hybrid-electric technology,
they have inevitably morphed
into a mainstream customer
choice. These days, the cost of
buying one of the company’s new
hybrid-electrics compared to a
petrol-only model has become
negligible.
Motoring with Bob Nettleton
The champion Corolla has
a well-proven track record for
reliability spanning the decades.
This latest model debuted
here in 2021 offering superior
refinement, performance, build
quality, and ride and handling,
compared to its predecessor that
didn’t have an abundance of
any of these attributes. Hardly
surprising though. It was a
Japanese domestic market model
and we were one of the few
places outside of Japan where it
was sold, primarily to plug the
wagon gap in the Toyota NZ
Corolla range.
There’s a likeable sophistication
about its styling, with the lower
grille showcasing its extra width
and LED headlights that wrap
around and delicately blend
into the front guards. Only one
model, the $36,995 Japanese
built entry entry-level GX being
road tested here, is available on
our market.
Up until the end of last year,
this latest Corolla wagon missed
out on the punchy 125kw
2.0-litre petrol motor used in its
hatchback and sedan siblings.
Instead, it had to get by with
an aging 1.8-litre petrol motor
renowned for its longevity and
good fuel economy but not a lot
else. There is another string to its
bow and that’s versatility.
For almost decade it was the
petrol component in a raft of
Toyota models with its acclaimed
petrol/electric hybrid system.
Recently it received a useful
and long overdue power bump
from 90kW to 103kW. It’s now
smoother and more refined than
the hybrid system it replaces, but
a fair chunk of this goes out the
door under full throttle.
The new found heft is most
noticeable in town driving where
the test wagon coasted for longer
periods on flat terrain in EV
mode only at speeds of up to
50km/h. Its star doesn’t shine so
brightly on the open road where
acceleration for overtaking
slower traffic is on the leisurely
side.
Engaging the transmission’s
‘Sport’ mode puts a bit more
spring in its performance step in
these situations, but only does,
if you will excuse the pun, a
passable job. I could only wonder
how good this wagon would
be with the excellent 135kW
2.0-litre petrol-electric hybrid
system used in the Corolla Cross
SUV. People in the UK know as
it’s used in the high-spec Corolla
Touring wagon sold in that part
of the world.
The 1.8-litre hybrid system
used in the GX that’s the subject
of this review features in the
more modestly equipped Corolla
wagons that Toyota serves up to
the Brits.
The 2.0-litre hybrid offers
a much larger dollop of
performance, enabling it to
charge through the 0–100km/h
dash in 7.5 seconds. That’s about
Ratings out of 10: Performance 6; Handling 7; Build Quality
7; Comfort 6; Passenger and Load Space 6; Value for
money: 7; Safety – ANCAP not rated.
Overall points out of 10: 7
three seconds quicker than the
1.8-litre hybrid. A Continuously
Variable Transmission (CVT)
automatic provides a consistently
seamless and pleasant ,but far
from gear shifting, regime.
This is the largest Corolla
wagon so far, although a roofline
that slopes away steeply toward
the rear of the vehicle does
compromise load height.
Like the Corolla hatch, rear
seat space is tight especially
head and legroom. Overall it
isn’t a commodious load hauler
of people or cargo. A refreshed
cabin features pleasant yet hard
wearing fabric seats, smart key
entry with push button start.
This wagon earned bragging
rights by being the first Toyota
sold here with Apple CarPlay
and Android Auto all accessed
via a new 7-inch touchscreen.
Making it on to the list of
standard equipment is a smallish
4.2-inch touchscreen display,
air-conditioning, heated exterior
mirrors and modest four-speaker
audio system.
It get a ‘high five’ from me for
its push button engine start and
headlights that automatically dip
at night for on-coming traffic.
Toyota’s excellent Safety Sense
technology package is standard
with impressive pedestrian and
cyclist detection capabilities.
Other noteworthy inclusions are
autonomous emergency braking,
all speed dynamic radar cruise
control, plus a bunch of other
safety tech you wouldn’t expect
to find in small wagon in this
price bracket.
Like its hatch sibling,
this model is also built on
Toyota’s excellent New Global
Architecture (TNGA) platform.
It creates a lower centre of
gravity, and greater body
rigidity to provide more assured
handling and stability.
Handling is a vast
improvement on the Corolla
wagons that have followed in
the tracks of this one. Generally,
the suspension reacts quickly to
sudden and unexpected changes
in direction by either the driver,
or instigated without warning by
sub-standard road surfaces.
Less engaging steering than
the Corolla hatch reflects the fact
that the wagon is tuned for the
Japanese market. There, drivers
prefer steering with a softer more
comfortable feel, rather than set
ups with sporty aspirations and
intent.
While both the handling and
steering of the wagon lack the
crispness of the hatch, it works fine
in a vehicle focused on practicality
and versatility, not being a crowd
pleaser on the sporty drive front.
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