Toyota Corolla Sedan - All you need to know

There are few nameplates on the planet that can claim to be as influential and popular as the Toyota Corolla. Ever since the mid-1970s, the Corolla has been recognised as one of the fastest and best-selling cars in the world. The C-segment sedan is presently in its twelfth generation avatar, first coming onto the scene in early 2018.

Depending on the region, the new Toyota Corolla can be had as a hatchback, station wagon or sedan. But for now, let’s focus on the sedan version of the new Corolla. The Toyota Corolla sold in Australia is more akin to the American market Corolla - both in terms of its design and mechanicals.

Down Under, the latest-gen Toyota Corolla sedan is available in a variety of powerplant and gearbox configurations. So there’s a Corolla for almost everyone. The new Corolla, built on the Japanese brand’s updated Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) architecture, goes up against the likes of the Mazda 3 sedan, Honda Civic sedan, Hyundai Elantra and Subaru Impreza sedan.

So how much can you expect to pay for the all-new Toyota Corolla sedan in Australia? Well, check out the table below for a detailed breakdown (variant-wise) of the Corolla.

Price list

Here is a look at the Toyota Corolla Sedan price list:

2020 Toyota Corolla sedan variants	Price
Ascent Sport 2.0L (MT)	$26,566
Ascent Sport 2.0L (CVT)	$28,081
Ascent Sport 1.8L Hybrid (CVT)	$29,313
SX 2.0L (CVT)	$31,515
SX 1.8L Hybrid (CVT)	$32,713
ZR 2.0L (CVT)	$36,969

Out of the total of six variants, two are hybrids and only the entry-level trim can be had with a manual transmission. Irrespective of which variant you choose, you will get a comprehensive 5-year/unlimited mileage warranty with your brand-new Corolla.

Toyota Corolla sedan colour options include Glacier White, Crystal Pearl, Silver Pearl, Celestite Grey, Ink, Wildfire, Volcanic Red, Lunar Blue, and Saturn Blue.

Dimensions

Measurements	2020 Toyota Corolla sedan
Length	4,630 mm
Width	1,780 mm
Height	1,435 mm
Wheelbase	2,700 mm
Boot Capacity	470 litres

Exterior

Compared to its predecessor, the all-new Toyota Corolla definitely looks sportier and boasts more aggressive body sculpting, especially up front and at the rear. The front of the new Corolla sedan features a large headlamp assembly that holds striking-looking LED daytime-runners and a projector LED setup for the main lamps.

The front end also gets a dual grille arrangement, with the larger one placed at the bottom of the bumper. The latter even features slits at the bottom corners, while the clamshell hood looks clean and pretty sculpted as well. The side profile of the sedan sports stylish, door-mounted wing mirrors, flared fenders, and a rising shoulder line.

The rear of the new Corolla sedan features a stylish boot lid, wrap-around tail lamps with distinct LED elements and a glossy strip connecting the two units, plus a well-carved bumper that finishes off the rear. Overall, this new Corolla sedan borrows several styling cues from its more expensive and larger Camry sibling - that’s certainly no bad thing.

Interior

This is where a vast majority of buyers are going to be really impressed with the new Toyota Corolla sedan. While the previous-gen model had a fairly simple (albeit a boring) interior design, the new car has raised the stakes by quite some margin - both in terms of its layout as well as quality.

The biggest and most notable revisions here come in the form of the tablet-like head unit, stylish side air vents that are surrounded by faux metal accents, a large digital driver’s information display in the instrument cluster, a chunky steering wheel, and a healthy scattering of glossy black accents and fake metal trim bits all over.

The seats, too, are more comfortable than before and also offer more support than before. Even better, Toyota engineers have managed to make this interior more spacious -- headroom, legroom and even shoulder room are quite generous! The 470-litre boot of the new Corolla sedan is genuinely impressive and is just a few litres smaller than the Camry’s.

To keep noise levels as low as feasible (given the segment), engineers at Toyota have stepped up the amount of insulation in this cabin. This has resulted in the new Corolla sedan being one of the, if not the most, quietest cars in its class. Of course, this being a modern-day Toyota, the new Corolla’s interior feels almost indestructible and reliability should never be a cause for concern.

Equipment list and safety features

The new Toyota Corolla can now be had with many more standard (and optional) features over its precursor. Here’s a quick rundown of the new model’s (top ZR trim) best comfort & convenience features…

• Bi-LED headlamps
• Heated wing mirrors
• Smart entry with push-button start
• Sports front bucket seats
• 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support
• Leather interior trim
• Auto-dimming rear view mirror
• 7.0-inch multi-information display
• Heads-up display
• Paddle shifters
• Drive Mode Select
• Cruise control
• Automatic climate control
• 8.0-inch touchscreen with satellite navigation, voice recognition and Apple CarPlay & Android Auto
• Wireless phone charging pad
• 9-speaker JBL premium audio system

As you can see, this new Corolla is stuffed full of modern equipment to keep the entire family merry. Of course, there are tonnes of standard safety features in the Corolla sedan specs sheet as well. Even the entry-level (Ascent Sport) comes with all the good stuff, including but not limited to:

• Pre-Collision assist with active pedestrian detection
• Lane Departure Alert with steering assist
• Lane Trace Assist
• Road Sign Assist
• Blind Spot Monitor
• Automatic High Beam
• Vehicle Stability Control with Traction Control
• Active Cornering Assist
• Hill-start Assist Control
•  7 airbags (front, front side, full-length curtain airbags and driver’s knee airbag)

And obviously, the new Corolla sedan is also fitted with Anti-lock Braking System with Electronic Brake-force Distribution and Brake Assist, a reversing camera with fixed guidelines, and ISOFIX anchor points.

Engine and transmission

	2020 Toyota Corolla sedan	2020 Toyota Corolla sedan Hybrid
Engine	2.0-litre four-cylinder with  Dual VVT-i	1.8-litre four-cylinder with VVT-I and Toyota Hybrid System
Transmission	6-speed manual transmission (base variant only) / Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)	Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
Power	125 kW (167.6 hp) at 6,600 rpm	72 kW (96.5 hp)
Torque	200 Nm at 4,400 rpm	142 Nm at 3,600 rpm
Claimed Fuel Economy	6.5 L/100 km (15.3 kmpl) - manual / 6.0 L/100 km (16.6 kmpl) - CVT	3.5 L/100 km (28.5 kmpl)

Performance

With the new Toyota Corolla, the company has worked on the suspension, steering, and the overall drivetrain to make the latest model more fun and engaging to drive, sans any loss of comfort. For the most part, the tweaking has certainly worked and has made the new Corolla a family car that you can enjoy, relatively speaking.

Among the engine options, it is instantly clear that the larger 2.0-litre petrol motor offers more punch and hence, is the more ‘fun’ powerplant. The higher output of this naturally-aspirated engine means that the new Corolla can hit 100 kmph in around 8.5 seconds -- a full two seconds quicker than the hybrid variant.

However, if maximum fuel efficiency is at the top of your priority, then there’s no beating the Corolla Hybrid’s incredible (claimed) mileage of 3.5 L/100 km or 28.5 kmpl!

Conclusion

The 2020 Toyota Corolla sedan is truly a worthy all-rounder, with not much in the way of compromises -- the new avatar is reasonably fun to drive, very frugal, well built, looks decent, and is loaded with modern features. Toyota has certainly made a good family sedan even better while making things even more challenging for competitors.

Also read: Toyota LandCruiser gets the most expensive limited edition model ever