Test drive Toyota Corolla: three opinions on the most popular car in the world
Why does the Japanese sedan still hold the title of the most popular car on the planet, what place does it occupy in the model range and what is lacking in its power unit
In terms of size and price, the 12th generation Toyota Corolla is close to the flagship Camry sedan. The car grew in size, became more technologically advanced and received an incredibly wide range of equipment. As before, the car is brought to Russia from the Turkish Toyota plant, which initially puts the Japanese at a disadvantage. Nevertheless, the car is in demand even with us. Three AvtoTachki editors traveled by car and expressed their views on this matter.
It sounds a little immodest, but I almost thoroughly understand the golf class that is presented on the Russian market. I think I drove all the C-segment sedans (and not only), which are now sold in Russia.
A year ago, my colleague Ivan Ananiev and I compared the new Kia Cerato with the restyled Skoda Octavia liftback. Then I took a ride in the updated Hyundai Elantra. And at the end of last year I had the opportunity to be one of the first to get acquainted with the new Jetta for Russia. This list contains all models of the segment in Russia, if we exclude from it the Mercedes compact A- and CLA-class, as well as the new Mazda3. All the same, these models are a little from another opera.
How does Toyota compare to its main competitors? Not bad, but it could be better. The main problem is the price list of the car that the dealership has to import. No, at first glance, there seems to be nothing wrong with the list of prices and configurations, and even the base $ 15. look good. But in reality this is the price of a very poorly equipped car with "mechanics". If you look closely at a decently equipped car in the "Comfort" version, you get almost one and a half million. And the top version, which we had on the test, costs $ 365 at all. Does it bite, right?
With such a price tag, it is no longer important that there is only one power unit and the car is driving quite fresh. You just don't pay attention to it. Likewise, you stop thinking about how much better the chassis and steering have become since the move to the TNGA platform. Or, for example, how adequate are the driving assistants of the Saftey package. But there is even a projection of devices on the windshield - who else will offer this in a golf class?
But here's what's interesting: even such an inhumane pricing policy did not prevent Corolla in our country from selling more than 4000 copies in just the past year. And this despite the fact that we only sell one 122-horsepower modification of the sedan, although in the rest of the world Corolla is offered with a bunch of units, including hybrid, as well as with hatchback and station wagon bodies. The Corolla has been and remains the most popular car in the world for its fifth decade now, and it doesn't seem like it was ready to give up that title to anyone.
Corolla is the main cannibal in the Toyota family. The ease with which this sedan "ate" not only the main competitors, but also its own brother in the face of the Avensis model, must be included in the textbooks of automotive marketing.
I distinctly remember the times when the ninth generation Corolla with body index E120 was considered the most simple and affordable sedan of the brand. And the gap between it and the prestigious Camry was occupied by that very Europeanized Avensis. Time passed: Corolla grew in size, became more comfortable, increased equipment and equipment. In a word, I was growing up. The cost of the car also went up. And now the once modest golf-class sedan literally breathes into the back of the flagship Camry.
The pricing policy in our market once again emphasizes all the metamorphoses that have occurred with the model in recent years. The top-end Corolla is priced higher than the entry-level Camry. Older sedan trim at a price of $ 22. covers not only the base Camry, but also two subsequent modifications "Standard Plus" and "Classic".
It turns out that a lot of money is being asked for a simple and unprepossessing car, and with all this, its sales in the world are in the hundreds of thousands of copies. But I understand what the matter is. People at all times appreciated simplicity, and this is not at all synonymous with plainness. With daily use of this car, you realize how practical and non-marking the interior is here. And not too incendiary tandem of aspirated and variator frustrates only at first. After the rare stops at the gas station, you begin to appreciate his modest appetite. These are the things that are appreciated at all times.
Silence and serenity - these are, perhaps, two words that can describe the feeling of the Toyota Corolla. I know these epithets are usually applied to the models of the older Lexus brand, but, alas, I cannot find others. And the point is not at all in the excellent sound insulation of the new Corolla, which, by the way, is very common, but in the power unit.
As a young mother, I am not one of those who like to drive. But even for me, a pair of 1,6-liter naturally aspirated motor and CVT seems almost vegetable. No one expects the dynamics of a sports car from a golf-class sedan, but still want to feel a greater reserve of traction and power under the gas pedal. And with the Corolla, alas, this does not work in any driving situations. Whether acceleration in city mode or acceleration on the highway - everything happens calmly, smoothly and without haste.
Yes, when you sink the accelerator into the floor, the variator begins to behave like a traditional automatic machine and allows the engine to spin more recklessly. But there is not so much sense from this. And the engine, which growls painfully strained at the top, becomes a pity. Moreover, all these features are even more pronounced when the car is decently loaded. In short, a pair of engine and transmission does not set you up for active drive at all.
But if you still figure it out, you have to admit that on the move Corolla after the change of architecture has become noticeably more noble. I remember that the car of the last generation had very energy-intensive suspensions, but it did not like trifles on the road at all and was very shaking on the chipped asphalt with seams and cracks. The new car behaves differently. Now almost any flaws in the road profile are being worked out deafly and resiliently. And if the pendants do not cope with something, then only when they have already worked into the buffer.
For the rest, Toyota pleases: it has a spacious interior, comfortable chairs and a sofa, and a decent trunk. Of course, Corolla can once again be chided for strange multimedia and not very ergonomic for the eyes blue backlit devices, but it seems that customers themselves are delighted with them. This can explain the fact that the Japanese have not abandoned these decisions for decades.
| Body type | Sedan |
| Dimensions (length, width, height), mm | 4630/1780/1435 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2700 |
| Cargo space, l | 470 |
| Curb weight, kg | 1385 |
| engine's type | Gasoline R4 |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | 1598 |
| Max. power, l. with. (at rpm) | 122/6000 |
| Max. cool. moment, Nm (at rpm) | 153/5200 |
| Drive type, transmission | CVT, front |
| Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h, s | 10,8 |
| Max. speed km / h | 185 |
| Fuel consumption (mixed cycle), l per 100 km | 7,3 |
| Price from, $. | 17 265 |
