What's the news?
Toyota's Corolla might be billed, by Toyota itself, as 'Ireland's favourite car' but the new four-door saloon version was unveiled in China. Toyota rolled out the new four-door Corolla at the massive Ghangzhou motor show, and it will arrive (for viewing) in Ireland next month, before going on sale in February.
As with the recently-revealed Corolla hatch and estate, the saloon gets quite sharp styling, verging on the dramatic from some angles. Toyota says that it uses 'Under Priority Catamaran' styling, which we think means it has a big front bumper with a gaping air intake. The three-box styling is a little more staid, perhaps, than that of the hatch or estate, but this is still quite a smart looking car.
It gets the longer 2.7-metre wheelbase from the Touring estate, which should be good for rear legroom, and the whole structure, thanks to the TNGA (Toyota New Generation Architecture) chassis, is around 60 per cent stiffer than that of the old Corolla saloon.
Power will come from one of two engines. The headline version will, of course, be a hybrid, but for now the saloon misses out on the more powerful 2.0-litre hybrid powertrain, as seen in the hatchback and estate. Instead, you get the 1.8-litre version, with 122hp, claimed fuel economy of 4.3 litres per 100km (that's 65.6mpg) and CO2 emissions of 98g/km (both of those figures under the new WLTP test).
For more conservative buyers (and let's face it, Corolla buyers have traditionally been nothing but) there's a conventional petrol engine, a 1.6-litre, with 132hp, fuel consumption of 6.1 litres per 100km (46.3mpg) and emissions of 139g/km.
Inside, the cabin is largely shared with that of the hatch, and you get a seven-inch trip computer screen in the binnacle, an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and heated rear seats.
The Hybrid model will come with some impressive safety kit too, including a pre-collision emergency braking system, that detects pedestrians, active cruise control, active high-beam headlights, lane departure, and road sign recognition. Toyota has also added a new system called Lane Trace Assist (LTA), which, when the cruise control is on, gives the steering a gentle nudge to help the driver with lane keeping. It's a more subtle, pro-active version of the lane departure steering setup.
Prices for the Corolla Hybrid will start from €26,820, with PCP finance available from €208 per month, and some 1,500 orders or expressions of interest have already been taken by Toyota Ireland.