Toyota Corolla GR Sport
Toyota’s decision to re-name this latest generation Auris a Corolla in the interests of global name-tag unification was such a late call that the finished article had already completed the full motor show roundelay proudly badged as the former before hitting the streets as the latter.
Auris never struck me as a particularly I-just-have-to-get-me-one-of-those names for a hatchback, even one boasting the dullard potential of hybrid credentials. Then again, Corolla isn’t exactly the motoring enthusiast’s clarion call. And I suspect the only reason why the ring of petals around the centre of a flower sounds moderately less peculiar than a gently clumsy hybrid of the Latin for gold, ‘aurum’, and the English word ‘aura’ is down to familiarity; the Corolla now being 12 generations old and harking all the way back to 1966.
More to the point, for those of us raised on conventional transmissions, what has remained a far more singular and irksome peculiarity of any Toyota hybrid is its CVT-sponsored predilection under acceleration to send the revs bellowing to the far reaches of the dial, where they remain whilst the car catches up. The unfortunate upshot -despite the company’s protestations that with every successive generation of hybrid technology they have increasingly ameliorated this condition- being that, to date, any over-encouraged Toyota sounds as if they’re filming an episode of Bonanza under the bonnet. Perhaps this time, though…?
The new Corolla certainly has the couture to merit GR Sport badging. As VW increasingly loses its way on the Golf styling front, the Corolla is one of a handful of Toyota’s that seem increasingly happy in their own skin, both inside and out; the GR Sport differentiated from the standard hatch by unique front and rear bumper treatment and 18″ alloys, and, on board, sports seats boasting the snug hug of an over-amorous halibut and a head-up display.
Abetted by those seats (the only downside of which is to make the rear accommodation feel somewhat claustrophobic), the driving position’s fine, and the interior in general is a far more pleasant place to be than anywhere badged Auris ever managed. Those of you still haunted by dread memories of Izal loo roll will appreciate the significant Andrex upgrade from scratchy plastics to an abundance of soft touch finishes…
Despite the presence of a digital instrument panel and a 7″ centre console touch-screen, switchgear isn’t entirely digital; stereo volume and temperature controls remain mercifully rotary, and the touch-screen is flanked by a phalanx of menu buttons. Though said buttons are a tad small for the chubbier, road surface-jostled finger, it is ironic that what we have here is essentially the very format so successfully adopted by Lexus when the whole touch-screen virus broke cover, before everyone except car owners themselves decided it would be fantastic to convert to an entirely buttonless control environment.
Isn’t it time every studio engineer designing a touch-screen system had someone standing behind him gently shaking his shoulders throughout the process? Indeed, the Japanese inventive streak could readily conjure a pair of robot hands to do this; the severity of their shiatsu programmable in accordance with diverse global road surfaces.
On the driving front, it’s unfortunate that the GR Sport doesn’t benefit from any enhancements in the engine bay or running gear departments. However, Toyota’s TNGA global architecture makes for a rigid, lightweight, creak-free structure with which to exploit the 2.0 litre hybrid system’s 181 bhp, quoted as delivering 0-62 mph in a relatively sprightly 7.9 seconds and a decidedly unimpressive top speed of just 112 mph.
Nonetheless, just two minutes down the road and it’s clear that this is the most driver-focused hybrid Toyota has yet produced. Most noticeably, under medium throttle loads, the Corolla’s surprisingly responsive, and there’s a feeling of proper, old-school synergy between engine and vehicle speeds. This is largely down to a new, smaller and lighter 216v NiCad battery, which delivers more electric motor power to assist the engine and, hence, keep it away from that noisome redline…
The cattle are still apt to kick off under the bonnet if your right foot is over-leaden both from a standstill and, more predominantly, when contemplating exceeding the motorway speed limit. But on any byway which bifurcates those speed zones, the car feels pleasingly brisk, well planted, tenacious through corners and something of a pleasure to steer, all within the realms of moo-free motoring.
Hybrid aficionados will be pleased to note that this unexpected modicum of entertainment is accompanied by 50+ mpg frugality, yet not so thrilled by a price tag of almost 30 grand. And, a pleasure to live with albeit, that leaves the GR Sport slightly stranded in no-man’s land – less engaging than other warm hatches such as Kia’s Ceed GT, and somewhat costly by hybrid hatchback standards.