New Toyota Corolla 2021: first test, now with multi-link

The new Toyota Corolla 2021 now has a multi-link. The Corolla arrived for its first test drive as a finalist in the European Autobest competition, as a pre-production model, but in general already ready for production and adaptation in Russia. (This is why we are not providing a table of characteristics yet - they are still being approved). Video test - new Toyota Corolla 2021 below.

Please vote how you like the new Toyota Corolla 2021, move the MPS Index cursor along the scale that we offer at the beginning and end of the article.

I tested the new Toyota Corolla 2021 in light camouflage. This pre-production sample arrived at the testing ground in Vairano (Italy) as one of the six finalists of the European Autobest competition, where I, as a member of the jury, represent Russia. At the beginning of spring 2019, the 12th generation of Toyota Corolla will start in Europe without camouflage in hatchback and combi bodies, and then a sedan. We are promised a Toyota Corolla in almost the same time frame.

With the transition to Toyota's New Global Architecture-Plattform (TNGA), which is also shared by the compact SUV C-HR and the hybrid leader Prius, the new Corolla looks much more dynamic.

Toyota engineers told us in detail about the strength and power of the new Toyota Corolla 2021 - they reminded us that the Corolla is the best-selling model in the world. Toyota has sold Corolla more than 45 million times. But it is not enough to hear the delight of the creators; according to Autobest rules, all members of the jury, and these are journalists from 31 European countries, must drive the cars competing for the main award. I, of course, drove around the city, on country roads, and on a race track with a variety of different types of roads.

The body and wheelbase of the new Corolla are 4 cm longer, the compact has grown to 4.37 m in length. At the same time, the body has become 3 cm wider and 4 cm lower compared to the 2013 model. The line of windows went down.

The recognizable Toyota logo underneath the sticker is located at the top of the radiator grille, to the left and right of it are new adaptive LED headlights. The trapezoidal lower part of the grille is noticeably larger than the upper one. In the video I showed how many different sticks and stones can slip into large holes in the radiator grille. Here you will need a protective net.

For comparison, this is what the 11th generation Corolla looks like. Here the radiator is better protected.

The designers tilted the rear window further forward, the rear wheel arches were further emphasized, and the rear overhang increased by 2 cm. The roof and pillars of the hatchback are painted black.

The new Toyota Corolla 2021 looks fast and dynamic. This is in line with the company's desire to appeal to a younger audience, as Toyota Europe CEO Dr Johan van Zyl told us recently.

And her, poor thing, off-road!

True, I found only Italian off-road conditions, like our road to the dacha with broken asphalt and in some places a dirt road overgrown with grass. It’s a pleasure to drive here, in the vicinity of Vairano: around the field, there is a smell of manure, you can immediately imagine a farmer who worked harvesting rice and on the weekend drove a Corolla to Milan for a walk.

The chassis easily absorbs bumps, getting into deep holes you don’t feel impacts from below, driving even on a rough road can be comfortable.

The characteristics of the shock absorbers, accelerator, ABS and steering have several stages from muted in “Eco” mode to active in “Sport Plus”, which can also be individually calibrated.

The new multi-link suspension at the rear (pictured) also contributes to a comfortable ride. McPherson struts at the front.

When you first look at the new Corolla, you fear for its ground clearance. From the floor to the bumper, I measured 195 mm, and as you can see in the photo, even with a large slope, the Corolla does not rest its bumper on the ground and can drive through high waves. The front overhang has become 2 cm shorter.

For Russia, the new Toyota Corolla will receive a ground clearance increased by 50 mm, as Toyota engineers assured me. Let's hope it won't disappoint summer residents in this regard, but it should still gain new sympathy from dynamic young entrepreneurs. For them, we go to a special testing ground, where we can check body rigidity, handling, and the operation of stabilization systems.

Test drive the 2021 Toyota Corolla

“Little Camry” is what the Toyota people themselves call the new Corolla, the model is already in its twelfth generation. There are visual similarities, but what’s more important is that Corolla shares with its older sister not so much the style of the façade as the foundation. They are based on the TNGA modular architecture: the larger Camry is built on the GA-K platform, and the Corolla is built on the GA-C platform, shared with the compact models Prius and C-HR.

For a sedan in the basic Standard configuration with a manual transmission - from 1,173,000 rubles. The next version of the Classic provides a choice between “mechanics” (1,261,000) and a CVT (1,318,000). More expensive trim levels have a CVT by default.

Globally, the Corolla is a bestseller, with more than 45 million cars sold since 1966. True, different Corollas are sold in different markets - they may not be similar to each other both externally and internally: somewhere there are hybrids, somewhere not, there are sedans, there are hatchbacks...

The interior is not bad in terms of build quality, but the materials are rustic and harsh. In the basic version, instead of a flat display, there is a poor box with a cover for the radio.

Hatchbacks and station wagons are excluded in Russia - they say there is no consumer interest in them. Sedans have a better chance, so our Corollas are from Turkey. And with modifications: the engine is ten power weaker, the ground clearance is one and a half centimeters higher. Price - including import. Therefore, in higher-than-average trim levels, the Corolla “conflicts” with the St. Petersburg Camry.

The driver's seat is height adjustable, unlike the passenger seat. Starting with mid-range trim levels, the upholstery gets nice stitching, and the driver's seat has electrically adjustable lumbar support.

Toyota's competitors are mainly Koreans: the fresh Kia Cerato, which last year sold twice as much as the old Corolla, as well as the Hyundai Elantra - this sedan is not much superior to the Corolla in demand, but has just been updated and has not risen in price, while A two-liter engine with an automatic transmission instead of a CVT offers a small fee.

All Corollas have analog instruments; only the size and location of the display changes. The base has a modest 3.5-inch monochrome screen on the right; in the photo there is a maximum seven-inch display.

But the golf class is not only sedans - the Skoda Octavia liftback cannot be discounted. In 2021, 25 thousand of these were sold, five times more than the Corolla. Toyota's strength here is in its image, associations with reliability and liquidity. And these are perhaps the main values ​​for the conservative audience, which makes up the backbone of the Japanese brand’s supporters. Toyota wants the car owners to rejuvenate themselves, and therefore especially emphasizes that the new generation car drives more fun than the previous one.

The multimedia system does not impress with graphics and disappoints with inconvenient, outdated navigation. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay interfaces are not supported.

Air conditioning is standard, dual-zone climate is available in the mid-range Comfort package (RUB 1,434,000), and heated steering wheel and windshield wiper parking zones are available starting from the second Classic package.

The TNGA architecture awarded the sedan with a rear multi-link, the body became 60% stiffer, and the center of gravity shifted ten centimeters lower. In turns, the Corolla drove more energetically, and there was little roll. At the same time, the smooth ride and energy-intensive suspension leave a pleasant impression of mutual balance.

The trunk is not impressive either in volume (470 liters) or in finishing. The opening into the salon would be sufficient if it were not for the step created by the folding back of the sofa. The lid hinges may dent luggage.

Noise insulation is good except for the howling of the engine. With moderate acceleration, the variator simulates virtual gear shifts and the voice acting is in order. However, if you pick up speed with the gas pedal to the floor, the engine hangs in the optimal speed zone, straining to howl on one note.

The Safety Sense safety system complex includes active cruise control with emergency braking, pedestrian detection systems, traffic sign recognition and other amenities in the top version for 1.7 million.

The rear view camera is not hidden or washed, so it will get dirty. The picture quality is far from perfect. But the graphic parking sensors are convenient, but only in the two most expensive trim levels.

In normal modes the sedan is pleasant. The car reacts quickly to the accelerator, which creates a feeling of good dynamics. The steering is light and precise, the brakes are predictable. But there was still no zest in Corolla’s behavior. Compared to the previous generation, visibility has become better: the A-pillars are not thick, the exterior mirrors provide good coverage, and the interior mirror can be dimmed.

In the previous generation, the sedan offered a choice of three gasoline engines; now there is only one 1ZR-FE with a volume of 1.6 liters (122 hp) with phase shifters on both shafts, but without valve lift adjustment.

The cabin is simple, but the design rejuvenates it. The space in the back row is sufficient, although the central tunnel now protrudes above the floor more. Previously, it did not interfere with the legs of the middle passenger, but now it does. There are no additional amenities like USB connectors. But on the front there is induction charging for smartphones.

We only have a Toyota Corolla sedan, and in Europe we also have a hatchback and a station wagon. For Russia, ground clearance has been increased by 15 mm - up to 150 mm.

The new Corolla does not seem flawless: there are more interesting and cheaper cars in the segment. Does the fact that Toyota holds the price better than others in the aftermarket justifies the high price? To some extent, of course, yes. But the top version costs 1.7 million... No matter how much you like the “small Camry”, it is more profitable to buy a larger one - add only 56,000 rubles and take a larger sedan with a 2.5 engine.

The new Toyota Corolla 2021 is a driver's car.

At the tests in Vairano, Corolla presented two hybrid units: 1.8 liters (122 hp) and 2 liters (180 hp), the total power included electric 80 kW and 202 N∙m of torque. The motors are paired with an automatic transmission (not called CVT), in which the “rubber belt” effect has been quite successfully eliminated. To my questions about the gearbox, whether it was a variator, Toyota engineers answered that this design no longer had a belt.

A non-hybrid 122-horsepower petrol version is being prepared for Russia. The new Toyota Corolla 2021 does not plan diesel engines; the course is set for clean air.

Under the hood is a 1.8 liter (122 hp) engine, the total power of the unit includes electric 80 kW and 202 N∙m. Since the 2-liter hybrid left no room under the hood for a 12-volt battery, it is located under the double boot floor, costing it 48 liters of usable volume.

Of the two hybrid units that were provided for testing, I would choose the new 2-liter. It produces 153 petrol power and 190 N∙m of torque, to which are added electric 80 kW and 202 N∙m. This is enough to accelerate the hatchback to hundreds in 7.9 seconds, despite the fact that CO2 emissions are only 106 g/km in the WLTP cycle. On the track in Vairano, the 180-horsepower Corolla felt quite playful. True, I could not check its maximum speed, but according to promises - 180 km/h.

The two-liter hybrid unit produces a torque of 392 Nm. In the fourth generation of the hybrid drive, the energy for the 80-kilowatt electric motor is not only quietly recovered during braking and coasting, but is also extracted from the excess power of the internal combustion engine, stored in a lithium-ion battery located under the rear seat. On electric power, the Corolla can travel up to 115 km/h. Now I’m getting ready to go onto the ring road.

The center of gravity of the new Corolla is lowered by 10 mm. The seating position has become lower and, above all, sportier. I really liked the manually adjustable integral chair with a comfortable headrest (see video), which provides lateral support and lumbar support no worse than German models.

Depending on the driving mode, the digital instruments animate in green, blue or red and visually lift the central elements with a 3D effect. Numerous submenus are controlled from buttons on the three-spoke steering wheel. The panel features an 8-inch Infotainment display with good finger response. The top-end configuration includes a combination of soft plastic, piano lacquer, leather and Alcantara. Young businessmen will love coming back here after an hour of fitness. In addition to the drawer, the central armrest is equipped with two 12 V sockets and USB connectors delivering up to 2.1 A of charging current.

I apologize for the rug underfoot - it's a little clay - we were off-road. I drove the Corolla there solely with the desire to show that it, as it was, is still trying to remain a universal car. But still in a new image - with a greater emphasis on sportiness.

We were warned that the track could be slippery in the morning, there was light frost at night, in addition, there is a special section that is watered, there are areas where the body tilts strongly in both directions, and there are high waves of asphalt.

We start on a frosty morning, it is better to do without sudden maneuvering.

Well, how can you not accelerate when the Toyota Corolla itself whispers about driving fast and only provokes you in corners. The two-liter engine and automatic transmission work harmoniously, providing brisk acceleration, the brakes are not intrusive, but very effective, and, most importantly, the Corolla is obedient in corners, like a beloved wife. I kept expecting some outbursts of disobedience from her. But there were none, in wet areas the stabilization system does not intervene ahead of time, allowing us to play with the gas pedal, we passed the waves of asphalt collectedly without rocking, large body rolls did not take us out of confident horizontal movement.

This behavior is ensured, along with McPherson struts at the front and a new multi-link at the rear, by the optional Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS). Without unduly increasing stiffness, the suspension components effectively reduce body roll.

Technical characteristics of Toyota Corolla

PS Recently, more and more often, automakers are making different designs for one model for the markets of different countries, and the new Toyota Corolla is no exception. But it is not always clear what companies are guided by, how they guess customer preferences when choosing one option or another, although certain prejudices still exist: somewhere they like more glitter and chrome (for example, in the Middle Kingdom), and somewhere they prefer a stricter style or cute (Europe), but there is no exact recipe.

comparison of Toyota Corda versions

In the photo above (click to enlarge) the options that will go to the markets of Russia and Ukraine (top) and the XSE version (sports equipment) for the USA (bottom). The differences are not only in the shape of the bumpers, but also in the optics. In the opinion of the ATD (all-test-drives) editors, the aggressive appearance of the American model is much more interesting and attractive than the one that will come to us. What do you think?

The new Toyota Corolla 2021 is larger inside than outside.

There is sufficient space in the front, but the rear of the hatchback is somewhat cramped due to its 2.64 m wheelbase and low roof. The three of you won't get far.

When not in use, the rear seat backrest easily folds down to a 60:40 split, but this example doesn't offer a flat floor. There is a set of tools under the floor, see the next photo.

There is still a set of tools under the floor, but, probably, for Russia, the floor will be raised by adding additional equipment. Then the trunk will shrink.

As a fan of transporting windsurfing boards, I noticed the 4.65 m long Toyota Corolla Touring Sports station wagon version developed for Europe. Thanks to the wheelbase extended to 2.70 m, there is noticeably more rear legroom than in a hatchback. True, the space above your head is eaten up by the panoramic roof. The rear door opens electrically with a wave of your foot under the bumper. In the station wagon, the trunk already holds 598 liters (581 liters in the hybrid version), which is quite generous.

If the rear seat backs in the station wagon are folded in a 60:40 ratio, which can be done remotely, a flat loading area 1.9 m long and almost a meter wide appears.