Corolla goes from drab to fab

Overall, a much improved Corolla this time round.

Gone are Corolla's traditional dowdy, box shape, cheap and plasticky interior, so-so ride and sleepy performance and onto the stage steps a Euro-centric, Hugo Boss-suited Corolla that oozes enough style, fancy equipment and safety features( 5 star Euro NCAP rating) to put it right up there with the best in its class.

The likes of Kia, Chevrolet, Honda, Mazda, Hyundai and Ford have in recent times nudged the Corolla from its top-seller throne by producing well-priced, neat-looking competitors with impressive safety and fancy equipment and excellent warranties and service plans. Realising they have to catch up quickly the white coats at Toyota did their homework so that the Toyota now offers a much more attractive product armed with exactly the same 3-year/90,000km warranty and five-year/90,000km service plan as main competitors Kia and Hyundai.

Spacious - and good visibility

What's more, the Corolla now also spins dust onto the windscreen of these two when it comes to drive quality, roadholding and cabin space. Sure, there are still some design and finish niggles in the cabin, but the Koreans and the other players in this class are not exactly perfectly upper-crust either.

I recently spent a week cavorting around the Cape Peninsula and Boland in the Corolla and quickly grew to like its spacious living quarters, particularly the rear seat area where there is now an abundance of space for three adults. I also enjoyed its good driver visibility and the ease with which I found a comfortable driving position.

The rear seat area has an abundance of space for three adults.

Although the engine has to be pushed quite hard to get the electronic fuel-injected, DOHC engine up to peak performance it does also perform quite happily in lower rev bands which makes it well-suited for both city driving and highway cruising. However, its claimed sprint time of 10.4 for the 0-100km/h dash is hardly going to make it a robot to robot race winner.

Having said that, the engine is not too sleepy but I didn't like the engine noise levels when you push it quite hard. Thankfully, the cabin is quite well insulated and at "normal" speed it shields the occupants quite well against traffic, wind and road noises.

We didn't measure fuel consumption but I think Toyota's claim of 8.3 litres/100km (attained under perfect test conditions) is a tad optimistic for real driving conditions judging by the way the fuel gauge dropped during my time with the Sprinter.

Slick 'n quick

The Corolla has never been an exciting handler; traditionally the steering was bereft of feel and the car generally felt a little vague and top-heavy when pushed through the corners. Not so the new Corolla. Although still electronically assisted the steering is quite a bit sharper. Suspension tweaks and a lowered centre of gravity also help to give it a more planted feeling through the twisty bits.

Gone are Corolla’s traditional dowdy, box shape, cheap and plasticky interior.

The ABS-assisted brakes are also sharper than on the previous models and the six-speed manual transmission is pleasantly slick and quick.

Depending on the engine and which specification you opt for - Esteem, Prestige, Sprinter and Executive) the goodies list varies quite a bit. The Sprinter we tested has half-leather seats with neat stitching trim, a good sound system, automatic climate control, darkened alloys, rear spoiler, a neat black and silver dash lay-out and grey top sections of the cabin which adds a further feeling of space and class. The smart, branded floor mats also add a quality feel.

Overall, a much improved Corolla this time round and with the strong backing of an excellent Toyota dealer network, reasonably priced and readily available parts, plus the brand's excellent reputation for reliability and good resale values, this latest incarnation of one of the world's most popular models is solid enough to give contenders such as Kia, Hyundai, Chevrolet Cruze, Honda Civic and even the Ford Focus a renewed-energy run for their money.

The Toyota Corolla 1.6 Sprinter is priced at R254,800.

The Corolla range consists of eleven 1.3-litre, 1.6-litre and 2-litre models priced from R194,600 to R306,800. All come with the same standard warranty and service plan.

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