New Corolla Sedan has it all

The world’s best-selling automotive nameplate, is quite some accolade and no mean feat either. Toyota’s ubiquitous compact city car – first launched in 1966 – has captured the global automotive market and gone on to become a household name the world over.

Now in its 12th-generation, the new Corolla combines Toyota’s exciting new design direction, with the tried-and-tested virtues of the Corolla brand. The adoption of the TNGA (GA-C) platform provides an innovative base on which to build the latest iteration of the company’s compact sedan.

The new Corolla sedan features a highly expressive design, adopting the same front-end treatment as the Corolla Hatch (with minor variation) and featuring a prominent lower apron, sculpted headlights and flowing three-box design.

The front bumper employs a large trapezoidal lower grille, with black-moulded border and large mesh pattern. The arrow-shaped LED headlamps, with integrated DRL elements, flow towards the centrally-mounted Toyota emblem, surrounded by a slim-line upper grille element – enhancing visual aggressiveness.

‘Dynamic exterior’

According to Ueda-san, Corolla chief engineer: “One of the big merits of the new platform is that it allows designers more freedom to create a dynamic exterior.”

He adds that all variants in the Corolla family are now visually distinctive and feature an individual look with a lower stance and more appealing proportions. “We’ve also ensured better all-around visibility for the driver by implementing thinner A-pillars and a lowered dashboard and bonnet,” said Ueda-san.

The short roofline and sloping C-pillar convey a sense of motion, while the short rear overhang adds to the dynamic presence. The compact LED taillights feature a bi-colour design, sharp outer edging and dark border - which extends to the centre of the boot lid, linking the left and right sides.

A black trapezoidal rear-bumper insert and outwardly-mounted vertical reflectors add to its powerful stance. The rear bumper also features integrated aero-stabilising fins, to smooth airflow from the wheel arches.

Dimensionally the new Corolla is 20mm lower, with the bonnet edge sitting 35mm lower and the front overhang registering 25mm shorter. In order to promote a powerful stance, front and rear tread have been increased by 11 and 22mm respectively.

Captivating colours

Eight exterior colours are on offer, six of them being new. Celestite Grey, Crimson Red, Moonlight Ocean, Scarlet and Dark Blue metallic offer buyers an expressive choice. Pearl White, Glacier White and Satin Silver remain the neutral tones on offer.

The new Corolla sedan adopts the same interior design as its hatch sibling, featuring an elegantly simple design, reduced upper-panel height, soft-touch finishes and brushed metal accent strips. In sedan execution, blue contrast stitching adds an air of sportiness and harmonises with blue illumination for the switchgear and instrument panel.

A revised front seat design with elegant ribbed pattern and bucket-like profile lends a premium feel to the cabin. A new-age synthesized fabric called RezatecTM is used, offering the comfort of fabric with the premium feel of leather. The high-grade (XR) model offers a choice of sporty blue or classic grey accent trim colours. - MotorPress