Test of the cheapest Toyota Corolla 2023 Is it up to it? (with video)

El Toyota Corolla It is one of the most important cars in automotive history. In fact, throughout its life it has been one of the best-selling cars in the world. It goes without saying that the recognizable compact hybrid has changed a lot since its first release, back in 1966. The twelfth generation compact It arrived in 2019 and now, in 2023, it is updated with a restyling.

It does not change much on an aesthetic level, at least on the outside. But it is no less true that visually it has been liked a lot and in most markets and, if something works, it is better not to change it. At a mechanical level, in Spain it is only marketed with hybrid engines, which have been updated by the Japanese brand and, of course, they receive the Eco label from the DGT.

Toyota Corolla 2023 Where are the changes?

Test Toyota Corolla 2023

The Japanese compact is still available in three bodies. On the one hand we have this 5-door hatchback, then there is the estate touring sports and the saloon, called Corolla Sedan. Regarding the version we tested, I really like it because it is not a top-of-the-range unit, but a cheaper finish that is what people end up buying.

Specifically, it is the Toyota Corolla 5 doors in Active Plus finish, which is the lowest in the 5-door range. The color is Emotion Red and the mechanical version is the new 140H, but I'll talk about that a little later.

Test Toyota Corolla front

Respecto a the aesthetic modifications, as I say, are minimal. We have to look at specific details such as the pattern of the front grill, the fog lights or the main headlights in the upper finishes. The dimensions do not change either, remaining in the 4,37 meters in length.

More technology and quality inside

The interior of the Corolla has never stood out for quality of materials or technologyWe are not going to fool ourselves. It is a generalist and Japanese brand model. As a general rule, in these cases we have a rather inconspicuous interior, but which It will hold up very well over time and use..

Test Toyota Corolla inside

The construction base is the same, with a robust dashboard and not too elaborate at the design level, let's be clear. Anyway there are soft areasAlthough other elements are quite hard and subtract a certain perception of quality, as in the case of the central armrest or certain parts of the doors.

However there is news, and these come from the hand of the screens. Behind the wheel we have a 12,3-inch digital instrument cluster of course in color. The graphics are not the most modern on the market, but there is an important leap, we can have a multitude of information and many display modes, although to modify them you have to fiddle around a lot between the different menus. Eye, and it is serial from this access version.

Test Toyota Corolla multimedia screen

If we go to the central part, we find another important novelty. Finally we found a multimedia system a little more striking, more fluid and with better resolution. As in the picture, this screen does not have the most modern icons, but it has everything you need and now in a size of 10,5 inches. It's pretty good and accepts wireless Apple CarPlay, with wired Android Auto.

Another positive point is that the air conditioner, which is dual-zone, is independent of the screen. It is controlled from very simple physical controls with wheels and buttons, as I like because it does not distract from driving at all.

But it's still a fair space car

Test Toyota Corolla front seats

Regarding space, It is not one of the most spacious cars in the C segment, that of the compacts. In any case, the front seats are solvent. In addition, we have holes to leave objects, cup holders and good seat and steering wheel adjustments. The only drawback I find is that there are certain details in glossy black and that, at least on this unit, we only have one USB socket.

As I said, habitability is not the Corolla's greatest strength. This is especially noticeable in the rear seats, where adults of 1,80 or more will not travel comfortably in this 5-door body. Headroom is okay, but legroom is a little tighter.

Test Toyota Corolla rear seats

In any case, everything has a solution. And it is that Sedan and Touring Sports bodies have a few more inches of wheelbase, which improve the level of legroom and improve comfort for rear passengers.

For the rest, in this unit we do not have rear ventilation outlets or USB sockets (yes in the upper finish), something that can be missing, as well as slightly wider holes to empty pockets. Yes, there is a central armrest with two bottle holders, a magazine rack behind the passenger seat and roof grips.

Nor is the trunk its strong point in the 5-door body

Test Toyota Corolla trunk

With this restyling, the trunk has not changed, which is to be expected. It is still not a remarkable trunk in the 5-door variants. In it Corolla hatchback we have 361 liters in the less powerful version and 313 in the more powerful version. This is because in the one with the highest performance the 12-volt battery has to be located under the boot floor, losing height and several liters of capacity.

Meanwhile, in the Touring Sports the trunk volume varies between 596 and 581 liters depending on the engine. In this case there is less difference between the least and the most powerful. Finally, in the Sedan the cargo capacity is always 471 liters.

The engines improve their performance without increasing consumption

Test Toyota Corolla 140h

The Toyota Corolla 2023 not only brings changes in equipment and screens. Toyota has taken advantage of this restyling to give a twist to the performance of the engines. There are two options and both are conventional hybrids, so the DGT Eco label will always go on the windshield.

Before, the one with the least power was the 125H, with a performance of 122 CV. Now it is called 140H and offers 140 CV. For its part, the one with the highest benefits was the 180H, which gave 184 CV. It has been updated, calling 200H and yielding 196 CV. In any case, the displacements remain 1.8 and 2.0 liters respectively. They have specially modified the electrical part of the hybrid system, both in the electric drive and in the battery.

At the wheel of the hybrid Toyota Corolla 140 CV

Test Toyota Corolla 2023 140h

What is clear is that performance has improved. In this case we are with the variant 140H, which is the most demanded. Note that with respect to the previous has lowered the time from 0 to 100 km/h in 1,7 seconds, doing it now in 9,2 seconds. The profit is huge. But not only that, but the operation in general is more pleasant.

Something that we have always complained about in Toyota's less powerful hybrids is the perception of slippage when accelerating, that feeling of making a lot of noise but gaining little speed. With the new model it has been mitigated a lot. If we accelerate at full throttle it still appears, but at half loads it works much better, recovering faster and without making as much noise.

And all this because the battery has more capacity and the electric motor more power. Without a doubt, regardless of whether it stops the clock a little earlier or a little later, this greater driving comfort is the truly important improvement.

Test Toyota Corolla Active Plus 2023

Powertrain part aside, the Toyota Corolla is still a very comfortable car to drive. It has a good suspension set-up because it absorbs bumps well and doesn't rock too much if we make fast turns. In fact, and although it is not oriented to it, cornering is really good even in this version with 16-inch wheels and quite a bit of tire profile.

Respecto a the steering, has a lot of assistance, so it is very pleasant to drive in the city and when maneuvering; although logically we lose something of gut feeling. and precision if we want to drive fast. But as I say, it is not the approach of the Corolla, at least in this version. If one day the GR Corolla reaches our market, it will surely know how to make us smile.

Consumption, your best weapon

What about the consumptions? Well, without a doubt, this aspect is the most remarkable of the Toyota Corolla. The good thing about these hybrids is that they barely there is variation between urban and highway use.

Test Toyota Corolla Eco label

In fact, On the highway at 120 km/h, the usual thing is to be around 5 liters, being easy to be around 4,3 l/100 km on ring roads and flat roads limited to 100 km/h. Some data, very, very good.

Throughout this week of testing, final consumption with the five-door Toyota Corolla 140H has been in the 4,8 l / 100 km, a really good result after combining all kinds of uses and driving at different paces. as we said, Efficiency is the greatest strength of this Japanese compact.

Conclusions after testing the Toyota Corolla

The Toyota Corolla has not changed much externally, but yes brings interesting and important news. The first is the improvement of the interior at the level of screens, with the new instrument clusters and larger and higher quality multimedia screen.

Test Toyota Corolla 2023 dashboard

The second, and most important, the experienced improvement in the hybrid engine smaller. It's now considerably more enjoyable to drive because the gasoline engine doesn't need to rev as much to get the same acceleration, not to mention it's considerably quicker.

En he must improve for when a generational change arrives, well, for me, the habitability in the rear seats and the trunk capacity in the five-door versions; Although as I said before, if you need space, I recommend you switch to the Touring Sports body, which is much wider in both directions and costs 1.350 euros more.

And since he quoted economic amounts, the 2023 Toyota Corolla is available according to configurator from 25.800 euros, which correspond precisely to this tested unit as you see it except for the red color. Then there are several finishes, such as the GR Sport finish that gives it a very spicy touch. By the way, the price difference between the 140H engine and the 200H that we will test another time is 2.500 euros. Below you have the complete price list.

Equipment Toyota Corolla

Test Toyota Corolla hybrid change e-CVT

ActivePlus

  • 16-inch wheels
  • Black fabric upholstery
  • Tire repair kit
  • roof spoiler
  • Keyless entry and start system
  • Light and rain sensor
  • Reversing camera
  • Lane departure warning
  • Recognition of traffic signs
  • automatic high beams
  • automatic emergency braking
  • Fatigue detector
  • LED headlights
  • Speed โ€‹โ€‹limiter
  • Adaptive cruise control
  • Bluetooth
  • Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
  • Toyota SmartConnect
  • 10,5 screen inches
  • 12,3-inch digital instrument cluster
  • Leather steering wheel
  • Dual zone air conditioning
  • Height-adjustable front seats

GR Sport (adds)

  • 18-inch wheels
  • GR Sport exterior aesthetic kit
  • Sport fabric and leather upholstery
  • Darkened rear windows
  • Bi-LED headlights
  • Imitation leather armrests
  • Exclusive GR Sport door sills
  • Specific perforated leather sports steering wheel
  • wireless charger for mobile
  • Heated front seats
  • Electric lumbar adjustment for the driver
  • Sports seats
  • Electrochromic interior mirror

Style Edition

  • Two-color body
  • 18-inch two-tone wheels
  • Advance fabric and synthetic leather upholstery
  • chrome details
  • Front and rear parking sensors with automatic braking
  • rear traffic alert
  • Safe Exit Wizard
  • JBL sound system with 8 speakers
  • 2 USB type C sockets in the rear seats
  • Ambient interior lighting
  • rear air vents

Toyota Corolla range prices

Test Toyota Corolla Active Plus rear

Bodywork Version Finished Price
Bodywork Version Finished Price
5 doors 140H ActivePlus 25.800 โ‚ฌ
5 doors 140H GR sports 28.900 โ‚ฌ
5 doors 200H GR sports 31.400 โ‚ฌ
5 doors 140H Style Edition 30.900 โ‚ฌ
Sedan 140H Style 27.250 โ‚ฌ
touringsports 140H ActivePlus 27.400 โ‚ฌ
touringsports 140H Style 28.650 โ‚ฌ
touringsports 200H Style 31.150 โ‚ฌ
touringsports 140H Style Edition 32.250 โ‚ฌ
touringsports 200H Style Edition 34.750 โ‚ฌ
touringsports 200H GR sports 33.000 โ‚ฌ

Editor's opinion

Toyota Corolla
  • Editor's rating
  • 3.5 star rating
ย€25.800 a ย€34.750
  • 60%

  • Toyota Corolla
  • Review of:
  • Posted on:
  • Last modification:
  • Exterior design
    Publisher: 85%
  • interior design
    Publisher: 70%
  • front seats
    Publisher: 70%
  • rear seats
    Publisher: 55%
  • Trunk
    Publisher: 60%
  • Spring Suspension
    Publisher: 85%
  • Consumption
    Publisher: 100%
  • Comfort
    Publisher: 80%
  • Price
    Publisher: 65%

Pros

  • Fuel consumption
  • Better hybrid system performance
  • Exterior design

Cons

  • Habitability in the rear seats
  • Trunk very fair in the 5 doors
  • Somewhat high price

Gallery Toyota Corolla


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