Toyota introduces Touring Sports wagon

Toyota has revealed a new addition to its Corolla family, six months after it unveiled the 12th generation of its best-selling hatch.

Set to make its global debut at the Paris Motor Show next month, the Touring Sports may be family oriented in nature, but has a much sportier flavour, like the hatchback it's derived from.

It was styled at Toyota's new European Design Centre at Zaventem, Belgium.

Badged Auris in Europe for the last two generations, Toyota's biggest-selling model will now be marketed globally under the Corolla name.

Customers can choose from three engine options - a 1.2-litre turbo petrol or hybrid versions in both 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre capacities.

Toyota claims the Touring Sports wagon offers class-leading rear seat passenger leg-room thanks to its extended 2700mm wheelbase, and the suspension will introduce adaptive dampers (which Toyota calls AVS, Adaptive Variable Suspension) for the first time on a Corolla model.

To back up the Touring Sports' athletic new look, Toyota's chassis engineers have enhanced the wagon's handling by improving the centre of gravity, mounting the engine lower as well as the hip point of all seats.

Toyota says the Touring Sports model has been specifically tailored to European customers and has a wide range of safety and technology as standard.

Given Toyota Australia's strong SUV bias, the fact that the new Corolla Touring Sports wagon won't be coming here isn't a surprise.