2015 Toyota Corolla ZR Sedan Review – When Small Sedans Ain’t Small
The Skinny: The just-facelifted Toyota Corolla hatchback has hogged the limelight for the Corolla badge, with an injection of sex appeal, new colours and stylish new lines. But if 'sex' is to improve the hatchback's fortunes, then another 'S' word signifies the sedan’s primary appeal: space.
Space, family-sized space (and the comfort to go with it).
Is it expensive for a 'small car? Maybe. But consider the current Corolla sedan is 6mm wider than the ‘wide body’ Camry of the mid-1990s and it may just be right for your family.
Vehicle Style: Small sedan
Price: $30,990 (plus on-roads)
Engine/trans: 103kW/173Nm 1.8 4cyl petrol | CVT automatic
Fuel Economy claimed: 6.6 l/100km | tested: 9.8 l/100km
OVERVIEW
Both Corolla hatch and sedan combine to become Australia’s top selling car, with a 70:30 sales split and 46/52 year-old average age respectively.
Both also lead (with 28,373 units sold to August 2015) the ‘big three’ in the small car class this year, the Mazda 3 (25,925 over the same period) and Hyundai i30 (20,649). It’s a big drop to the Volkswagen Golf (15,207) from there.
Yet the sedan could not be any more different to the hatch. Other than being made in Thailand versus Japan, it’s also much longer (4620mm plays 4330mm) endowing it with more rear legroom and a larger boot.