2017 Toyota Corolla ZR Hatch Review | Safer Than Before, But As Conservative As Ever
The Toyota Corolla started out as fairly humble transportation through the 1960s, becoming a freedom machine during the 1970s and showed promising signs of sporting flair in the 1980s. Needless to say, the Corolla has endured quite a journey over the decades.
Somehow, along the way this cheery little hatchback lost its way and slumped into anonymity, becoming just another small car in a sea of sameness. With its latest-generation, first introduced in 2015, Toyota aimed to address that with sharper looks and an almost sporty style.
The 2017 Corolla picks up extra safety equipment (standard on ZR and optional on other models), including features like forward collision warning with autonomous emergency braking and lane departure warning, keeping it as up to date as many of its competitors.
Vehicle Style: Small hatch
Price: $30,020 (plus on-roads)
Engine/trans: 103kW/173Nm 1.8-litre 4cyl petrol | CVT automatic
Fuel Economy Claimed: 6.7 l/100km | Tested: 8.6 l/100km
OVERVIEW
The Corolla hatch range offers four variants - topped by the Corolla ZR tested here - all of which are powered by the same modest 103kW 1.8-litre petrol engine, and in the case of all but the base model, paired with a CVT automatic.
Priced from $30,020 plus on road costs, the Corolla ZR just surpasses the magical $30k mark but still packs in a decent haul of standard equipment including leather appointed seats, dual-zone climate control, satellite navigation, and LED headlights.