The reborn Toyota Corolla is on display at the Paris show with the estate Touring Sports version making its debut.
Toyota is reviving the Corolla badge in the UK, 14 years after it was replaced by the Auris. The hatchback version was revealed at the Geneva show in March.
Like its Auris predecessor, the Corolla is being built at Toyota’s UK plant in Burnaston, Derbyshire and the new line-up is set to go on UK sale before the end of 2018. It will need to beat some of the UK’s biggest-selling cars, including the new Ford Focus.
Toyota sees the Corolla Touring Sports model as key to fleet sales. Its styling, created in Toyota’s European Design Centre in Zaventem, Belgium, is intended to give the car a more sporty appearance compared to traditional estates, with a rising shoulder and sloping roof line.
All versions of the new Corolla use Toyota’s new Global Architecture platform. Advantages include a centre of gravity that’s 1cm lower, an additional 60% more rigidity in the body shell and a new multi-link rear suspension as standard, all of which should significantly improve handling.
Boot space of the new model is 598 litres, which compares favourably with rival estates, though Toyota is not currently revealing the space available with the seats folded.
With a wheelbase 6cm longer than the hatchback version, and 10cm longer than its predecessor, the Touring Sports is claiming class-leading rear legroom.
The engine line-up of the Corolla Touring Sport will reflect that of the hatchback. Just one traditional petrol engine will be available, the entry-level version using a 115hp 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine.
Most promotion, however, will be pitched at the two hybrid options – a 1.8-litre with 123hp and a 2.0-litre offering 180hp. Respectively they return fuel economy of 83.1mpg and 74.3mpg, with emissions of 76 and 87g/km.
