New Corolla Estate opinions / alternatives?

Man of Honour
Joined
25 Oct 2002
Posts
31,707
Location
Hampshire
Casual window shopping for a new family car, not finding much that appeals. Requirements are:

Hybrid or Petrol
Decent sized boot (550L+)
5 door
Isofix
0-62mph <10s
Parking sensors
Not massively long (<4.7m)
Nice interior
Smooth and quiet ride
<£40k
Android Auto
Reliable (maybe more to go wrong in a hybrid?)
~9k miles per year, mostly mix of short motorway runs, town driving etc plus occasional longer trips and holidays etc. Potentially might go up as current numbers a bit subdued by pandemic.
Happy to wait

Toyota Corolla Touring Sports Icon Tech 2.0 seems to potentially fit the bill but don't know much about them.
Skoda Octavia Estate another option under consideration, but leaning towards the Toyota as the ideal of hybrid appeals for some of the short journeys it will be used for (plugin hybrid or full electric not really an option as garage/parking space isn't directly attached to our house).

Has anyone driven the new Corolla Estate?
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
19,354
Location
South Manchester
Reliable (maybe more to go wrong in a hybrid?)

I've spent the last couple of years driving an Auris hybrid.

Less to go wrong in a Toyota hybrid. No turbo, dual-mass flywheels, clutch, fancy DSG gearbox, starter motor or alternators in them. Gearbox is basically one speed planetary drive. Hybrid system does the rest, and it's essentially the same concept as used in nearly 20 years worth of Prius'. They'll do vast mileages reliably, as your local Uber drivers will likely attest.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
3,320
Location
Birmingham
I have one in 1.8 form (slightly larger boot as the battery is up front).

Completely boring non-event to drive, especially with the CVT gearbox, but also utterly faultless and completely dependable for family duties. It swallows an insane quantity of stuff.

My main comments:
  • Even base spec has adaptive cruise and lane assist (lane assist isn’t as good as other cars I’ve driven but more than capable of steering on motorways and stop/start traffic. Roadworks seems to trip it up and other surfaces where the lines aren’t clear). This is such an expensive option on some models.
  • Great rear room for isofix seats, our rear and forward facing have gone in fine. Disappointed it doesn’t have isofix at the front as other models are starting to include, though.
  • I think it’s standard - but ours came with a cargo net and other accessories for the rear.
  • Apple CarPlay works great (but not wireless) so I never use the onboard entertainment system.
  • Average 65mpg with no conscious effort at all and 75mpg achievable with some mild economy driving (albeit this is the 1.8). The air con will run from the hybrid battery but the heater requires the engine - so economy spread can we quite large winter to summer, but I’ve yet to go below 65mpg in 10k miles of driving so far.
  • Running costs in general seem extraordinarily low and the Toyota/Lexus hybrids seem to have an amazing reputation for reliability.
  • The previous model Auris seems to top tables for low depreciation, I’m hoping this will follow.
  • The Auris hybrid is very susceptible to cat thefts, the Corolla has this closer to the manifold so not as accessible and I haven’t read the same horror stories.
  • Flat boot floor with the adjustable floor at the top setting. Huge storage underneath the floor as well. Levers in the boot to fold down the rear seats without having to walk round.
It crushes my spirit from a driving enthusiast POV, but ticks every box for carting round the family. I therefore can’t complain. We used to have an EV but the charging became too much of an issue with a newborn/young kid when out and about, this feels just as relaxing to drive around town. We haven’t yet defeated the capacity even when taking an absurd quantity of stuff.

Any specific questions and I’ll try to address.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 May 2010
Posts
12,749
I'm a bit hungover so feel free to ask anything I miss from my very short experience with a 2.0 Corolla Estate Hybrid in Excel spec.

I currently own a Honda Civic 1.8 petrol estate which is great in terms of room and has a 620 litre boot which has been brilliant but I hate the engine, it's not got great performance for the cars size and is more suited to a smaller hatch so I've been dying to change it.

Back in August I went and had a look at the corolla, the boot is slightly smaller than the Civic and when I looked at it closely the loading area seemed slightly smaller too but having said that it's still a good size estate and I don't think I would struggle with it for a family of 4 Inc two young kids.

I loved the look of it, it's a very nice looking estate and on the higher specs with the larger wheels Toyota have finally started sitting the wheels more flush with the bodywork and losing the massive arch gap, also the 2.0 has a twin subtle but noticeable exhaust trim which looks good.

The interior I was pretty surprised at how nice and solid it was but I've always owned Jap cars typically and don't have much experience with German interiors. It was solid and laid out well and the seats on the Excel and GR spec are brilliant, they look nice and are very comfortable and I struggle getting comfortable in anything.

Driving, coming from a manual I now know I definitely want an auto, not sure if it's an age thing but the box to me was effortless and I really liked it but again I have no experience with DSG etc so not sure how it stacks up against those. The hybrid system was great and flicked between electric and engine and the only way you would know was looking at the screen. Performance wise with just 180bhp it has only 40bhp more than my current car but it felt lighter, more planted and the response was miles ahead of my Civic it was great and was honestly surprised it was only 180bhp

Getting back in my Civic it felt like a dinosaur afterwards and it's safe to say I would really like to get the Corolla soon but with some uncertainty at work and the cost of used cars right now I just can't justify it

Hope that helps in some way I'm not very good at writing things like this
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
19,354
Location
South Manchester
It crushes my spirit from a driving enthusiast POV, but ticks every box for carting round the family. I therefore can’t complain.

After a couple of years in the Auris, I'd agree with that having previously run a hot hatch. It's more a tool for wafting somewhere in comfort than a B-road stormer. It wasn't something I chose, but I'm glad I've got it. Absolutely nothing has gone wrong in the 4 years it's been on the road, scheduled maintenance only.

Quite fancy trying the 180hp Corolla.
 
Soldato
Joined
26 Mar 2006
Posts
11,581
Location
United Kingdom
I have just purchased one as a family/part time PHV. On first impression it seems great. Practical, great mpg and good standard equipment. Have had some comments saying it's a cool looking car and the family seem to like it. I looked at stuff like the c350e Mercedes/Prius etc etc but this car seemed to fit the bill the best. Toyota make some reliable cars and after owning a Lexus for a short while I thought it was best to play it safe. Loads of the PHV guys are getting them to replace the Priuses' due to the space they offer. I'd recommend getting one. I have the pan roof on mine, it looks great and makes the cabin feel airy. Though if you're going to lug stuff on the roof it may be a bit risky.
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Mar 2010
Posts
21,781
even though toyota e-CVT might be an engineering win - how does power delivery feel, plus safety, for overtaking , does it deliver torque quickly ?
like a dsg on paddles, or do revs rise and power builds gradually.

Skoda Octavia Estate another option under consideration, but leaning towards the Toyota as the ideal of hybrid appeals for some of the short journeys it will be used for (plugin hybrid or full electric not really an option as garage/parking space isn't directly attached to our house).
plugin octavia (even leon/passat phev too) will still charge off of the petrol engine
and could use plugin away from home/holidays, free supermarket trip - so, more versatile, lower depreciation ?
This is the acceleration of Skoda Superb iV Plug-In Hybrid 2020/2021 (1.4 l R4 TSI petrol engine + electric, 160 kW, 218 HP, 400 Nm, FWD, 6-speed DSG from 0-60 mph, 0-100 km/h, 0-140 km/h and 0-200 km/h (up to top/max speed). Results: 0-60 mph: 6.75 s 0-100 km/h in 7.1 s 0-140 km/h in 12.5 s 0-100 mph in 16.5 s 0-200 km/h in 28.5 s 0-225 (~140 mph) km/h in 45.1 s (top/max speeed) 80-120 km/h in 4.1 s
the acceleration of Toyota Corolla 2.0L Hybrid 2019/2020 (2.0 l R4 petrol engine + electric, 132 kW, 180 HP, FWD, e-CVT from 0-60 mph, 0-100 km/h, 0-140 km/h and 0-185 km/h (up to top/max speed). The results: 0-60 mph: 7.8 s 0-100 km/h in 8.2 s 0-140 km/h in 15.1 s 0-100 mph in 20.1 s 0-185 km/h (top GPS speed) in 28.4 s 80-120 km/h in 5.2 s 70-140 km/h in 10.0 s


stellaris peugot phev's, the pretty, new, 308sw seem relativelty untested yet.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
3,320
Location
Birmingham
The plug-in’s are a completely different type of car. Think of the Toyota as primarily a petrol with some brake regen into a small battery to allow the engine to always run in an efficient mode. If you’re expecting plug-in style hybrid you’ll be disappointed. Reliability is also a completely different situation, I’ve heard of some eye watering bills whereas the Toyota HSD is tried and tested.

Responsiveness and overtaking are fine. Response is immediate from the electric motor so they feel “nippy” and with the CVT the revs will shoot up to near the redline immediately and hold there constantly to deliver full power (they drone a bit at full throttle, but that’s the CVT doing it’s job and the electric motor will also contribute).

However if you’re in the situation of comparing stats on power, 0-60 etc though I’d suggest that potentially a hybrid with CVT isn’t the right car - they’re at their best wafting around.
 
Man of Honour
OP
Joined
25 Oct 2002
Posts
31,707
Location
Hampshire
Thanks. I'm not looking for a car that is 'sporty' or fun to drive, ride quality much more important. But it needs to be something with enough power to handle overtakes when loaded up, going up inclines etc. 10s to 62mph is just an arbitrary value that should hopefully ensure that.

I've spent the last couple of years driving an Auris hybrid.

Less to go wrong in a Toyota hybrid. No turbo, dual-mass flywheels, clutch, fancy DSG gearbox, starter motor or alternators in them. Gearbox is basically one speed planetary drive. Hybrid system does the rest, and it's essentially the same concept as used in nearly 20 years worth of Prius'. They'll do vast mileages reliably, as your local Uber drivers will likely attest.
Yeah, I figure Toyota have had as much experience as anyone with hybrids so it should be pretty refined by now.

plugin octavia (even leon/passat phev too) will still charge off of the petrol engine
and could use plugin away from home/holidays, free supermarket trip - so, more versatile, lower depreciation ?
Yeah I guess so, but it feels like a bit of a waste and it seems quite pricey. The Octavia PHEV costs about £5k more than the 1.5 TSI. Similar story with the Leon ST. Both of them cost more than the Corolla in the trim levels I'm looking at. Ability to plug in does appeal but not sure it's enough to warrant the expense, given we can't charge it at home I think it would take a long time to claw back the £5k in fuel savings.

stellaris peugot phev's, the pretty, new, 308sw seem relativelty untested yet.
This would be to replace a (petrol) 308SW, so whilst it ticks all the boxes I couldn't bring myself to spend that much money to have basically the same car again. Obviously nearly every car will be a downgrade in boot size, but kids are at an age now where we rarely need to take a pram anywhere so can probably just about get away with a Corolla estate.

I would really like to get the Corolla soon but with some uncertainty at work and the cost of used cars right now I just can't justify it
Yeah with the state of the used market I can understand that, I looked on AT last night and the cheapest in the country was like £21k for a 19 plate. You can get brand new for about £26k which I think is better value (as per OP I'm prepared to wait) - in a normal market you'd probably be able to get one for perhaps £16k I reckon.
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Mar 2010
Posts
21,781
The plug-in’s are a completely different type of car. Think of the Toyota as primarily a petrol with some brake regen into a small battery to allow the engine to always run in an efficient mode.
yes you are right I was thinking it was a 30mile/10+Kwhr battery - industry terminology, like mild hybrid, which I guess these are, is confusing
but - like other brands with the battery+ice you've still got to pay the congestion charge now, and probably same for other cities when they start charging;
that alone makes me more interested in bev's and probably help the small range mx-30 type sales
 
Associate
Joined
25 Dec 2009
Posts
2,042
Location
London, UK
I went from a SEAT Ateca 1.5L Auto which was 19 plate but had issues with (couldn't get resolved) so I sold it.

I then purchased a Toyota Corolla Estate 2.0L Excel Hybrid 19 plate for £18.6k (nearly a year ago) luckily it had only 14k miles on it, and since owning it nearly a year, I've done just over 10k miles.

My opinion:
- One of the best looking estates and not being too long (around 4650mm) didn't want longer than this as parking anywhere with a long car isn't so great
- Fairly nippy around 8s for 0-60mph (didn't want the 1.8 as I've test driven the Auris and on the motorway feels like the car is stressed a bit)
- Comfortable in front and back with decent legroom
- Loads of boot space 598L approx (Edit: 2L has 581L)
- MPG is good, mostly around 50MPG even with mixed usage (approx 430miles on a tank)
- One of the most reliable transmissions from Toyota (CVT), some people moan about the noise but its fine to me not loud and obtrusive but normal esp if you floor it
- Apple CarPlay is awesome (previous owner paid for the update)

I looked at a C-HR but it was like another 3K for basically same car but sat a bit higher, looked at diesels/petrols without hybrid but not as good mpg to speed ratio.
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
18 May 2010
Posts
12,749
I then purchased a Toyota Corolla Estate 2.0L Excel Hybrid 19 plate for £18.6k (nearly a year ago) luckily it had only 14k miles on it, and since owning it nearly a year, I've done just over 10k miles.

If I could fine one for that money know I would bite, haven't seen one for less than £25k on auto trader since August
 
Associate
Joined
25 Dec 2009
Posts
2,042
Location
London, UK
If I could fine one for that money know I would bite, haven't seen one for less than £25k on auto trader since August

I know prices for all cars have gone crazy because of the chip shortage, it's meant to get better mid 2022 (apparently).

I even thought about selling the car for a fair bit of profit but every other car I look at doesn't seem the worth the price (because it isn't lol).
 
Soldato
Joined
18 May 2010
Posts
12,749
I know prices for all cars have gone crazy because of the chip shortage, it's meant to get better mid 2022 (apparently).

I even thought about selling the car for a fair bit of profit but every other car I look at doesn't seem the worth the price (because it isn't lol).

Only car I could see that I was remotely interested in other than the corolla estate was the Kia Pro Ceed but I want a hybrid next and the pro ceed has a smaller boot and access. Other than that it's similar performance and arguably just as nice looking but yeah, Corolla seems the better bet for reliability and overall cost of ownership even if it's more expensive to buy I would like to think it would hold its value better than the Kia.

I'm patiently waiting for the corolla to drop below £20k in Excel trim or even better GR spec so I hope you're right about 2022 seeing the bubble burst
 
Man of Honour
OP
Joined
25 Oct 2002
Posts
31,707
Location
Hampshire
If I could fine one for that money know I would bite, haven't seen one for less than £25k on auto trader since August
This one is under £22k: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111199739240

As I wrote in another thread I see a slow deflation not a bubble bursting. The issue is there simply won't be that many 70-71 plates on the road to fill the used market because they never sold that many in the first place. So a 2 year old car will hold value for a long time as it can still undercut new but not be pushed down by 1 year old cars as not enough of those exist.

With the current market if we proceed with this it will definitely be brand new. 2L Icon Tech is £292.53 for 41 months with zero deposit then final payment just under £13k, so total price under £25k.

- Loads of boot space 598L approx
2L version has a marginally smaller boot, 581L or something.

Out of interest what do you guys see as the benefits of Excel trim, I couldn't see enough there for me to warrant spending another £3k above Icon Tech but maybe I'm missing something?
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Mar 2010
Posts
21,781
you never really said why you are getting rid of your existing 308sw - which must have appreciated (along with inflation) - if it has avoided the peugot cambelt oil degradation issue the should plain sailing ?
it's automatic eat6/zf will be as good as anything on the market, they're pretty, well handling(light), Android auto isn't all that for audio quality either.
 
Man of Honour
OP
Joined
25 Oct 2002
Posts
31,707
Location
Hampshire
As per OP this is just window shopping at present, no decisions have been made.

My wife is annoyed with it, it's failed on her twice during motion. The first time was cambelt failing and trashing the engine, second time was a sensor problem but she was stranded on her own for 6 hours waiting for the RAC. She's lost confidence in it, it's out of warranty now (except replaced parts). So the main reason is concerns about reliability whilst on the road, plus just itchy feet having owned it nearly 5 years wanting something with more power, tech and auto, and wanting to cash in on elevated used car values while we still can.
As I mentioned earlier, the need for a huge boot is diminishing slightly so downsizing that to Corolla in exchange for more legroom seems an ok proposition.

As for appreciation it depends on how you look at it - compared to a couple of months ago (ironically just before these problems started happening), valuation has dropped about 15%. At a guess it's probably worth about the same as it was 18 months ago.
It's not an automatic.

Given it's recently had a lot of replacement parts, it's arguably a bad time to sell it because it is probably in better mechanical condition than most equivalent cars of its age. On the flipside, if it's got a design flaw to begin with that's not much consolation and having no confidence in a car isn't a great place to be, rational or otherwise.
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Mar 2010
Posts
21,781
OK - had forgotten it was your thread on peugot cambelt -
I doubled down after my 3 series had a head a head gasket I paid for and kept the car a few more years - at least the cooling system weaknesses were fixed, better the devil
 
Back
Top Bottom