Toyota upgrades Corolla, Prius, Coaster

TOYOTA Australia will release a facelifted and upgraded version of its five-door Corolla hatchback in December, complete with a new-look front-end and the addition of front side airbags as standard.

Expected to be accompanied by price increases across the range, the same changes will apply to the four-door Corolla sedan when the upgraded version of that model arrives here in the first quarter of next year.

The revised MY10 Corolla was revealed in Japan this week, when it also entered production.

It is not clear whether Australia's Corolla will come with all of the changes applied to Japan's MY10 Auris-badged model, which include a new front bumper, grille, headlights and bonnet, plus a new rear bumper, tail-lights and wheels.

In Japan, there is also an unpraded variable valve timing system for the Toyota small-car's 1.8-litre engine, which could raise power and economy levels, along with extra standard equipment, upgraded cabin materials, revised trim colours and the addition of paddle shifters for CVT models.

Toyota Australia added VSC electronic stability control to its Corolla menu in January this year, when it became part of a $1500 ‘Enhanced Safety Pack’ that also included front-side, side curtain and driver's knee airbags.

At the same time, VSC was made standard on the mid-range Corolla Conquest hatch and sedan and the flagship Levin ZR hatch and Ultima sedan, with prices increasing by between $500 and $750.

Meantime, as forecast at the launch of the third-generation Prius in July, Toyota Australia will make 17-inch alloy wheels available for the first time for its pioneering hybrid vehicle, which can currently be had only with 15-inch wheels wearing low rolling resistance 195/65-section tyres and aerodynamic plastic covers.

Available on the MkIII Prius from early next year in Australia, the factory-fitted 17-inch alloy, which comes in conjunction with revised steering and suspension systems, is fitted with wider, heavier and therefore less fuel-efficient 215/45 R17 tyres.

In Europe, the larger-tyred Prius returns higher fuel consumption figures than the base model, which in Australia delivers a benchmark-setting 3.9L/100km (at least until Ford’s diesel-powered Fiesta Econetic arrives next month).

Pricing is yet to be revealed, but there’s another catch: as is the case globally, the larger, sexier and heavier Prius wheel option is not compatible with the much-hyped solar-ventilated sunroof that's standard on the premium i-Tech variant, apparently because it puts the Prius into a higher weight category.

In short, the bigger wheels can be fitted to the base Prius ($39,990), but must replace the sunroof on the i-Tech flagship ($53,500).

In other Toyota product news, the company’s stalwart full-size bus, the Coaster, is now available with an upgraded, Euro V-compatible diesel engine.

The Coaster’s turbocharged and intercooled 4.0-litre direct-injection diesel gains a large-size exhaust gas recirculation cooler to improve EGR efficiency and reduce oxides of nitrogen, while optimised fuel injectors and fuel injection timing combine with increased fuel pressure and upgraded variable-nozzle turbocharger control to improve combustion efficiency.

Apart from its environmentally-friendlier NO4C-UH engine, the Coaster now also comes with improved instruments and, on Deluxe models, a power door lock switch for both the driver’s and passenger doors.

Toyota says the Coaster’s new instrument cluster offers enhanced readability and ease of use, thanks to LED dial and indicator illumination, a step motor for the movement of indicator needles, LCD odometer and trip meters, and a variable illumination function.

In addition, there is also a low-fuel warning lamp, parking brake and driver’s seatbelt warning buzzers and a new indicator lamp that signals whether the passenger door is in automatic or manual mode.

The changes come in conjunction with an upgraded electrical system comprising a new alternator and starter motor (operating on 12 rather than 24 volts) with dual 64 amp-hour batteries.

While the base Coaster Standard variant is discontinued, pricing remains unchanged at $111,000 for the Standard manual with air-conditioning, while the air-conditioned Deluxe model increases by $300 to $114,900 and the Deluxe AC auto tops the range at $121,900 (also up $300).