Toyota gives Corolla 50th birthday facelift

TOYOTA has marked the 50th anniversary of the Corolla small car being on sale in Australia with a refreshed sedan line-up, following an update of the hatch range in July 2015.

The update encompasses new safety and technology features, extra standard equipment, tweaked styling and a slight price hike.

The three-variant range now gets pre-collision warning with autonomous emergency braking as standard, while a safety pack encompassing lane-departure alert and automatic high beam is standard on the top-spec ZR, and a $750 option on mid-level SX.

The safety pack on the base Ascent costs $1500 with a set of 15-inch alloy wheels thrown in, taking the before on-road costs price to $21,690.

Other additional kit includes navigation for SX and bi-LED headlamps for ZR, while Ascent is boosted by a 7.0-inch touchscreen display audio system with Toyota Link, a 4.2-inch colour multi-information display and backlit instruments.

Styling has been tweaked over the previous version, which has been on the market since February 2014, and includes a reworked front fascia with a narrower grille and slimmer, revamped headlamp clusters, while LED clearance lamps and a revised front bumper complete the look.

Rear styling has also been updated to include LED tail-lamp clusters and a chrome garnish, while inside, the climate control panel and air vents are redesigned, and chrome plated ornamentation and a piano-black centre cluster surround cap off the interior upgrades.

No changes have been made to the output of the Corolla’s 103kW/173Nm 1.8-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol unit however, the continuously-variable transmission (CVT) has been re-worked for quicker, crisper and smoother shifting, as well as optimised engine braking.

A new oil temperature sensor and adjusted electric-fan voltage promote better fuel and power consumption respectively, while front MacPherson strut and rear torsion-beam suspension systems receive larger-diameter shock absorbers.

The upper body and suspension receive improved mounting rigidity, and an additional rear damper bush is added for improved handling.

Toyota Australia executive director sales and marketing Tony Cramb said the improvements to the new Corolla would strike a chord with buyers.

“Corolla has always evolved so that it continues to meet the diverse needs of a wide range of Australian motorists,” he said.

“New guests in the Corolla family will appreciate the sedan's higher levels of technology and safety equipment, its stylish exterior design and the quality ambience of the interior.

“These new features are underpinned by Corolla's traditional quality, durability and reliability and its impressive value for money.”

The Corolla has just closed out another bumper year for sales, recording the second highest sales in 2016 behind its Toyota stablemate, the HiLux.

Its 40,330 sales in 2016 beat out other strong-selling rivals such as the Hyundai i30 (37,772), Mazda3 (36,107) and Volkswagen Golf (19,470).



2017 Toyota Corolla pricing*

Ascent	$21,240
Ascent (a)	$23,490
SX	$23,820
SX (a)	$26,070
ZR (a)	$31,920

*Excludes on-road costs