Toyota Corolla – A Canadian Bestseller

Let’s face it; Toyota doesn’t need to put too much effort in convincing the Canadian public that its Corolla sedan is worth buying. There is no better advertising than a history of robustness stretching over 5 and a half decades and over 45 million units sold worldwide. In other words, Toyota designers could go nuts and replace glued elements with maple syrup, create body panels out of pressed cardboard and put a chainsaw engine inside. You’d still see a few Corollas driving around Nova Scotia.

Let’s have a look at what Toyota brings on along the Corolla and whether it’s worth buying again despite the growing competition.

No more dull face

Although decades of improvement have made Toyota Corolla a synonym with efficiency and safety, not much was done in the eye-candy department. Even by most optimistic and forgiving standards, Toyota’s Corolla rated as a dull car. Fortunately, the Japanese automaker wanted a radical change for 2020. No more dull face for Canadian people.

While at first it may seem easy just to slap a few UFO-like design features to attain the purpose, a careful analysis shows that Toyota needs to maintain its main selling points regardless of any design changes.

Thankfully, the Corolla brings a new, pleasant styling. Is this a design that will blow your mind? Probably not. But it’s great for a family sedan and it’s better than what we were used to before.

The roots of redesign are found in the new TNGA platform that’s shared between the Corolla, Camry, Avalon and even the RAV4. TNGA is also the reason why we’re no presented with a hybrid powertrain on the Corolla.

To make the most out of the Toyota Corolla design, you are best to stay away from monochrome coatings and go for the red or blue. Both colors will do a great job complimenting Corolla’s redesigned body lines, revealing a more dynamic image.

Once you get inside the car, you are hit with a simple yet attractive layout which culminates with a dashboard-mounted touchscreen. The layout of the seats and switchgear is placed right where you’d expect to be. It takes merely seconds to adjust your seat, the mirrors and steering wheel then proceed on the road. With this, Toyota scores good points for simplicity and efficiency.

The overall space available is decent for a family with two kids. There is plenty room at the front for the driver and passenger and enough head, leg and arm space in the back to avoid a claustrophobic feeling. There’s roughly 370 cubic feet of space in the trunk – less than what you get in a Honda Civic but good enough for a few smaller luggage bags or a giant rolling suitcase.

If you’re looking to get out more from your interior, a $2,000 Premium package is available, bringing heated steering wheel, leather seats and 8-way power adjustment for the driver seat. You should consider this option only if you’re okay with ice-cream or muddy paw marks in the backseat.

Where’s the power at?

As mentioned earlier, Toyota sells a Corolla with hybrid powertrain on Canadian grounds for the first time.

First, it’s worth mentioning that there are five available trims on the Corolla, not counting the hybrid powertrain: L, LE, XLE, SXE and SE. For the first three trims, buyers are treated with a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder unit rated at 139hp. Yes, it’s the same 1.8-liter found in the older Corollas but with more power and better fuel economy (7.1 liters/100 km combined).

The upper trims will be shipped with a new 2-liter 4-pot engine featured with direct injection and pushing 169hp to the wheels. Combined with a six-speed transmission, you will get a nice growl when accelerating on the merging lane towards the highway as well as some mildly fun acceleration figures.

If you’re one for sporty behavior, less body roll and some more kick when flooring the throttle pedal, you might want to look at the VW Jetta GLI or Hyundai Elantra Sport. However, compared with the 2020 Corolla, more speed is all you’re getting for the money.

The 2020 Toyota Corolla scores high on the driving feel. The 6-speed manual is a downright steal for the money, with great smoothness between shifts. The suspension keeps the car rolling over the road without trouble and there’s just a tiny bit of noise finding its way into the cabin.

Conclusion – new face, same efficiency

Toyota had to make sure the Corolla won’t sacrifice cost for a prettier face. And, with a competitively priced sedan that brings a new platform, revised engines and best-in-class comfort, it’s clear that the Japanese automaker attained its target.

The 2020 Corolla brings the same robustness while upgrading visuals. It didn’t turn into a sportscar overnight. But it had no need to, as the target market is rather lounging for comfort and low fuel costs. And when it comes to economy, the new sedan checks all boxes.