Corolla Touring Estate - Family 5

[W1P30UT]

Hi,

I am fan of Toyota, and particularly there hybrid system. I like the Corolla too, but wonder how the estate works for a family of 5 and a dog! I know the dog will fit in the back, but how does it work with three growing kids (two teenagers) of the back row. Also is the 1.8 underpowered for this, and loaded boot, roof box and small trailer? Should I consider the 2.0? Also the larger alloys on the Design and Excel do they make for a more noisy and bumpy ride.

Thanks in advance?

[Rosgoe]

The only way to find out is a test drive with all the family and the dog see if you can get a t/s for the week end not sure if it will be possible under the present covid rules (are you buying new)

I have the 1.8 hatchback I find it ok for performance except for when climbing long steep hills with luggage and passengers so you might be better off with the 2.0 litre especially if you are going to tow a trailer.

As regards road noise the t/s sport has the 17” alloys which should have slightly less road noise than the hatchback which has 18” alloys.

personally I would go for the design as the excel in my opinion is not worth the extras you get for the extra outlay.

[nielshm]

Even when I had a 140 hp diesel, I could fell a difference with 2 or 5 people on board. 

I love my Corolla 2.0 TS. I enjoy the feeling of power when I do a kick down. The 1.8 cant give me the same feeling, but for me it's happiness to own a car that can fill every need. 

[Gray86]

I’ve got a 2.0 TS, which I’m really happy with. There is much more space in the rear of the estate, than the hatch. The only complaint from me is rear headroom is only around 920mm (from seat to roof) so anyone over 6ft will probably have their head close to, or touching the ceiling. 
 

The 2.0 is great for carrying extra weight, and for motorway journeys with the extra performance over the 1.8. 

[Rambler56]

We got the TS for the extra space so we could actually use it for touring for 2 of us + 2 bikes and a small dog, it ticks all our boxes.  As for 5 up + dog etc I think you will be fine for 'shorter' journeys but the back seats can be a touch claustrophobic with the tinted glass and dark headlining (and roofline for taller passengers)) for longer trips.  I have not sat in the middle of the back seat (and never intend to!) but that spot is usually the deal breaker when considering 3 up in the back.  Given the fold down rear arm rest I think it will most likely be a tad hard sitting on the middle bolster with the arm rest behind.  Try it out with everyone in and see what you/they think.  By the way, I've done 5 up with top box in a Fiat Punto to France and the Netherlands and had no problem but the kids were small and all luggage fitted into the boot and top box, nothing stuck in the cabin.

[W1P30UT]

Hi. I managed to have a look at one on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately the rear seat is a bit tight for three growing kids. Lovely car otherwise.

[TonyHSD]

2 hours ago, W1P30UT said:

Hi. I managed to have a look at one on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately the rear seat is a bit tight for three growing kids. Lovely car otherwise.

Hi, I believe Toyota RAV4 or Prius plus are way more suitable and offer a lot more room inside for passengers and luggage. Corolla estate would be ok for two children perhaps, the Prius plus has 3 independent seats plus two extra seats in the boot., great car. 👍

[nielshm]

17 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

Hi, I believe Toyota RAV4 or Prius plus are way more suitable and offer a lot more room inside for passengers and luggage. Corolla estate would be ok for two children perhaps, the Prius plus has 3 independent seats plus two extra seats in the boot., great car. 👍

Is Prius+ still on sale? In Denmark it was removed from the model range long time ago.

[TonyHSD]

1 hour ago, nielshm said:

Is Prius+ still on sale? In Denmark it was removed from the model range long time ago.

Discontinued here too but there are used ones that are almost like new, the car itself is still preferred choice for many cab drivers, I too was driving few of these back in the days and they served me well for carrying passengers and luggage. 👍 Otherwise RAV4 , the size difference with Corolla is significant. 

[Gray86]

1 hour ago, TonyHSD said:

Discontinued here too but there are used ones that are almost like new, the car itself is still preferred choice for many cab drivers, I too was driving few of these back in the days and they served me well for carrying passengers and luggage. 👍 Otherwise RAV4 , the size difference with Corolla is significant. 

I agree with Tony, if you will regularly be carrying either 3 adults, or just tall adults in the back, a RAV is much more spacious. 
 

I noticed Toyota have released some info on their EV SUV this morning which looks very nice - potentially my next car in years to come when kids are grown up. 

[TonyHSD]

3 hours ago, Gray86 said:

I agree with Tony, if you will regularly be carrying either 3 adults, or just tall adults in the back, a RAV is much more spacious. 
 

I noticed Toyota have released some info on their EV SUV this morning which looks very nice - potentially my next car in years to come when kids are grown up. 

The new RAV4 is a winner , cost close to a fully spec Corolla TS, has 200+ bhp and does 50mpg, what else can you ask for. 👌

Here is the new ev from Toyota. Looks good indeed. 

 

[Gray86]

1 hour ago, TonyHSD said:

The new RAV4 is a winner , cost close to a fully spec Corolla TS, has 200+ bhp and does 50mpg, what else can you ask for. 👌

Here is the new ev from Toyota. Looks good indeed. 

 

Yes that’s the one! 
 

I think the RAV4 is around £5k more expensive than the Corolla (like for like spec). I would have loved one, but couldn’t quite justify the extra expense. 

[JoaoM]

Hi,

I have a family of 5, a small dog and a Corolla TS 2.0. They're not very tall or big so they fit nicely in the rear seats. The (bit crazy) dog preferes to go on their knees or on the floor near the AC exits... One thing about teenagers: they don't love to go with us "old guys" everywhere, so the number of times the car is full isn't that large. The 2.0 engine is just wonderful so I don't have any trouble in any type of road with any load.

That said, there's nothing like a big van/SUV in terms of space. That was the only reason I have bought a Corolla Verso when my little girl was born in 2008, as I couldn't fit three child seats on my previous 5dr HB. Now that they don't use child seats anymore, I've returned to regular cars.