What do you love/hate about your Corolla Touring?

[maurice28]

Hi all - first time post here! 

I am due to start receiving a car allowance through work and so am looking to lease a new estate. I think I've narrowed the options down to a Corolla Touring (probably a 2.0 Design) or a Seat Leon Estate?

I'm keen to hear from owners what you love/hate about the Corolla Touring? From the reading and videos I've viewed, it seems to be a comfortable, practical reliable car with a dated infotainment system and occasionally noisy auto gearbox at high revs?

No matter how minor or trivial, what are the things you really enjoy and the things that really annoy you about yours?

[Popama]

Hello,

Having recently bought a Corolla TS 2.0 hybrid myself and having helped a friend order a Seat Leon Estate PHEV I found the following differences between the models:
- Corolla has independent rear suspension and the Leon does not

- Corolla TS has room for a full size spare wheel and Leon does not have space for any spare
- Leon has remote start and Toyota has disabled this feature for the European market

- Some of us find the touch sensitive climate control of the Leon hard to live with and Corolla has the usual knobs

- The ground clearance of the Leon seems better than the standard Corolla ( comparable to the Corolla Trek version which is not sold on all markets )

Comparing a Toyota hybrid with any PHEV is not very realistic but where we live they are actually sold with a less than 1000 euro difference ( the non-PHEV Leon SportsTourer actually has space for a spare wheel or at least a spacesaver ).

[Yugguy1970]

Howdo.

If a reviewer describes the Corolla as having a noisy auto gearbox then they are not worth their salt as they obviously don't understand the car.

The e-cvt is basically silent.  What they may be hearing is the engine at high rpm when the car is accelerating hard.

 

[TonyHSD]

Hi Richard and welcome. 

 “From the reading and videos I've viewed, it seems to be a comfortable, practical reliable car with a dated infotainment system and occasionally noisy auto gearbox at high revs?” - you better don’t take their word for a serious, reviews like that I usually watch for entertainment purposes only! Toyota hybrids has the simplest and most reliable drive train off all cars, pretty much as good as electric cars. Seat might be better by screen or infotainment, might have faster acceleration depending what engine you pick but there is no better car to drive than Toyota hybrids in terms of comfort, smoothness, reliability, efficiency and drivability in general. If it’s a company car you get whatever you can but if you spend your money or planning to keep the car for longer Toyota always been the best choice. 👍

 

[maurice28]

Thanks all! Yes, I took the mentions of noise with a pinch of salt to be honest, and I'm coming from an 11-year-old Vauxhall Astra so it's certainly going to be quieter than that!

[Cyker]

I expect it is a bit noisy if you give it lots of beans, but no more than any car at 6000rpm! I will grant it is more noticeable as the car is normally much quieter than a normal car, road noise aside.

Having sat in one I have to say it's a really nice car; Much more comfortable than my Yaris Mk4, and has surprisingly good punch and handling for something so much bigger! My uncle nearly bought one, but ended up opting for a Kia Ceed estate due to shortages/lead times, and was also slightly put off by all my Toyota dealer CS troubles. Might be worth a look too (And the i30 estate, basically the same car) - Has a similar feel, but probably nowhere near as frugal.

Neither is particularly exciting inside or out, but they both drive really nicely and I like the little quality of life features like the pull-handles to drop the rear seats from the boot. I do prefer the Corollas controls to the Kia tho' - Partly because I've been driving Toyotas for so long they feel more familiar, but the Kia feels like it has so many more random buttons! It's like someone fired a canister full of buttons at the dash and centre console!  I do prefer buttons over touch controls, but I also don't like button overload - unimportant functions and functions that shouldn't be used while driving can be relegated to a touch screen! (But definitely not important things like HVAC controls or hazard warning! One reason I'd likely avoid all Teslas and newer VW's...)

 

[Gray86]

I have got a 2.0 Design TS, and after nearly 11 months and 7,000 miles I’m well used to living with it now. 
 

Things I like: 

- The powertrain. More than adequate performance, combined with amazing fuel economy. Over 60mpg is possible over the tank if you are careful. very smooth, and seamless e-cvt. responsive throttle. Generally great to drive 

- tidy handling 
- seats are comfortable 

- lots of tech as standard

- boot is big, practical & clever. Lots of pockets, netting, adjustment. Very impressed (and two LED strips along both sides) 

- air con works from hybrid Battery so doesn’t need petrol engine running. Great creeping forward in queues with A/C on. 

- ride quality is excellent. 
 

- value for money, a lot better than rivals considering quality of engineering, warranty & tech. 
 

what I don’t like much: 

- headroom is limited if you are over 6ft. Especially in the rear (hatch has a bit more rear headroom) 

- few small rattles around cabin 

- rear door aperture could do with opening a bit wider (for childs seats) 

- piano black interior shows up dust

- when engine is cold it wants to run / idle at 1,500rpm+ which hurts refinement temporarily. 
 

- tech doesn’t work quite as well in equivalent German car. The adaptive cruise, Lane trace etc aren’t quite as ‘polished’ as VW’s tech. 
 

- brake pedal transition from regen to disks often includes a noticeable step. Bit disconcerting sometimes. 
 

overall: 

it’s an excellent car - nice to drive, performance and economy in excess, great boot, comfortable & reliable, with a few complaints that I can live with. 

 

[Yugguy1970]

I know it's not a Seat but it is part of the VAG family, I had a 21 plate Skoda Kamiq for a day while my car had the boot trim replaced.

Compared to the RAV, and what I remember of the Corolla I test drove, interior plastics were cheap and the whole car felt tinny and insubstantial.

[Swanthecat]

One of the best things about the Corolla estate for me is the space with the rear seats down and the movable cargo bar/net. This makes an enormous space for both of my very large Greyhounds to lie down in comfort plus still giving room for all the paraphernalia which goes with them. I find most of the gadgets on my Design spec work well for me apart from the road sign recognition system which is abysmal and of course the infotainment system which is garbage. I’m due to get Apple car play installed this week at its second service so I hope to make the arguments with the voice control lady a thing of the past. Other things which I wish I knew before buying include the very poor visibility over the shoulder due to the large B pillar and wide seat back which is a safety concern for me but maybe that’s more my seating position. There are also a few annoying things around things needing resetting every time you drive like the brake hold needs selecting every time you start the car plus the radio display defaults back to the annoying North up map display every time you start up. Overall though I do find the car quite boring and do wish I had thought about it a bit more before selecting the Corolla.

[nielshm]

Well, in general, if you're a high miler, like 20.000 miles per year, it requires 2 services each year.  I drive just above that, and I can get the feeling, "Not again, I've just been there" I don't know how it is in UK, but price differences between dealers are huge, 100% or more with big city dealers vs. countryside dealers. So the cheapest dealer is 80 km away, but savings compared to my nearest dealer is 40%.

With the car in general, it without question the best car I've ever owned. If only Speakers were a bit better, and road noise lower, if would be nearly perfect. The auto high beam is crap, works 1 out of 10 times. It's one of the small thinks that Toyota knows about, but it takes forever to find a solution, like 2-3 years!! The kick sensor to open the boot, I never uses it. I look like a idiot standing on one leg and waving the other leg in all directions.

I don't have a spare tyre, only the standard sealer from the factory. Filling the car with stuff, the extra room under the floor is huge, and holiday travel with 4 persons is no trouble. In Touring Sport of course.

[RzrAzr]

One thing that hasn't been mentioned here, is that Leon's AC does not work as good as AC on Toyota. Had a 17' Leon, AC lots of times has to be on full blast. Tried Auris the other day...boy that thing blows some cold air, a lot better than Leon. I am in Spain however so this is important for me.

I don't know if they have re-done anything with the HVAC system for the PHEV, but knowing how cheap VAG is I doubt they have. 

[Yugguy1970]

I've seen people do that with the kick sensor and I just think, press the button.  It's like that gesture control they messed about with a few years back.  Instead of just turning a knob like a normal human being you were meant to gyrate your fingers like a **** wizard 😅

[Popama]

2 hours ago, Yugguy1970 said:

I've seen people do that with the kick sensor and I just think, press the button.  It's like that gesture control they messed about with a few years back.  

Whenever I find myself having to put down the box I brought to the car in  order to manually lift the tailgate I think of the gesture option and how it is meant for those situations and not daily dancing one's foot at the back of the vehicle.

[Yugguy1970]

Some cars have had gesture control inside as well for the audio controls and such.

[maurice28]

Thanks all, some really interesting points here! Someone above also mentioned the Kia Ceed Estate, which I was also looking at yesterday, so plenty to think about!

Obviously I'll be going out to test drive those on the shortlist, but really interesting to hear the perspective of owners so thank you!

[StreetHawk]

Likes - Smooth, quiet and economical, well made, doors close with a nice thud, looks good, hybrid drivetrain is very clever, interior is a nice place to sit, 10 year warranty!

Dislikes - Cannot choose options, most are a set spec for each trim level, the screen and infotainment (use CarPlay so can get around it), the radar cruise/lane assist does not work as well as others, the level of road noise can get annoying 

Really happy with it though.. I would consider a full electric if there were any decent family estate options but they don’t exist yet.

[clix]

corolla 1.8 hybrid TS 2021,

+++

+ great value for money
+lots of safety / tech as standard (emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane assist,..)
+great fuel economy with mix of different roads (5.2 L/100km at pump, 54british MPG)
+great handling
+comfy seats
+spacious interior, big boot
+great looking dashboard, nice place to be in
+very relaxed, smooth and quiet in the city and on b-roads
+looks good, better than most competitors IMHO

---

-tire/road noise on highway, it is quite loud, especially in the tunnels (we have 130kmh /80mph speed limit) (stock 225 45 17 falken zeix ZE914b )
-dashboard intrudes into passenger space bit, for no other reason, than the design. Can be a bit problematic with some child /baby seats in the back. Otherwise it is non issue. It also intrudes next to a steering wheel and I sometimes hit it with my knee when entering /exiting the car. (for reference, I like my wheel rather close to my chest but have long legs... Haven't found a car, where I could pull the wheel far enough out.)
-brake pedal transition from re-gen to normal brakes is felt and sometimes annoying. When you are breaking with re-gen, and want to brake more, you press the brake pedal more, but braking force doesn't increase. So you press even more and, braking is suddenly stronger than you would prefer.
-ground clearance is not that great

overall, the positives outweigh the negatives for me, would chose it again.

[maurice28]

Hi all, just a follow up question to this if I may. How much do you find that a cable plugged into the dash USB (by the glovebox) intrudes into the passenger's leg room? Is it something they'd have to make sure they avoid knocking or is it pretty much out of the way?

[Swanthecat]

Hi Maurice, only if the passenger is Michael Flatley, otherwise it is pretty much out of the way

[RzrAzr]

1 hour ago, maurice28 said:

Hi all, just a follow up question to this if I may. How much do you find that a cable plugged into the dash USB (by the glovebox) intrudes into the passenger's leg room? Is it something they'd have to make sure they avoid knocking or is it pretty much out of the way?

It has been mentioned enough times I think. When I get mine I will look for an angled USB cable, so it is out of the way anyways

[clix]

The position is quite wired, but in real life I never notice it. My knees are never next to the plug.

[maurice28]

Brilliant, thanks all! Obviously it's something to check when I get to test drive!

[Bozz]

On 9/29/2021 at 10:36 PM, clix said:

corolla 1.8 hybrid TS 2021,

+++

+ great value for money
+lots of safety / tech as standard (emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane assist,..)
+great fuel economy with mix of different roads (5.2 L/100km at pump, 54british MPG)
+great handling
+comfy seats
+spacious interior, big boot
+great looking dashboard, nice place to be in
+very relaxed, smooth and quiet in the city and on b-roads
+looks good, better than most competitors IMHO

---

-tire/road noise on highway, it is quite loud, especially in the tunnels (we have 130kmh /80mph speed limit) (stock 225 45 17 falken zeix ZE914b )
-dashboard intrudes into passenger space bit, for no other reason, than the design. Can be a bit problematic with some child /baby seats in the back. Otherwise it is non issue. It also intrudes next to a steering wheel and I sometimes hit it with my knee when entering /exiting the car. (for reference, I like my wheel rather close to my chest but have long legs... Haven't found a car, where I could pull the wheel far enough out.)
-brake pedal transition from re-gen to normal brakes is felt and sometimes annoying. When you are breaking with re-gen, and want to brake more, you press the brake pedal more, but braking force doesn't increase. So you press even more and, braking is suddenly stronger than you would prefer.
-ground clearance is not that great

overall, the positives outweigh the negatives for me, would chose it again.

Collected my 2.0 TS Design this week and although I've only driven about 150 miles so far my first impressions are

+ great value for money
+lots of safety / tech as standard (emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane assist,..)
+great fuel economy mostly non motorway so far so a mix of urban and A road / B roads and indicating around 61mpg - it encourages gentle driving
+Pretty good handling although it leans a bit in the corners
+comfy seats although my other half wants adjustable lumbar support on the passenger side
+spacious interior, big boot
+great looking dashboard, nice place to be in
+very relaxed, smooth and quiet - the drivetrain is an amazing piece of engineering the transition from and to ICE is barely noticeable

+ very good overtaking performance 
+looks good, better than most competitors IMHO

+ fit and finish seems excellent (even the window rubbers :-) with excellent paint quality

 

- Tyres were over inflated to 5barg!!!!  on delivery so ride was a bit hard and steering very light!!! - stern note sent to dealer

- Complicated display menus and rubbish drivers handbook (index is useless)

- Low resolution touch screen and ICE doesn't seem to like my Tidal music library via Apple car play

- Steering very low geared

- brake pedal transition from re-gen to normal brakes is felt and sometimes annoying. When you are breaking with re-gen, and want to brake more, you press the brake pedal more, but braking force doesn't increase. So you press even more and, braking is suddenly stronger than you would prefer. At low speed they can grab too.

Very happy so far though!!!

 

[Roy124]

On 10/14/2021 at 6:23 PM, RzrAzr said:

It has been mentioned enough times I think. When I get mine I will look for an angled USB cable, so it is out of the way anyways

Plenty from Amazon, some on a short cable, some just a plug alone.  USB 3 to boot. 

[Roy124]

"Complicated display menus and rubbish drivers handbook (index is useless)" 

They seem to assume that people expect a handbook but won't read it.  No mention of the online manual that is more than double the size.  Yes, index is useless, at least online you can search. 

By chance I found the emergency call button has its own Battery which has a life of no more than 3 years. As Micheal Caine might say 'not a lot of people know that'.