Toyota Corolla GR Sport or Excel

[Emrah]

Hi everyone 

I am a delivery driver and I do city driving 90% of the time.

I have got Ford focus titanium ecoboost it does 36 mpg and constantly I get problems with it recently.

I would like to get a car which is good at fuel and family size.

If it was for only work I would go for yaris my eyes closed but we need a bigger car for family.

Is Toyota reliable for constantly driving 8 to 10 hours a day?

What are the goods and bads?

I need a strong car and your comments and recommendations would be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Jackfire]

I’ve had the 2.0l GR for the last year. It’s been a great car to drive. I’m changing to the 1.8 Excel in 23 as improvements to hybrid and economy. There is confusion over next years specifications so be cautious. I have been on long journeys mainly but get 55+ mpg

[TonyHSD]

Hi Emrah and welcome. 
Toyota Corolla TS will be the perfect car for family and business travel. The hatchback is little bit on the smaller size particularly in the rear seat, boot is decent and normal for its class, rear seats can fold completely flat which is a great addition. You mentioned GR sport or Excel and imo neither of these is best suited for very long use because of their sport front seats. They are very comfortable to seat in and drive the car with great support however their side bolsters are little bit too large and bit too hard for extreme long ours inside the car. There is also one more thing about these two specs Corolla you should pay attention to before you place your order: the wheels sizes., these specs comes with 18” wheels and 235/40 18 uhp tyre, which are most unsuitable wheels tyres combo for that estate car, they only look good but in reality they comes with more downsides than benefit. 
Best spec for business is icon or design, design it’s more suitable for family use and business where icon will come as business first and then family. The other two specs gr or excel are more for occasional drive like up to 20k a year. , anything more the design or icon wins. They have smaller wheels, softer seats. 17 and 16” which are way more suitable for these cars. 

[AndrueC]

The hatchback variants are not 'family cars' or are at best 'young family cars'. Adults can sit in the rear seats but only children will be comfortable enough for a long journey. But for reference (and because I love my 1.8 HB) mine averages perhaps 60 mpg over the year.

[Yugguy1970]

Get a 2.0 design estate.  The Excel has nothing extra you really need cos the Design already has a lot.  The GR is just a design with harder suspension.

 

(IMO, YMMV etc 🤣)

[davidif]

23 minutes ago, Yugguy1970 said:

Get a 2.0 design estate.  The Excel has nothing extra you really need cos the Design already has a lot.  The GR is just a design with harder suspension.

 

(IMO, YMMV etc 🤣)

I tested a few models before settling on a 2.0Excel, the main reason being that I found it quieter.

 

[Chriss27]

Go for 1.8 as slightly better on fuel economy 

[Gray86]

11 hours ago, Yugguy1970 said:

Get a 2.0 design estate.  The Excel has nothing extra you really need cos the Design already has a lot.  The GR is just a design with harder suspension.

 

(IMO, YMMV etc 🤣)

I thought it was only the CH-R GR Sport that has harder suspension. The Corolla GR Sport is just styling tweaks & nicer seats 

[Cyker]

Ironically the hybrids are actually MORE reliable when used more (Quite a few members have had problems with the 12v Battery running down, and it's mostly due to lack of use!)

At least me and TonyHSD, and probably a few others on here too, use our hybrids for work and not just commuting/transport, so they get used constantly. I'm not a delivery driver, but I have  a semi-similar driving pattern as I'm bouncing from site to site throughout the day, and my Yaris Mk4 has never skipped a beat.

The hybrids consistently top reliability rankings, even beating out most EVs, and I'm sure whatever one you get will be a lot more reliable than the Ford!

Of the picks, I second the Corolla Estate - The back seats are much better placed than in the hatchback, so normal humans with normal human legs can sit comfortably, and I reckon it would work well for deliveries.

The Yaris/Corolla crossovers may also work, but as I have a totally reasonable and justified irrational hatred of SUVs I couldn't go as far as recommend one  

I think the 1.8 will be the engine for you - It's the most economical and you probably won't need the grunt of the 2.0 unless you're regularly travelling somewhere with excessive inclines like Bath or most of Wales  

 

[Mojo1010]

The 1.8 is the one probably suited best for your work - economy. Also in HB this has more boot space than the 2.0. If need more space then the TS (estate). GR spec is just styling, harder setup which u would not want to be driving hours for. The Yaris cross may be ok for your requirement. 

[Corollanutter]

I agree with the comments about the seats in the Excel being very comfortable, however they are not the best design for constant entry / exit as you catch the large bolsters all the time. My 2019 Excel model is showing signs of wear on the drivers outer bolster due to this. However the TS is much better than the hatch rear seat space wise - and far better for carrying goods. I was delighted to find I could still carry my 3m plus photo background in the same way I did in my (larger) Avensis Estate. 

[DC_Ms]

15 hours ago, Corollanutter said:

I agree with the comments about the seats in the Excel being very comfortable, however they are not the best design for constant entry / exit as you catch the large bolsters all the time. My 2019 Excel model is showing signs of wear on the drivers outer bolster due to this. However the TS is much better than the hatch rear seat space wise - and far better for carrying goods. I was delighted to find I could still carry my 3m plus photo background in the same way I did in my (larger) Avensis Estate. 

I’m guessing you have the seat type from the first image …. Do you know why I’m seeing the second type on some Excel models ? Is it by year or maybe country related … I am very confused which one is the current excel leather seat 

[TonyHSD]

22 minutes ago, DC_Ms said:

I’m guessing you have the seat type from the first image …. Do you know why I’m seeing the second type on some Excel models ? Is it by year or maybe country related … I am very confused which one is the current excel leather seat 

First picture is the current model and the second is the 2019, seats are exactly the same and the only difference is that the current model has full synthetic leather seats where the previous 2019 the middle part it’s cloth. Both seats are very nice to seat in and drive, just not for taxi use or long long stay like me for example 12hrs shift, my car is my office and seat comfort is  ultra important, plus the seats needs to be comfortable to relax on them too , like few naps here and there. 

[davidif]

5 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

First picture is the current model and the second is the 2019, seats are exactly the same and the only difference is that the current model has full synthetic leather seats where the previous 2019 the middle part it’s cloth. Both seats are very nice to seat in and drive, just not for taxi use or long long stay like me for example 12hrs shift, my car is my office and seat comfort is  ultra important, plus the seats needs to be comfortable to relax on them too , like few naps here and there. 

Mine is a 2020 and has the same seats as the second picture. I find them very comfortable for my largish frame!

 

[Geoff W]

Nobody has mention this yet, but might not the award winning Corolla Commercial be an even better option?

See the Corolla Media web site for more details:

https://media.toyota.co.uk/awards-success-for-toyota-hilux-and-corolla-commercial/

[DC_Ms]

@TonyHSD thank you , although I was hoping mine to have the one from the 2nd image , that of course if I will get any car at all 🫣 and I hope you’re wrong about those seats used in taxi 🙃

[TonyHSD]

55 minutes ago, DC_Ms said:

@TonyHSD thank you , although I was hoping mine to have the one from the 2nd image , that of course if I will get any car at all 🫣 and I hope you’re wrong about those seats used in taxi 🙃

Are you gonna use yours for taxi? 
If yes it will be fine but naps on these definitely not as comfortable as on Prius or auris or icon and design specs. Driving though might be even more comfortable. I only sat in those in showrooms therefore only as first impressions about comfort and as friend of mine said the same, he had a Corolla gr hatchback for two weeks and didn’t like it at all, he didn’t like the car as a car and hybrid system, everything. He is a diesel convert. 😂

[DC_Ms]

4 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

Are you gonna use yours for taxi? 
If yes it will be fine but naps on these definitely not as comfortable as on Prius or auris or icon and design specs. Driving though might be even more comfortable. I only sat in those in showrooms therefore only as first impressions about comfort and as friend of mine said the same, he had a Corolla gr hatchback for two weeks and didn’t like it at all, he didn’t like the car as a car and hybrid system, everything. He is a diesel convert. 😂

I will get back to you after a couple of weeks driving in these seats - if on job I would have time for naps , that’s straight bankruptcy 😂