First introduced back in 1966, and in less than a decade after that, the Toyota Corolla went on to become the best-selling car in the whole world. As a matter of fact, a Toyota Corolla is sold somewhere in the world every 37 seconds or so – that’s over 2,300 each day! Little wonder that the Corolla pretty much outsells every vehicle in its class put together.
Despite its immense popularity and unprecedented numbers, this reliable workhorse isn’t without stiff competition. Cars such as the stylish Honda Civic, the spacious Nissan Sentra, and the suave yet affordable Renault Megane are now more eager than ever to pull buyers away from the crown champion.
Exterior
The 2019 Toyota Corolla isn’t particularly all that new, with its current form factor having first surfaced back in 2014. However, the Corolla’s design hasn’t really aged that much, thus continues to look quite modern even today. The front fascia of the Corolla has sharp features and the stylish chrome-clad nose is adorned by the Toyota logo. The chrome embellishment extends right into the sleek headlamp housing; the latter also has LED daytime-running lights.
The sides of the Corolla don’t have much going on from a design standpoint, and end up looking rather bland. The rear of the sedan looks much better with various style treatments doing their thing to spruce things up. Case in point is the rather large rear bumper which can be had with a faux diffuser to make it look even sportier. There’s also a thin strip of chrome that runs between the two taillamp housing. The taillights themselves feature several LED elements to brighten things up.
The 2019 Toyota Corolla is 4.620 meters long, 1.775 meters wide, 1.460 meters tall, and boasts a wheelbase of 2.700 meters. As far as cargo capacity is concerned, this sedan boasts of a fairly decent 470-liter boot.
Interior
The 2019 Toyota Corolla has a practically and ergonomically designed cabin. It is definitely not made with the utmost passion or high-end materials, but everything is well put together and it is built to last. Storage space in the cabin won’t be a bother and the seats offer enough cushioning and support.
The design itself of the centre-stack and instrument binnacle is nothing to write home about and feel pretty industrial. However, it is easy to figure out all the buttons and switchgear, as ease of use is a bigger priority here than outright visual appeal. That said, you can get the Corolla with features such as cruise control, keyless entry with push-button start, automatic climate control, wireless phone charger, a leather-wrapped multi-function steering wheel, an electric sunroof, 16-inch alloy wheels, and LED headlights with automatic-levelling.
Safety features on the Toyota Corolla include the standard nannies such as dual front airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, stability control, ISOFIX child seat anchors, tire pressure warning system, and rear parking sensors.
Engine and performance
The 2019 Toyota Corolla comes with two engine options – a 1.6-liter, and a 2.0-liter four-cylinder. While the smaller engine develops 121 HP and 154 Nm of torque, the 2.0-liter puts out 143 HP and 187 Nm of pulling force. Both engines channel their power to the front wheels via a CVT gearbox. Toyota engineers have programmed this CVT to behave as though it has got 7 gear ratios in order to reduce the rubber band effect.
The 1.6-liter avatar of the Corolla can do the run to the ton in 11.0 seconds, and hit a top speed of 190 km/h. The more powerful 2.0-liter Corolla has a top speed of 195 km/h, and can hit 100 km/h in only 9.7 seconds. The 1.6-liter Corolla can deliver a fuel economy figure of 5.5L/100 km, whereas the Corolla with the 2.0-liter mill returns an average economy figure of 6.1L/100 km.
Verdict
Pricing for the 2019 Toyota Corolla begins at AED 70,900 for the base 1.6L SE version, and the fully-loaded 2.0L Limited trim comes in at AED 96,600. The cost of insurance for the former starts at AED 1,595, while the premium for the latter starts at AED 1,864.
