“Love your website. As a 70 year old with a passion for nice cars, I would love your comments on the latest Toyota Corolla ZR Hybrid. I just love the looks, but does it have enough boot space and rear seat space for an interstate trip? Also how would the Hybrid perform on such a trip? My concern is overall power and highway touring ability. My other very real concern for a long interstate trip on that ZR Hybrid has no spare tyre. Do tyre repair kits actually work when you are out on that interstate highway, with a long distance to the next town? This car has to be one of the best lookers released in recent times, but do looks override practically when considering a purchase?”
THANKS WARREN … couldn’t you have asked something simpler?
First up, congratulations for being a 70-year-old willing to embrace change. People like you are what this website is all about.
Toyota now offers a hybrid variant of every model in their range, so the future is upon us. The ZR is the top-spec model, and choosing the hybrid version comes at a very reasonable premium of just $1500 over the petrol version (it’s the same premium for all Corolla models).
Great news for all potential buyers is the hugely improved safety specifications, including autonomous emergency braking, lane departure alert with steering assist and all-speed active cruise control (CVT models only), blind spot monitoring, active cornering control (torque vectoring by braking), reversing camera and seven airbags. The new Corolla also gets a pre-collision safety system that includes pedestrian detection at night and cyclist detection during the day, plus a windscreen mounted camera that recognises speed limit signs (unless, as is so often the case, they are hidden behind trees, buildings, bus stops or other obstacles – heaven only knows how the camera will cope with conflicting speed limit signs, such as in roadworks, or speed limits that apply only during certain hours or “when children are present”).
We agree that the Corolla is a great looking machine, especially with the 18-inch alloys fitted as standard to the ZR. Other standard equipment on the ZR includes a large colour head-up display, bi-LED headlights, heated sports front seats with leather and “ultrasuede” inserts, premium eight-speaker JBL sound system, 7.0-inch colour driver’s display, ambient interior lighting, electro-chromatic rear-view mirror, dual zone air conditioning and digital radio. That’s a lot of kit for $31,870 (plus on road costs).
Now, as to your specific enquiries, we have forwarded your email to Toyota Australia for a detailed response, but will answer some of your questions before hearing back from them.
Let’s start with boot space. The Corolla boot in most models can swallow a derisory 217 litres (actually less than in a Yaris). As you note, the ZR (and other) hybrid models dispense with the space saver spare in favour of an inflator kit, so theoretically cargo space in Australian models will be 333 litres. Dropping the rear seats increases that, of course, but that means you’ll be doing your interstate touring two-up – forget taking passengers if you or your wife pack for any eventuality.
Rear seat space is also a disappointment (so maybe leaving passengers at home isn’t such a bad idea). Rear seat passengers taller than 180cm will find both head and leg room restricted, and the rear seat wouldn’t be a great place for an extended trip.
As for performance, the hybrid’s powertrain is derived from the current generation Prius. It combines a 1.8-litre Atkinson Cycle petrol engine (maximum power of 72kW at 5200rpm and peak torque of 142Nm at 3600rpm) with an electric motor (53kW and 163Nm) to deliver combined power of 90kW. That’s down from the previous 100kW. The official ratings for the hybrid are 53kW and 163Nm. The upside is the average fuel consumption is improved to 4.2L/100km and it only needs 91 RON fuel. Part of that is because Australia will only be offered the efficiency-oriented hybrid, not the sportier and more powerful 2.0-litre petrol-electric combo available in Europe – despite the ZR moniker, the hybrid Corolla is tuned for economy over sportiness. It would have been nice to be given the choice. Fortunately, the hybrid doesn’t suffer a weight penalty against other models, weighing in at around 1400kg.
Overseas reports suggest that despite having reduced power, the hybrid Corolla actually feels quicker off the line and stronger through the mid-range. The CVT transmission is programmed with 10 “shifts” that can be activated using the steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters or moving the transmission into manual mode. There are three driving modes – Eco, Normal and Sport.
ZR buyers will feel well-treated with red stitching on the dashboard and red inserts for the doors, console and seats. The JBL sound system is a high-quality unit as well.
And yes, you’re right to be concerned about the lack of a spare, and the inclusion of a repair kit. This goo will get you mobile again, provided the puncture isn’t a gashed side wall (spray sealant can only repair punctures in the actual tread zone), in which case the stuff simply doesn’t work. The benefit is that you don’t need to remove the luggage, remove the spare, replace the wheel, reinsert the damaged tyre and wheel into the well and repack the boot. On the other hand, once a punctured tyre has been sealed using an inflator kit, many tyre repairers declare it unrepairable, so you’ll be up for a replacement tyre.
We’ll come back with more information about using a Corolla ZR Hybrid for interstate touring as it comes to hand, and once we have had a proper chance to drive and evaluate the 2018 Toyota Corolla ZR Hybrid for ourselves. Oh, and do good looks override practicality when making the purchase decision? Of course they do, just don’t admit it!