Let’s Talk About the 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatch

Thabiso Malimela

In South Africa, there are some unwritten rules that if not adhered to, one can be ostracized for being a heretic. Some of these range from Nelson Mandela is the next best thing after a deity to When celebrating any event, one must put together a braai. I’m almost certain that on this list on unwritten rules, you will find something along the lines of The Toyota Corolla is the best compact sedan…ever!

Well, in 2019, you’d be over-optimistic AND incorrect for saying that! Because while that statement is no longer true in that the Corolla is no longer the clear car of choice in the C-Segment sedan range, it is also nullified by the fact that the Toyota Corolla isn’t even exclusively a sedan anymore. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring to you the Toyota Corolla Hatch.

As you can tell by the third word in this car’s name, the body resembles that of a hatchback and without getting too technical, this means that the car looks like a sedan that has been rear-ended by a fully loaded 18-wheeler truck coming down Van Reenen’s pass with malfunctioning brakes. So yeah, you get the picture.

The Corolla Hatch picks up where the Auris left off, meaning it shares the same lineage with the RunX, Tazz (and subsequently the Conquest as well) and the 1985 Toyota Corolla Conquest. While the now discontinued Auris didn’t particularly leave big shoes to fill for the new car, any of these cars from RunX and older hold a very special place in South African hearts. And with the C-Segment hatchback market heating up with the much-anticipated arrival of the 8th generation Volkswagen Golf, saying the Toyota Corolla Hatch has a lot to live up to would be a vast understatement. So, let’s see what the new kid on the block has to offer!

Greater Appeal to Young Buyers

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Let’s assume for a second that this car was not named the Corolla Hatch. Just by looking at it, who do you picture driving it? – a middle-aged woman whose daughter is about to celebrate their 21st birthday or a young professional in their mid-20s who’s just received a promotion at work? Just recently, I met up with a friend who falls in the latter archetype and told him about the new Corolla Hatch. His face conveyed unparalleled indifference up until the point where I showed him some visuals of the car, at which point his face lit up with an expression akin to one that men have whenever Kim Kardashian posts a raunchy picture on Instagram – a picture sure speaks a thousand words!

This came as no surprise to me as Toyota has gone to town with the styling, making sure that the Corolla Hatch exudes the presence of a much more theatrical nature than its competitors and predecessors. The narrow LED headlights now feature sharp corners and are designed to look like they meet in the middle, which reminds me of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle’s eye mask. The grille…well you could call it a grille, but you can get away with calling it a shark’s gaping mouth because that’s what it looks like! Altogether, the front fascia of the Toyota Corolla Hatch looks like a vicious predator looking for some prey (I hear they like to feed on Mazda 3s and Ford Focuses).

While the car is not imposing in the least bit, moving to towards the side and finding 16-inch alloy wheels wrapped in eco tyres leaves you somewhat confused. Imagine a T-Rex, but instead of the small arms, this predator has small feet and is wearing crocs. Anyway, moving to the rear, things start to get aggressive again however now there’s a bit more elegance mixed in with the testosterone. There’s a cool and rather large rear spoiler to stabilise the rear end using the dark art of aerodynamics, a sloping rear window with beautifully designed ends, a sharply designed rear bumper that looks like it belongs in a Need For Speed modifying parts list and lastly, transparent LED taillights. Is it just me or do the front and rear lights share the same contour design?

Sporty Architecture

Continuing with the youthful theme, the Corolla Hatch’s platform is based on the Toyota Prius and C-HR SUV. Yes, you read that right – the word youthful and Prius peacefully coexist in the same sentence. While the Prius is as sporty as my grandma on a Sunday afternoon, the Corolla Hatch receives a chassis that is 60% stiffer than the Auris and its centre of gravity is lower than before, both a recipe for a frivolous and thus sporty driving experience. A 40 mm longer wheelbase, 30 mm wider track, and being 25 mm lower to the ground means that the Corolla Hatch is altogether a more spacious car than its predecessor, the Auris.

Coupled to the sporty chassis is a rather generic McPherson strut suspension setup in the front while the rear, amazingly, receives a double-wishbone arrangement which gives the Corolla Hatch a ride that is initially soft on impulse but gradually firms up during sustained loading as you egg the car on. Add a 1395 kg kerb weight and it’s easy to see how Toyota will be able to adapt this car for even sportier handling when they decide to bring on a fire breathing Gazoo Racing variant of the Corolla Hatch in the second half of its life cycle.

The Toyota Corolla Finally Goes Turbo!

Due to rising pressure from exhaust emissions regulators and peer pressure from rivals, the Toyota Corolla hatch receives a small capacity turbocharged petrol engine for the first time in the company’s history. Seeing how turbo engines are complex to engineer, it’s easy to see why Toyota has abstained from turbo-technology for such a long time (I mean, simplicity is essential to their philosophy). The turbocharged engine in question is a direct-injected 1.2 litre 4-cylinder petrol unit also found in the C-HR with Intelligent Variable Valve Timing on the intake valves (VVT-iw). Power figures stand at 85 kW while torque sits pretty at 185 N.m, enough for the car to drive purposefully rather than lazily dragging itself everywhere. Expect fuel consumption figures as low as 6.1 litres per 100 km which goes to show that going turbo wasn’t exactly a bad move for Toyota.

The solitary powerplant in the Corolla range is available with two drivetrain options, the first being a sporty auto-rev matching 6-speed Intelligent Manual Transmission (iMT) which delivers smooth and seamless gear changes on the XS manual. Fitted with this gearbox option, the Corolla Hatch will accelerate from 0 – 100 km/h in 9.5 seconds. The second, and by far the more interesting gearbox option is the Direct Shift 10-speed Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) on the XS CVT and XR CVT Corolla Hatch variants. This advanced transmission is designed to deliver better efficiency and fuel consumption while allowing for a relaxing driving experience. It is also a great advocate in making the Corolla Hatch feel like you’re riding on a cloud of dependability. The 10-speed CVT can be configured into 3 pre-set settings: Eco, Normal and Sport. When in the Sport setting, the obligatory 0 – 100 km/h sprint will be completed in 10.4 seconds. Oh, and did I mention that this CVT comes with a manual override option where it allows you to shift gears sequentially (and aggressively) using the gear lever like you’re a 1990’s touring car driver? Altogether, the combination of the 1.2 litre engine and any one of these two transmissions adds some unique character to the Corolla Hatch’s driving experience. But if it is outright character you’re after, then you’re better off waiting for Gazoo Racing’s take on a sporty Corolla Hatch.

The Dichotomy in the Corolla Hatch

After regaining some composure after taking in the striking exterior of the Corolla Hatch and open its doors to get into the cabin, your initial reaction will probably be that of an anti-climactic nature and that can be only blamed on the car. With an exterior like that and the natural assumption of consistency, you kind of expect the same “wow” factor on the inside as well. The first thing that gets grabs your attention is the colour infotainment touchscreen display sitting proudly on the dashboard like royalty. I guess it looks like royalty up until you find out that this system lacks satellite navigation and common smartphone connectivity features such as Android Auto and Apple Car Play – c’ mon Toyota! However, this infotainment is still concise and intuitive to use and you also get a reversing camera and a 6-speaker Bluetooth audio system.

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Now that the sour news is out that way, we’re pleased to report that even though the Corolla Hatch’s interior isn’t particularly exciting, its simplistic and elegant design along with some meticulous attention to detail culminate into a cabin that feels like a safe space with all the reassurance it gives its occupants. Components such as the gear selector knob, steering wheel, the mid-level dashboard and centre console all get the leather treatment while the top-level of the dashboard is wrapped in a soft-touch plastic (looks like plastic, feels like leather…yeah science!). The leather multifunctional steering wheel features some buttons on the spokes that give you the option to operate the audio system, the telephone and cruise control without taking your hands off the wheel.

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There is a 4.2-inch full-colour TFT Multi-Information display to the right of a set of imposing analogue dials. What can be said about this arrangement is that in the company of fully digital instrument clusters, the small screen does feel like an afterthought. It may be so, but said screen does a satisfactory job in displaying relative information with good brightness and clarity. On the range-topping XR model of the Corolla Hatch, the aggressively bolstered fabric front seats found on XS are now coated in a suede and leather combination, and now feature heating and electric 2/way lumbar support for the driver.

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The wide centre console is mounted relatively high and gives the front occupants a cocooned feeling. As standard, all models of the Corolla Hatch receive dual-zone climate control, a Push Start button to bring that new turbo engine to life, one-touch all-electric windows and a black headliner to give the cabin a more premium feel.

Moving to the rear, the first thing you notice is how narrow the entrance is due to the door not opening wide enough – or maybe it is my waist that is too wide… Whatever, but I certainly don’t remember having this problem in other vehicles in this segment, just saying. Although there is noticeably more legroom than before, you still feel claustrophobic sitting on the rear bench and couple that with the low roof and low rear window, you end up sitting in a slightly slouched position if you’re taller than the average Joe. So if you’re an extroverted and outgoing person and you’ve been looking at buying the Corolla Hatch, just make sure you only have short friends and everything should be alright…or just buy the Corolla sedan. Also, the boot includes a full-size spare wheel and 294 litres of volume, which means you can fit 294 litres worth of stuff in there which is a far less than competitors in this segment.

Trademark Toyota Value and Dependability

The Toyota Corolla Hatch is priced aggressively and after going through its resume, presents tremendous value for money. The entry-level XS Manual will set you back R336 800 while upgrading to the 10-speed CVT will raise that to R347 400. The current range-topper, the XR CVT, costs just R367 100 (in comparison, the range-topping VW Golf is priced at R394 600). With that, you get a 3 year/100 000 km warranty and a 6 year/90 000 km service plan, which is a subtle display of confidence from Toyota with regards to their product’s reliability. As standard, the Corolla Hatch receives Vehicle Stability Control to prevent you from losing control, and a total of 7 airbags to protect you when even the electronics can’t save you from that.

In summary, you indeed get more standard features in the Corolla Hatch when put against its competitors. However, the competition can be spec’d to a higher level than what even the crème de la crème XR model can achieve. We would’ve liked to see an optional digital instrument cluster and the lack of smartphone connectivity will be a bitter pill to swallow until such time that Toyota rectifies this blunder later on in the year. Even though that may be, there is no denying that the Corolla Hatch falls into a very exclusive category of cars that are greater than the sum of its parts – cars that feel like they were designed by people who love and enjoy everything automotive, and proceed infect you with that euphoric sensation. This car is a relatively simple offering in the segment with its lack of technological innovation, however, that also means that it is a solid and dependable product providing with the minimal amount of headaches possible. With the Corolla Hatch, Toyota has wrapped the dependability that South African’s and the world have fallen in love with in a striking and attractive package that looks good and feels great!

The Toyota Corolla Hatch In a Sentence – There’s a reason why someone decided to turn this car into a 745 kW (1000 hp) tyre-shredding drift car!

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