Jump to content
  •  
Advertise here

Toyota Corolla 2020 Hybrid LE First Thoughts


Frederic

Recommended Posts

I have never been a big fan of the Toyota Corolla. It always looked to me like it was designed by an accountant on a Sunday morning.

Driving it was also never an exhilerating experience. It did what it had to do, and the cabin was well put together, but never gave a real welcoming feeling. That was also mostly due to the fact that most people here in UAE buy the basic models, which suits them well as company tradesman car, rental car, or simple reliable commuter car. And in that aspect the Corolla has been a huge success. 

The resale value of a well maintained Corolla with acceptable mileage has always been above average, and you can bet your sweet tooth on it that if you'd put one on Dubizzle in decent condition, that within 1 day it would be sold.

Now, looking at the 2020 Corolla which is now available in both Hybrid and Petrol versions, the new model looks more sleek, modern, and is becoming more and more like a Junior Lexus, which is not a bad reference.

The Hybrid, having a 1.8 litre engine on board accompanied by 16-Volt electric motors, is clocking in at 95,500 AED. Having 121Hp and 142Nm of Torque are not world shocking results, but with a fuel economy of 3.9 l/100 km we are looking at a damn fine commuter car.

Petrolheads amongst us that want to stay true to the black fossil blood, will have the choice between either a 1.6 at 121hp / 154Nm, or 168hp / 200Nm for the 2.0 litre version. The base model will be available from 71,900 AED onwards,

Transmissions are CVT, which are partly responsible for the excellent fuel economy numbers. There are as many haters as there are lovers of the CVT trannies. I'm not fond of them as they take away a lot of the driver's engagement in how the car revs and behaves, but for the Candy-Crush playing commuters it will hardly make any difference.

Toyota being a company of no surprises does again what it does best: make a car that will sell, no questions asked. Competition has been strong the last couple of years, especially from the Koreans which boast more exciting designs and lower prices, but high resale value kept the Corolla in the top spot and that will likely not change soon.

CORO_CS_1903-1301-edited.jpg.35b07132698aaac70957f55dc70e3ba1.jpg2020_Corolla_LE_Hybrid_BlueCrushMetallic_039_B5761486DC80A4597CAB1C0917650157427F8CD3.jpg.fe8dc28205b7ba8f8fd32369c4bfa4c2.jpgCORO_CS_1903-1101.jpg.52bc4c69f1c721547aa0f0730ffd960b.jpgCORO_CS_1903-2001.jpg.f678bdff6c2d89b2ebc6516188d71274.jpg1341525667_2020ToyotaCorolla.jpg.165572d3fdaceda83ce00043ee695b2d.jpg

 

 

 

  • Like (+1) 3
  • Well Done (+2) 1

"Go as far as you can see; once you get there, you'll be able to see further."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WOW, nice to meet you new 2020 Toyota Corolla, new styling looks quite exciting.

Loved your engaging writing skill, humor, sarcasm and candy crush. Absolutely perfect.

  • Thanks (+1) 1
  • Totally Agree (+2) 2

Let's root for each other & watch each other grow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The last thing I would do if I had 92k to spare would be to buy a Corolla. Or any overpriced Toyota. 

I remember buying a Land Cruiser GXR for that much money. A fully loaded VXR was 112k. Now you get a Camry for that money.

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are thinking of a sedan, this should be perfect when compared to its rivals !!

Wonder how much I'll be saving on fuel cost if we can achieve 100km in 4 Litres.

 

  • Like (+1) 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, desertdude said:

The last thing I would do if I had 92k to spare would be to buy a Corolla. Or any overpriced Toyota. 

I remember buying a Land Cruiser GXR for that much money. A fully loaded VXR was 112k. Now you get a Camry for that money.

You’re missing the point buddy. A Land Cruiser is gonna cost you a lot more on fuel and maintenance. 

The higher price Tag is also because of Hybrid Technology.

  • Like (+1) 2
  • Totally Agree (+2) 1

"Go as far as you can see; once you get there, you'll be able to see further."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

58 minutes ago, Frederic said:

You’re missing the point buddy. A Land Cruiser is gonna cost you a lot more on fuel and maintenance. 

The higher price Tag is also because of Hybrid Technology.

A regular one starts at around 70 so no not missing the point. Toyotas are severely overpriced fact!

How many years does one have to drive to cover the extra almost 30k spent in fuel savings? 

I've seen the latest hybrid Camrys as taxis. For them it makes sense since they rack up around half a million kms in a year or so there are fuel savings to be had there.

My previous rental car was a Yaris. Pretty nifty car, very fuel efficient and pretty well equipped even for a base model but then I looked up the price and no way I would ever buy one new at 60k. Never! 

So yeah Toyotas might be getting snazzy in the sedan category but the prices are a huge turn off. Hence Corollas are being seen less and less on the road. 

The god awful Nissan Sunny is the flavour of the month for fleet and company cars now seems like. They are everywhere. They are cheaper at around 50k but they suck so hard it's not even funny! 

I've been stuck with one for the last 7 months!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

57 minutes ago, shadow79 said:

I have heard somewhere that the Toyota cvt is way better than Nissan's or Honda CVT but more data is needed to confirm that statement...

Oh yeah totally forgot about factoring in the cvt issue as well. Might be better but by how much?.

So these Toyota hybrids are nothing more than to keep the tree huggers happy. 

A polo or golf diesel probably gives better mileage too..

  • Confused (0) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of use